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Counselor Connect

Your CT State Community College Counseling Resource

Counseling Your Prospective Student

Do you have a student who’s interested in free college tuition, a selective admissions program (like nursing), or one of our other 300+ degrees and certificate programs offered at CT State?

Today, CT State has become a popular choice for many high school students (and their parents) who want an alternative to attending a costly four-year public and/or private institution. Remember: By working with one of our Guided Pathways Advisors, students from CT State can easily form a plan to transfer their earned credits toward a bachelor’s degree program at both public and private colleges. Please visit the transfer planning page for more information.

When applying, students will need to choose a “home campus,” typically based on its proximity to their home or work. However, now that all twelve campuses have merged, students can sign up for classes on multiple campuses and have them all appear on the same transcript!

Visit Us!

map of CT With icons marking all CT State learning locations

April is Open House Month at all CT State campuses 
Visit our event calendar for upcoming open houses, information sessions, campus tours and other ways your students can get to know one campus or multiple campuses at CT State.

Student Services

At CT State we provide important services geared to meet student needs and promote academic success at all of our locations:

Learn More

Check out our current Welcome to CT State Newsletter (coming soon)

Contact Us

If you already have a relationship with one of our Recruitment and Outreach Specialists at a nearby campus, please continue to work with them. 

If you are not sure who to work with, please send an email to  CTState-AdmissionsRecruitment@ct.edu

 

Helping Your Students Apply to CT State

High school seniors planning to attend CT State must complete the following:

Application for Admission
Apply to CT State

When applying, please note the following:

  • Students should use an email account different from their high school email address.
  • Students who already earned college credit at CT State must fill out a new application but use the same email address.
  • Students must apply for a credit-bearing certificate or degree program to be eligible for free college tuition.
Proof of high school graduation or GED

We encourage students to submit their own documentation.

Immunization Records
  • Two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)
  • One dose of Varicella (Chicken Pox)

Students may upload proof of immunizations signed by their doctor to the application.

When students fill out a CT State application, they will enter into a communication plan with reminders about documents and deadlines to become a student. If your students have questions or problems with the process, please have them contact CTState-Admissions@ct.edu.

Learn More about Early College programs such as College and Career Pathways (CCP),
Dual Enrollment and High School Partnerships

Helping Your Students Qualify for Free College Tuition

Known as the Mary Ann Handley Award, CT State offers funding that covers the gap between the federal and state grants students receive and community college tuition and mandatory fees. By receiving this additional funding, students who meet the requirements below are eligible for free tuition. This means students from all income levels and all cities and towns in Connecticut are eligible! 

Eligible students must be residents of Connecticut, be high school graduates (GED and home-schooled students qualify), and must complete the FAFSA and all other financial aid requirements. Students must be enrolled either full or part-time in a degree or credit-bearing certificate program and, once enrolled, remain in good academic standing.

Please note that tuition-free funding is available for the fall and spring terms only. It is not available for the summer term.

Learn More About Free Tuition at CT State

The 2025–26 FAFSA Form is Now Available

Encourage your students to fill out their FAFSA today!

Helping Your Students Register for Classes

Once their application, official high school transcripts, and immunization records have been submitted to CT State via our secure campus portal, your students will be admitted as new students.  Please tell them to look for an official email and welcome packet with information regarding registration and new student orientation information. Registering early and attending an orientation (online or in-person) are key to their success!

Counseling Your Students about CT State Selective Admissions

CT State has eighteen selective admissions programs ranging from nursing to radiography to dental hygiene and veterinary technology. As selective programs, all require a specific list of college courses to be completed (usually with a C or better) to be eligible to apply.

If you have students interested in any of our selective admissions programs, please encourage them to do the following:

  • Read through the selective admissions page to get an understanding of the programs, locations, required courses, and required GPA. Please remind them that all required courses are at the college level. High school courses with the same name do not count.
  • Fill out an Application Form and choose General Studies as their major. They will be General Studies students first before they are accepted into the program.
  • Once admitted, speak with a Guided Pathways Advisor when registering for classes, so they understand the courses they need to take and can be mindful of application deadlines when they have completed their requirements.
  • Attend an Information Session. Before applying, students are encouraged to attend an information session on their “home campus” (e.g., the campus where they plan to take the program). When applying for a selective admissions program, students may only apply to one home campus at a time. However, if they are eligible to apply for more than one type of program, they may apply to multiple selective admissions programs (e.g., nursing, radiography, and nuclear medicine).