History

History

Launched in 2007 and funded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Annie Penn Community Trust and the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Carolina Corps is a constituent program of the College Advising Corps. Originating with four advisers serving eight schools in North Carolina, the Carolina College Advising Corps supports underserved students and their parents as they navigate the college admissions and financial aid processes.

According to the College Board, high-achieving students from low-income families have about the same chance of enrolling in college as low-achieving students from high-income families. The Carolina College Advising Corps charges itself to change this through one-on-one interactions, group presentations, and collaborations within partner high schools. Advisers work closely with school counselors and other school personnel to create programs that meet the needs of the students in North Carolina high schools. Advisers help students research and apply to a broad range of two- and four-year schools, with the goal of finding the school that fits each individual best.

The primary goals of the Advising Corps are to:

  • Increase post-secondary enrollment rates of the schools served
  • Create a college going culture within the schools served
  • Broaden the range of two- and four-year schools to which students are exposed

The Carolina Corps started with 4 advisers serving 8 schools in 2007. For the 2023-2024 academic year, 65 advisers will serve 81 high schools in 34 counties across the state of North Carolina. Advisers will be immersed in the partner high school and will be available to guide students through the college planning and admission process. Advisers assist all students within partner high schools and do outreach to help students who may not have otherwise gone to college or may not have seen college as an attainable goal.

2024 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill