About
how many international students study at Carolina?
What
factors make a
competitive candidate for admissions as an international
student?
Does
Carolina have an
English as a Second Language (ESL) program?
What
resources are available at Carolina for international students?
What
are your
application deadlines? When should I begin the application
process?
Can
international students transfer to Carolina?
How
do I obtain an
application? Can I apply online?
Will
I need to submit
SAT or ACT scores?
Is
a
TOEFL score required?
What
materials should I include in my application?
About
how many international students study at Carolina?
More than
1,100 students from countries around the world studied at UNC-Chapel Hill
last year. About 150 of these students were undergraduates. International
students find a welcoming atmosphere and are very involved in all types
of activities on campus. Carolina strongly values the contributions that
international students bring to the cultural and intellectual climate
of the University.
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What
factors make a competitive candidate for admission as an international student?
Each year
we receive more than 900 applications for admission from international
students. Admission is highly competitive. We consider a student's
academic background as the most important factor when determining who
will receive admission offers. Students should be enrolled in a curriculum
that normally leads to a university education. For example, students applying
from British system schools are typically preparing for A-levels, those
applying from the French system are preparing for the Baccalaureat, and
those in German schools are preparing for the Abitur. These are descriptions,
not requirements. UNC-Chapel Hill has no required grade point average
(GPA) or test scores, but we look for students who are enrolled in a rigorous
secondary school curriculum and who are consistently performing well in
those courses. The average SAT-I score of admitted international students
is about 1390, and UNC-Chapel Hill considers a competitive TOEFL score
to be 250 (or 100 on the internet-based test or 600 on the computer-based test). A score of 7.0+ is competitive on the IELTS. We do not conduct
interviews for admission.
All applicants
must present the following minimum units from secondary school in order
to be eligible for admission:
- 4 years
of language/literature studies
- 2 years
of a second language (many international students will use their English
studies to satisfy this requirement)
- 4 years
of mathematics (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry or a higher level
math course for which Algebra II is a prerequisite)
- 3 years
of natural science (one biological, one physical, and at least one laboratory)
- 2 years
of social science
- 2 additional
years of electives in the academic areas listed above, preferably foreign
languages and mathematics.
The admission
of an international student is based on all of the following factors:
scholastic performance demonstrating high probability of success; English
proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS); SAT-I or ACT; essays; letters of recommendation
from the secondary school; evidence indicating a student's ability to
adjust well to the university; and verification of financial support to
insure proper visa status.
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Does
Carolina have an English as a Second Language (ESL) program?
No, Carolina
doesn't offer ESL programs or an English language institute. For this
reason, students interested in attending the University should be proficient
in English.
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What
resources are available at Carolina for international students?
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services, housed in the FedEx Global Education Center, serves as the principal
administrative, programming and advising office for international students,
faculty and academic staff on the Carolina campus. In addition to administrative
services such as visa and application procedures, the center offers a
variety of programs including advising, tutorials, conversation partners,
a speaker's bureau, cross-cultural adjustment support, and social events
such as the annual International Festival. Among the more than 600 student
groups at Carolina, many are organized around an aspect of the international
community. They include the Asian Students Association, Association of
International Students, Carolina Canadian Club, Carolina Hispanic Association,
Carolina Turkish Club, Chinese Students Association, Hellenic Students
Association, Korean American Student Association, Persian Cultural Society
and many more.
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What
are your application deadlines? When should I begin the application process?
Carolina
offers two deadlines for first-year applicants. We suggest that, when possible,
international students submit applications well in advance of these deadlines
because correspondence can sometimes be delayed. We admit new students
for fall semester only (beginning in mid August). We do not admit new
students in the spring semester. Please make requests for transcripts,
recommendation letters, and other information in plenty of time for school
officials to send the information with the completed application.
|
FIRST DEADLINE |
SECOND DEADLINE |
| Postmark
deadline date |
November
3 |
January
15 |
| Decision
notification on or around |
January
31 |
March
31 |
| Binding |
No |
No |
| Consideration
for Honors Program |
Yes |
Yes |
| Enrollment
deposit due by |
May
1 |
May
1 |
| May
student apply for binding early decision elsewhere? |
Yes |
Yes |
| May
student apply for non-binding early action elsewhere? |
Yes |
Yes |
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Can
international students transfer to Carolina?
We welcome students who would like to transfer to Carolina from other post-secondary institutions around the world. In addition to the transfer application, international transfers should complete the Financial Certificate (Section D of the International Application) and submit TOEFL or IELTS scores if English is not their native language. To learn about how international coursework is evaluated for transfer credit, please visit our transfer page.
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How
do I obtain an application? Can I apply online?
Applications
are available online at www.admissions.unc.edu.
We provide a convenient and secure method to submit your application electronically.
You may save your work and complete it according to your own schedule.
If you have already created a personal UNC homepage, or are on our mailing
list, we will mail you an application during the fall, prior to the year
you wish to enter the University. If you have not created your personal
web site, click here
and do so now!
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Will
I need to submit SAT or ACT scores?
Yes, official
score reports for either the SAT-I
or the ACT should be sent directly to
the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (SAT reporting code 5816, ACT code
3162).
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Is
a TOEFL score required?
We require
students to submit an official TOEFL
(Test of English as a Foreign Language) score if English is not the student's
native language. We will also accept an IELTS score as an alternative
to the TOEFL. English proficiency is a consideration for admission because
Carolina does not offer English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Test
scores should be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to
the Office of Undergraduate Admissions using the University's score reporting
code of 5816.
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What
materials should I include in my application?
We can only
make a decision on your application once we have received all the required
materials. Please pay special attention to the following checklist for
a complete application for freshman admission.
- Completed
International application form
- A letter
of recommendation from the secondary school (evaluation report)
- Teacher
recommendation
- Official
transcript of grades from secondary school
- Official
SAT-I or ACT scores Official TOEFL or IELTS score (if English is not
your first language)
- A financial
certificate and bank statement
- Non-refundable
$70 application fee (cashier's check or money order in US dollars
and drawn on a US bank)
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