Tri-County Community College (TCCC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Tri-County Community College is an institution of higher learning located in North Carolina’s westernmost tip. Tri-County Community College (or TCCC) is an institution that serves students in a district that consists of Clay, Graham and Cherokee counties by offering vocational, college transfer, adult education and technical education programs. This community college is a public-supported, post-secondary, comprehensive, 2-year, accredited institute which functions in accordance with the administrative policies of the North Carolina Community College System and North Carolina Law.

TCCC’s mission is to assist its students succeed and to also develop the communities that they serve. In order to accomplish their mission, TCCC must and will definitely provide a modern, holistic, encouraging and challenging educational environment that is accessible and unbiased to every student and is also effective in encouraging personal growth and achievement of vital career skills and knowledge. Promote academic excellence via valuable training and academic evaluation, faculty development and continuous assessment of program effectiveness in assisting students to succeed. The college sustains a positive work environment that is distinguished by academic freedom, fair treatment, collegial governance, just compensation and a strong willingness to be innovative. TCCC’s mission also includes supporting all educational and community service projects with resource and the technology required to get the proposed learning results, promote customer satisfaction and effectiveness, and also stick to typically accepted professional standards and or educational norms.

Information Summary

Ranks 107th in North Carolina and 2818th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	53.5
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,398
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	12 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	61% / 42%
Enrollment Total (all students)	963

Academics

In 1964, the North Carolina State Board of Education gave approval for Tri-County Industrial Education Center to function as part of the State Department of Community Colleges. The Cherokee County Board of Education discussed a lease contract with the State of North Carolina for the Center in July 1965 to inhabit the already deserted Cherokee County Prison Camp. New buildings soon after began to join the prison facilities. A lot of TCCC’s current buildings located on the Murphy campus were constructed in the 60’s and 70’s. The Appalachian Regional Commission in the 70’s provided grants to restore and build 3 buildings on college’s Murphy campus, later known as The Tri-County Community College.

In 1984, the state’s legislature approved the funds for the building of a new multi-purpose structure. The structure was completed in 1989 and was named “The Enloe Building”. The Enloe Building became a wonderful addition to the college’s 3 other major facilities, Crisp, McSwain and West buildings.

The enrollment at TCCC constantly increased every year; thus, making new facilities for training and student support essential. New dual purpose structures were dedicated in 1998. The Harper wing of the building serves as the college’s student activities center, while the Jarret/Oglesby wing serves as the college’s early childhood education center.

Programs and Degrees Offered

The academic programs that are currently being offered at TCCC are specially designed as either College Transfer or Technical. The programs offered at Tri-County Community College grouped as Technical award graduates with associate degrees in Applied Science. The duration of these programs are usually 4 or 5 semesters and is specifically designed for students who have plans to transfer to senior college in order to complete a 4 year degree program.

Under the authority of the North Carolina Community College System, the following awards can be awarded by Tri-County Community College: Certificate, Diploma, A.A.A.S (Associate in Applied Science), A.A (Associate in Arts), A.S (Associate in Science) and A.G.E (Associate in General Education)

TCCC also offers online classes for students who want a more flexible academic schedule.

Accreditation

Tri-County Community College is approved by the following: The North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Arts, The North Carolina Board of Nursing and the Commission on College of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to confer associate degrees.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

Gaining admission into Tri-County Community College is quite easy because this institution operates an open door admission policy. Prospective students should however note that this does not in any way mean that there are no restrictions to getting admission to certain courses; but the policy does allow some flexibility so that students can have the opportunity improve their academic status. For the main purpose of guidance, placement tests are given and a personal interview conducted for each student prior to being admitted to the school’s training program. Tri-County Community College welcomes people of every race, gender, personal handicap, religion, color, nationality and age.

