Carolina College Advising Corps

What Carolina College Advising Corps does

Carolina College Advising Corps (CCAC) is a nonprofit, near-peer college access program founded in 2007 and operated as a constituent program of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Division of Enrollment. Headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, CCAC places trained recent college graduates, branded as Next Step Advisers, into partner high schools across North Carolina to guide low-income, first-generation, and under-resourced students through postsecondary planning, including college enrollment, military service, and career pathways. Advisers deliver one-on-one meetings, group sessions, campus visits, career exploration workshops, family engagement sessions, and FAFSA and application support, embedded within the school day alongside counselors and teachers.

CCAC's core offering is the Next Step Advisers Program, complemented by the 1789 Mentors Program (a UNC-Chapel Hill first-year retention program matching incoming students with College Advising Corps alumni) and the Advise NC partnership that extends the model statewide. The organization does not sell a technology product; its "platform" is a human-mediated advising model with a four-week intensive training at UNC-Chapel Hill and ongoing professional development. Coverage spans 81 partner high schools across 34 North Carolina counties with 65 Next Step Advisers in the field.

CCAC is funded through a mix of foundation grants (Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Golden LEAF Foundation, among others), AmeriCorps sub-grants through the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, county-level and community partners (e.g., Dare County, Polk County Schools, Rockingham County, Salisbury, Wilson County, Kannapolis City Schools), UNC System Office support, and individual donations. Services are provided free of charge to schools and students.

Name

Carolina College Advising Corps

Legal name

Carolina College Advising Corps

Website

https://carolinacollegeadvisingcorps.unc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carolina College Advising Corps places trained recent college graduates as Next Step Advisers in 81 North Carolina high schools to help low-income and first-generation students navigate postsecondary pathways including college, career, and military service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access and Postsecondary Advising Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Advising & Degree Planning (EDALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

College Readiness & Admissions Prep Centers (Small-Group Workshops) (EDANAHAI)

Keywords

• College access advising
• Postsecondary pathway planning
• Near-peer mentorship
• High school advising services
• FAFSA completion support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Funded through partnerships with foundations and government programs including AmeriCorps, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Golden LEAF Foundation, and county-level partners
2. Donations: Accepts donations through UNC donation portal to support program operations

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carolina College Advising Corps places trained recent college graduates as Next Step Advisers in high schools across North Carolina to provide near-peer college and career advising. Advisers deliver one-on-one meetings, group sessions, campus visits, FAFSA completion support, college application assistance, family engagement, and career or military pathway exploration to low-income, first-generation, and under-resourced students. The organization also runs the 1789 Mentors Program supporting UNC-Chapel Hill first-year student retention.

Product overview

Carolina College Advising Corps is a college access and success nonprofit organization affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill. The organization operates primarily through its Next Step Advisers Program, which places near-peer advisers in partner high schools across North Carolina. A complementary offering is the 1789 Mentors Program, which supports first-year UNC-Chapel Hill students. Through partnership with Advise NC, the organization extends its statewide reach. The organization does not offer a technology product per se, but provides personalized advising services focused on helping students navigate postsecondary pathways including college enrollment, career exploration, and military service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1789 Mentors Program: A program under Carolina College Advising Corps that aids university retention efforts by supporting incoming first-year students as they transition to Carolina. Consists of College Advising Corps Alumni who serve as near-peer advisors.

Products and services

• Next Step Advisers Program A near-peer advising service that places recent college graduates as Next Step Advisers in partner high schools across North Carolina, providing one-on-one meetings, group sessions, campus visits, career exploration workshops, schoolwide events, family engagement, FAFSA support, and college application assistance to low-income, first-generation, and under-resourced students.
• 1789 Mentors Program A university retention program that matches incoming first-year UNC-Chapel Hill students with near-peer mentors (College Advising Corps alumni) to support their transition to college life.
• Advise NC Partnership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 36% reduction in application submission gap when meeting with Corps adviser
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• College Advising CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization that supports the Carolina College Advising Corps as a constituent program. Over nearly two decades, this partnership helped raise postsecondary enrollment rates and strengthen college-going cultures across North Carolina.
• Advise NCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide postsecondary access program that CCAC has partnered with to continue building on its foundation. Programs place full-time Next Step Advisers in high schools throughout North Carolina.
• NCAN (National College Attainment Network)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting college access and success; CCAC is a member.
• GEAR UPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal program partner supporting college access initiatives.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): National membership organization of college access programs; CCAC is a member. Provides advocacy, research, and capacity-building for similar programs — adjacent infrastructure rather than direct service provider.
• QuestBridge: National program connecting high-achieving low-income students with selective colleges through advising and scholarships. Comparable target population with a more selective, scholarship-focused variant of the advising model.

Direct peers

• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing college access and success advising to first-generation and low-income students from high school through college graduation. Comparable near-peer coaching model and target population.
• College Possible: National nonprofit deploying near-peer coaches (recent college graduates) in high schools to support low-income and first-generation students through college access and success. Closest direct analogue in scale and model.
• Advise NC: Statewide postsecondary access program in North Carolina that CCAC explicitly partners with to place Next Step Advisers. Operates the same near-peer high school advising model in the same geography.
• uAspire: Nonprofit focused on financial aid advising and postsecondary access for low-income students, including FAFSA completion support. Overlapping mission on the financial aid/access dimension CCAC addresses.
• Matriculate: Nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income high school students with near-peer undergraduate coaches for college advising and admissions support. Comparable near-peer model and target demographic.
• College Advising Corps: National parent organization that supports CCAC and 30+ similar statewide programs. Directly comparable — same near-peer advising model, same target student population, same grant-funded nonprofit structure; CCAC is a constituent site.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@carolinacollegeadvisingcorps
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarolinaCorps
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolinacollegeadvisingcorps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carolina-college-advising-corps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carolina College Advising Corps