RISE — Reinforced Instruction for Student Excellence — helps more students place immediately into gateway courses and succeed on their first attempt. It changes the way NC community colleges assess whether students are prepared for college-level classes and uses corequisite courses to better serve students who need additional support.

Using RISE, NC community colleges use high school GPA as the starting point for placement for all students who are within 10 years of high school graduation. (Due to COVID-19, the 10-year expiration on GPA is currently suspended.)

All students with a high school GPA of 2.2 or higher are placed into gateway courses, some requiring corequisite support. Students with a GPA of less than 2.2 are required to enroll in a one-semester transition course in math and/or English. The courses may be delivered in basic skills, curriculum, or both.

RISE, which began in spring 2019 with its first pilot, builds on earlier statewide changes, including shorter developmental education modules and using GPA for placement, that were rolled out in 2016. The corequisite model is slated for statewide rollout in fall 2022, pending data review.

RISE decisions are made with the input of an Advisory Board and the Presidents’ Association that includes community college leaders in a variety of areas including academics, student services, data, and workforce development.

The NC Student Success Center curates a broad range of resources that help colleges learn the latest information about RISE.