Independent Youth

The Independent Youth Program is designed to help you establish  academic success by providing personalized coaching and advising, facilitating the development of individual academic success plans, and formalized connections to campus resources and supports.

Independent Youth are identified through the Office of Financial Aid. Participation in the Independent Youth program establishes a foundation of success at UNC through a structured approach to personalized proactive coaching and advising in an inclusive and caring environment

How do I know if I am an independent student?

• Do you have or will you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you?
• Do you have any other dependents, other than children or spouse, that receive half of their support from you?
• At any time since you were 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• Are you an emancipated minor?
• Does someone other than your parents/stepparents have legal guardianship of you?
• Have you been determined as unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

Please see our flyer if you would like to learn more about what it means to be an independent youth.

Academic Coaching

Academic coaching takes a holistic view of student support. During appointments, academic success coaches will check in on academic progress and see how classes are going.

Additionally, our coaches are able to help students get connected to support services on campus such as the Counseling Center, the Disability Resource Center, Cultural and Resource Centers, and Tutoring.

In the spring semester, academic success coaches will make sure that you are submitting your FASFA for the upcoming school year. The academic success coaches in our office are a point of contact for any issue or question a student may have.

Your Success Coach

You are expected to meet with your success coach regularly. At the beginning of the semester, you will create an academic success plan with your success coach.

It is important that you check your BearMail once a day to make sure you are receiving important information from our office as well as other areas within UNC.