Students in North Carolina public schools have the opportunity to earn one or more endorsements on their high school diploma. These endorsements indicate that a student has completed focused study in a particular area. IF YOU COMPLETE AN ENDORSEMENT WHILE IN HIGH SCHOO, A STICKER CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE AFTER GRADUATION AND YOU CAN ADD IT TO YOUR DIPLOMA. THE ENDORSEMENT WILL ALSO BE INDICATED ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT.  See you high school counselor with any questions!

Career Endorsement – indicates completion of a rigorous course of study that includes a Career Technical Education concentration

• Except as limited by N.C.G.S. §115C-81(b), the student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the student’s post-secondary plans.  Acceptable fourth math courses for the Career Endorsement include any math course that may be used to meet NC high school graduation requirements, including applied math courses found in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) domain; 

• The student shall complete a CTE concentration in one of the approved CTE  Career Pathways; 

• The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6; 

• The student shall earn at least one industry-recognized credential. Earned credentials can include Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) at the Silver level or above from WorkKeys assessments or another appropriate industry credential/certification; and

• The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  (ACT - 22 on reading)

College Endorsement – indicates readiness for entry into NC Community Colleges

• The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III; and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the students post-secondary plans.  The fourth math course must meet University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements or be acceptable for earning placement in a credit-bearing college math class under the North Carolina Community College System’s Multiple Measures Placement policy;

• The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6; and

• The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score. (ACT - 22 on reading)

College/UNC Endorsement – indicates readiness for entry into a four-year university in the University of North Carolina system

• The student shall complete three units of science including at least one physical science with a lab, one life science and  one additional science course;

• The student shall complete U.S. History or equivalent coursework;

• The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English);

• Students shall earn a weighted grade point average of at least 2.5; and

• The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score. (ACT - 22 on reading)

NC Academic Scholars Endorsement – indicates that students have completed a balanced and academically rigorous high school program preparing them for post-secondary education

• The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Math I, II, III; Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth-level mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Course Requirements that include a mathematics course with either Math III, Algebra II, or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite;

• The student shall complete three course credits of science including an Earth/Environmental science course, Biology, and at least one physical science course that must include either physics or chemistry;

• The student shall complete four course credits of social studies;

• The student shall complete two course credits of a world language (other than English);

• The student shall complete four elective course credits in any one subject area, such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), JROTC, Arts Education, World Languages, or in another content area;

• The student shall have completed at least three higher-level courses during junior and/or senior years which carry quality points such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Dual Enrollment courses; Advanced CTE and CTE credentialing courses; honors level courses, or Project Lead the Way courses; and

• The student shall earn an 

.

Global Languages Endorsement (Seal of Biliteracy) – indicates proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English

The student shall demonstrate mastery of the English language with one of the following:

• complete English IV or equivalent course and earn a cumulative, unweighted grade point average of at least 2.5 for all English coursework required for graduation; or

• use the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery policy to complete the English IV course required for graduation; or

• take a nationally norm-referenced external exam approved by NCDPI and achieve a score that meets the English requirement as noted on the approved list.  (ACT - 18 on Eng, 22 on reading, or 3, 4, 5 on AP Lang/Lit)

The student shall demonstrate mastery of a World Language by earning Intermediate Mid proficiency or higher on the ACTFL proficiency scale in each language with one of the following:

• complete a Level IV or higher course in a World Language and earn a cumulative, unweighted grade point average of at least 2.5 for all World Language coursework in that language; or

• use the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery policy to complete a Level IV or higher course in a World Language, including the home and heritage languages used across North Carolina; or

• take a nationally or internationally norm-referenced external exam approved by NCDPI and achieve a score of Intermediate Mid or higher in that language. (AAPPL or Access Test 4 or higher)

Arts Proficiency Endorsement – indicates proficiency in an arts area based on both course attainment as well as outside of school arts experiences. Student to see Arts teacher for this endorsement.

• The student shall complete a minimum of four NCSCOS arts courses.

• The student shall earn an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher in each arts credit.

• The student shall complete a minimum of 40 hours of arts-related extracurricular activities, approved by the local board of education. 

  • The student shall complete all of the required hours outside of instructional hours.

  • The student shall not receive any course credit for participation in the activity.

  • The student shall document the hours on the form provided to local boards of education.

Citizenship Proficiency Endorsement Student to see Administration for this endorsement

• The district shall administer the endorsement test in the same format as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test using the questions publicly available.

• The student shall correctly answer at least 6 out of 10 questions asked of the civics portion of the USCIS Naturalization test.

• The opportunity to earn this endorsement shall be offered to interested high school students once/semester.

NCDPI High School Diploma Endorsement Information