Introduction and Overview: Central Piedmont Community College is a public community college located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is part of the North Carolina Community College System. The college enrolls more than 40,000 students each year, making it the second largest community college in the North Carolina Community College System and the largest community college in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The college has six campuses and three centers, offering nearly 300 degree, diploma and certificate programs.

History and Founding Time: The college was founded in 1963 as a result of the passage of the State Community College Act by the North Carolina State Legislature, and was formed by the merger of Mecklenburg College and the Central Industrial Education Center.

Strength of Schooling

Rich Courses: It offers courses in 14 career fields, including business and accounting, communications and art, architecture and trade, design and construction, education, engineering, health care, hotel and cooking, information technology, liberal arts, mathematics and science, public safety, public service, transportation systems, etc., with more than 55 professional paths.

Strong Faculty: We have an experienced and qualified faculty with a student-teacher ratio of 19:1.

Transfer Agreements: We have direct transfer agreements with many four-year schools, such as Queen's University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University, to facilitate students to continue their studies.

Nature of the institution: Public community college.

Educational philosophy: We are committed to providing accessible and convenient education so that people of all ages can receive practical, affordable and hands-on education to change their lives and strengthen the economic, social and cultural environment of Mecklenburg County.

Key laboratories and disciplines: Although there are no particularly highlighted key laboratories, we have strong disciplines in some fields, such as nursing in the healthcare field, which is one of the popular majors; and majors such as business management and information technology also have certain advantages, which have trained a large number of talents for local enterprises and industries.

Department Settings: The college is divided into health sciences, business and accounting, industrial technology, humanities and social sciences, art and design departments according to professional fields.

Ranking: It is usually not prominent in national comprehensive rankings, but among community colleges in North Carolina, it is highly recognized for its size, teaching quality and contribution to the local area.

Cost: In the 2020-2021 academic year, in-state tuition and fees are $2,792, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $8,936.

Campus Environment

Central Campus: Located in the Elizabeth community, close to Independence Park and Little Sugar Creek Greenway, the campus layout is similar to a traditional university campus. There is a historic central high school building, which is now used for administrative offices and admissions. The building has been renovated and restored to its original appearance. The campus is served by the city's Links Gold Line tram and has a designated station.

Cato Campus: Formerly known as the Northeast Campus, it is located near the Reedy Creek Nature Reserve. The campus focuses on horticulture because of its mountainous and shady terrain and close to local parks, which is convenient for students to practice horticulture. The campus is also located in the University City area of ​​Charlotte, just 3 miles from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Other campuses include the Southwest Campus, which focuses on construction technology, welding, HVAC systems, graphic design and art; the Southeast Campus, later renamed the Levine Campus, has a bookstore, computer labs and food court, and also houses the Joe Hendrick Automotive Technical Center. This campus has the largest enrollment in computer and information technology among all campuses; and the Merancas Campus in Huntersville, which is home to the college's public safety and transportation systems programs.