TCCC may accept any individual who is 18 years old and a high school graduate or GED holder. Admission to TCCC does not mean that the applicant will get instantaneous admission to his or her desired curriculum. Applicants will need to present a high school diploma or its equivalent in other to gain admission to associate and diploma courses at TCCC, they will also need to present transcripts from the institutions that they have previously attended and Tri-County Community College’s placement test or acceptable transfer credit. Please Note: Individuals applying for TCCC’s Nursing and certain associate programs will have to complete additional requirements in order to gain admission to these programs.

Apply to TCCC is pretty easy; applicants will only need to follow a 4 step process:

Fill out an application for admission to TCCC or simply apply online through the college’s website.

Submit authorized copies of transcripts from high school(s) and post secondary institutions attended and or GED scores

Sit for the CPT (College Placement Test). Requirements for testing for particular course of study are available at the College’s Admissions Office.

Meet with the College’s member of Student Services personnel in order to talk about CPT results.

Applicants who desire to enter TCCC’s Nursing program can get more information about admission requirements on the college’s website.

Note: TCCC reserves every right to establish cut-off dates for graduation applications, financial aid applications, admission applications and other kinds of application documentation. This is done in other to improve student service and cut processing delays which usually occurs during peak registration time.

Financial Aid

The main objective of financial aid at Tri-County Community College is to assist in removing financial stumbling blocks in the way of students’ education. TCCC is dedicated to the idea that world class education should be affordable and available to everyone in its community.

Types of Financial Aid: Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, North Carolina Student Incentive Grant (NCSIG), Federal Work-Study Program, North Carolina Community College Grant, Targeted Assistance, North Carolina Education Lottery Scholarship.

Tri-County Community College offers an array of scholarships to qualified students; these scholarships range from $250 – $1000. Generous contributions from local business owners and individuals have made a lot of these scholarships possible. There are other financial aid programs at TCCC; you get more information from the institution’s website.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available online. In order to get financial aid from any one of the state and federal financial aid programs, applicants will have to meet the following criteria:

Have an economic need – this will be determined through the applicant’s FAFSA submission

Have earned a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate

Be accepted to enrol in an eligible course at Tri-County Community College

Be a citizen of the United States or be an eligible non-citizen

Have a legal Social Security Number

Meet acceptable academic progress standards set by Tri-County Community College

Applicants must certify that they will use financial aid for only academic purposes

Applicants must certify that they have not defaulted on any federal student loans and do not owe a single penny on a federal student grant.

Meet the federal eligibility conditions concerning drug related convictions

Student Financial Aid Details

Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in North Carolina.

Students

Tri-County Community College offers a lot of ways for students to get involved in campus life. The College’s Students Government Association is truly a lively part of campus life and is even known as one of the best in North Carolina State. There are fun organizations on campus such as the Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Beta Gamma, the National Technical Honor Society (this club recognizes academic excellence). The College’s Students in Free Enterpriss (also known as SIFE) is an organization that works on community outreach development and helps its members learn more about entrepreneurship, economics, success skills and a lot more. The Astronomy Society members focus on the skies, the Hiking Club is ideal for students who simply love the great outdoors.

Students who are interested in gaining very valuable experience in publication can join TCCC’s newspaper publishing club, “Tri-County Communicator”. This club encourages submission from every member of the Tri-County Community College because its mission is to offer students, staff and faculty with quality articles that are very interesting and rightly mirror issues that concern each of them. The College’s publication serves as a crossroads at which various individuals that make up the college’s community come together as one.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Additional School Information

The value of education at Tri-County Community College is quite hard to beat because at TCCC, students can save almost five thousand dollars ($5,000) by simply completing the initial 2 years of college at this institution and the other 2 years at a public 4year university in the state of North Carolina. Students will even get to save more if they transfer to a private college. The low cost combined with receiving a top quality education from world class instructors make Tri-County Community College pretty hard to beat.

Bibliography

Campus Explorer, Inc. ”Tri-County Community College Description." 2011

Education Database Online. ”Tri-County Community College.” 2011

Tri-County Community College Website. ”About TCCC.” 2011

Tri-County Community College