UNC Charlotte Academic Procedure: Establishment and Review of Bilateral Articulation Agreements

I. Executive Summary

These procedures serve to ensure the integrity of academic curriculum and policy as set forth by the UNC Charlotte faculty through a process for the establishment and review of academic agreements between UNC Charlotte and other institutions, including but not limited to bilateral and multilateral articulation agreements regarding Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree completion programs. See UNC System Regulation 400.1.5.3[R], Regulation to Foster Undergraduate Transfer Student Success.

The establishment and review of North Carolina Community College Transfer Guides is governed by the North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement and is not covered in this procedure. For the establishment of dual or joint degree programs with other institutions (not covered under this process), please refer to the UNC Charlotte Academic Procedure: External Dual Degree and Joint Degree Establishment.

II. Procedure Statement

The North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) is a statewide agreement governing the transfer of credits between NC community colleges and NC public universities. This agreement was designed to promote the smooth transfer of students. The transfer of credits from Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degree programs are governed by the CAA. Transfer of credits from the AAS in Early Childhood, Associate in Engineering, AFA (Music, Theatre, Visual Arts), AAS in Nursing, and AA/AS in Teacher Preparation, is governed by statewide Uniform Articulation Agreements.  These agreements outline how specific associate degrees transfer from the North Carolina Community College System to NC public universities

Additionally, articulation agreements between UNC Charlotte and NC Community Colleges may be established to govern transfer of credit for students with AAS degrees. Bilateral and multilateral agreements are written agreements that UNC Charlotte and NC community colleges will work in unison to help students who have earned an AAS degree at a community college earn a baccalaureate degree at UNC Charlotte. Bilateral or multilateral agreements are needed for the AAS degree because it is not designed for transfer and requires special consideration. AAS degrees are designed to meet the workforce preparedness mission of the community colleges and may differ from the baccalaureate degree paths by having different accreditation criteria for faculty and different general education requirements programs.

Under bilateral or multilateral agreements, UNC Charlotte and one or more community colleges may join in a collaborative effort to facilitate the transfer of students from AAS degree programs to baccalaureate degree programs. Each such agreement must be created in accordance with the UNC Charlotte Academic Policy and Procedure: Transfer Credit and Advanced Academic Standing and must clearly demonstrate that its objectives are consistent with the UNC Charlotte mission and that it is appropriate to the degrees, programs, or courses to which transfer credit will be applied.

These procedures for establishing bilateral or multilateral agreements are designed to ensure the development and documentation of a smooth path for students with AAS degrees seeking to transfer to UNC Charlotte.

Approval Procedure for New Agreements

  1. The chair of the originating UNC Charlotte department completes a draft agreement (bilateral or multilateral), appropriate to the circumstances (the Bilateral Course Transfer Agreement, Multilateral Course Transfer Agreement, and Uniform Agreement). Each agreement must follow the form of the appropriate template.
    1. Bilateral Course Transfer Agreement template
    2. Multilateral Course Transfer Agreement template
  2. Review and Approval Process: Prior to signature, each agreement must be reviewed and approved by:
    1. Office of the Registrar (contact: University Registrar)
    2. Office of Undergraduate Admissions (for undergraduate agreements, contact: admissions@charlotte.edu) or Office of Graduate Admissions (for graduate agreements, contact: Director of Graduate Academic Services)
    3. Office of Undergraduate Education (for undergraduate agreements, contact: University Transfer Center Director) or the Graduate School (for graduate agreements, contact: Director of Graduate Academic Services) 
    4. Office of Assessment and Accreditation (contact: University Accreditation Liaison) 
    5. Office of Legal Affairs (contact: legal-affairs@charlotte.edu) (Not required if one of the official agreement templates is used)
  3. Review and Approval Process: Following review and approval by the above entities, the following review, approval, and signatures are required:
    1. Department chair/unit head
    2. Dean of the college]NOTE: If the agreement is with a UNC Charlotte interdisciplinary degree program, the chair of the program’s coordinating committee (faculty from different disciplines/departments) presents the agreement to the cognizant dean under whose authority the interdisciplinary degree resides.
    3. Provost (Not required for agreements with an institution in the University of North Carolina System) 
  4. Following campus approvals, the agreement should be forwarded to the partner institution for signature.
  5. A copy of each signed agreement must be forwarded to the University Registrar who will submit fully executed agreements to the UNC System Office public repository within 30 days of the agreeing being signed. 

Review Procedure for Agreements

  1. The parties shall engage in a comprehensive review of the agreement at least once every two years, with the first two-year period commencing on the effective date of the agreement. At a minimum, review criteria should consider:
    1. Evaluation of student success measures, including the extent to which the agreement allows for timely degree completion.
    2. Alignment of the requirements in the agreement with the program’s requirements for native UNC Charlotte students at the time of review.
    3. Consistency with the institutional mission and appropriateness to the degrees, programs or courses to which it applies.
    4. Verification that the courses articulated in the agreement are still offered.
    5. Verification that the dates of the agreement are current.
    6. Consistency of the specific criteria contained within the agreement with current university or UNC Board of Governors policies and regulations.
  2. The review should conclude with one of the following recommendations:
    1. Extension of the existing agreement.
    2. Recommend changes to the agreement.
    3. Recommend renegotiation of the agreement if significant programmatic changes have occurred.
    4. Recommend terminating the agreement for a specified reason. Reasons for terminating the agreement may be, but are not limited to, the following:
      • insufficient student enrollment in programs associated with the agreement,
      • revocation of institutional or other accreditation,
      • program discontinuation,
      • misalignment between the mission of the university, or
      • other reasons that may reflect on the appropriateness of the agreement.
  3. The review process will be overseen by the Associate Dean in the academic college within which the program resides, with the review and recommendations presented to the Dean of that college. The Dean, in consultation with the Office of Legal Affairs and the Provost will determine extension, amendment, or termination of the contract.

III. Definitions

  • Cooperative Academic Arrangement – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) defines a Cooperative Academic Arrangement, which will be covered by this regulation as: An agreement with an entity (or entities) to deliver program content recorded on the SACSCOC institution’s transcript as its own. Examples of a cooperative academic arrangement include geographic or denominational consortia, statewide distance education agreements, collaborative agreements with international institutions, and contractual instruction.
  • Bilateral Agreements  – Articulation agreements between UNC Charlotte and one community college.
  • Multilateral Agreements – Articulation agreements among UNC Charlotte and more than one community college.
  • Uniform Agreements – Articulation agreements that focus on specific degrees or disciplines.

IV. Procedure Contact(s)

V. History

  • Revised: January 30, 2026 [Define agreement types, two-year review cycle, and add final repository at the UNC System Office]
  • Revised: April 7, 2022 [Added 49er Next Bilateral Course Transfer Agreement]
  • Established: March 12, 2021

VI. Related Policies, Procedures, and Resources

VII. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where is this procedure referenced?
    The procedure is published on the Academic Policies & Procedures webpage of the Provost website.