Policies and Reports

Review details about the University’s admissions policy for undergraduate, transfer, part-time classroom studies, and professional school students.

Admissions Policy

The University is deeply committed to ensuring that campus, as well as the surrounding areas, are safe for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The Annual Security and Fire Safety report is written to comply with the requirements of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. In being knowledgeable of the safety and security initiatives available at Carolina, we can all play a part in achieving a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for the entire Carolina community.

Security Report

Procedures to be followed with respect to the appeal of a negative admissions decision, including a decision to rescind an admission that has already been granted. Please see Appendix A.

Appeal Procedure

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions welcomes proposals from admitted undergraduate students who wish to defer their enrollment for one academic year in order to work, travel, or pursue service and learning opportunities. Admitted applicants may also seek one-year deferrals for military service, religious observance, medical reasons, or personal hardship.

We believe some students may benefit from an enrollment deferral and therefore support them in pursuing these opportunities for the purpose of any of the following:

• for personal growth, maturation, or the development of other life skills
• to experience another part of the world or a different culture
• to pursue an opportunity to serve others
• to give time to overcome a medical condition, financial or other hardship, or other personal or family issue
• to provide the opportunity to best position themselves to succeed academically and socially once enrolled at Carolina

Those wishing to defer enrollment must complete the “Defer Enrollment to Next Fall” form in their MyCarolina  no later than August 1 of the year in which they are admitted. In early February, admitted students will be able to access a “Defer Enrollment Request” form.

Prior to requesting an enrollment deferral, students must submit their reply form confirming their intent to enroll. The enrollment deposit is nonrefundable and will automatically be applied to the student’s first-semester charges at the University. Fees paid for orientation may be carried over to the following year.

In seeking a deferral, admitted applicants agree not to enroll in any for-credit or degree-seeking course of study during their deferral year. If an applicant does enroll in such a course of study, admission to the University will be rescinded and the student will need to reapply.

Deferrals are considered on a case-by-case basis and are not automatically granted. In making their written request, students should explain in detail their reasons for seeking a deferral and their plans for the deferral year. Because undergraduate students, with very few exceptions, begin their enrollment at the University in the fall, the deferral request should be for one full academic year.

In considering each request, the director of undergraduate admissions consults with members of the admissions committee and, at the director’s discretion, with others who are familiar with the admitted student’s academic and personal experiences and goals. For any student who has been offered transfer admission to one of the University’s professional schools, the director also consults with the dean of that school or his or her designee. After such consultations are completed, the director responds in writing. In rare cases, the director may require a personal interview before making a final decision.

Merit-based aid awards are transferable. Students should follow the directions provided in their award letter and notify the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid when their enrollment has been activated for the year in which they plan to enroll. Need-based aid recipients are required to resubmit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by March 1 of the year in which they plan to enroll. Recipients of awards with both a need and merit components should also follow the terms specified in the award letter and resubmit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by March 1.

The Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Admissions meets at least once each semester in order to offer advice to the director of undergraduate admissions. The committee specifically addresses the design and application of admissions policy, recommends guidelines for special talent and exceptional admissions, and monitors and responds to the national college admissions environment.

Advisory Committee

In evaluating candidates for undergraduate admission, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to shape the entering class so that its collective strengths will foster excellence within the University community; enhance the education of everyone within it; provide for the leadership of the educational, governmental, scientific, business, humanistic, artistic, and professional institutions of the state, nation, and world; and enrich the lives of all the people of North Carolina.

In so doing, we aim to help the University fulfill its stated mission: to serve “the people of the state, and indeed the nation, as a center for scholarship and creative endeavor,” and to be “a community engaged in original inquiry and creative expression, while committed to intellectual freedom, to personal integrity and justice, and to those values that foster enlightened leadership for the state and nation,” and indeed the world.

The qualities we seek in each class are those that foster such a community, including intellect, talent, curiosity, and creativity; leadership, kindness, and courage; honesty, perseverance, perspective, and diversity. Although we expect each successful candidate to demonstrate strength in many of these areas, we do not expect every candidate to be equally strong in all of them. Just as there is no formula for admission, there is no list of qualities or characteristics that every applicant must present.

In shaping the class, we evaluate individual candidates rigorously, holistically, and sympathetically. We seek to assess the ways in which each candidate will likely contribute to the kind of campus community that will enable the University to fulfill its mission. This assessment requires not only that we note the achievements and potential of each applicant but also that we understand the context within which achievements have been realized and potential forged.

These comprehensive and individualized evaluations, taken together, do not aim to maximize any single, narrow outcome—for example, the average SAT score or the average eventual GPA of the entering class. Rather, they aim to draw together students who will enrich each other’s education, strengthen the campus community, contribute to the betterment of society, and help the University achieve its broader mission.

Because of disruptions related to COVID-19, the UNC System has approved a waiver of the SAT or ACT requirement for candidates who are applying for admission through fall 2024. This waiver means that you may apply whether or not you’ve taken either test, and if you do take a test, you can choose whether or not to share your scores and have us consider them. For further details, please see our apply page.

While this waiver is in effect, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will only review self-reported test scores. If a student chooses to share their test scores as part of their application, are admitted, and choose to enroll, they are required to send their official scores directly from the testing service.

In years when the UNC System waiver is not effect, the policy below is applicable.

Role of Tests

In accordance with University policy, as well as procedures approved by the Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Admissions, the admissions committee evaluates each candidate rigorously and holistically, with an eye towards assessing the candidate’s capacity to contribute to the kind of campus community that will enable the University to fulfill its mission. Although each evaluation includes the results of standardized testing, these results do not comprise the sole or main criterion for admission. There are no cutoff or threshold scores—that is, no scores below which candidates are automatically denied admission, and no scores above which they are automatically offered admission. Instead, results from standardized testing comprise one factor among many.

Required Tests

The University requires that every candidate for first-year admission and every candidate for sophomore transfer admission submit results from either the SAT or the ACT. For students whose native language is not English, the University also requires an approved test of English proficiency though this requirement may be waived if the student has lived in an English-speaking country for four years or attended an English-speaking school for at least four years.

As noted above, the UNC System has approved a waiver of the SAT or ACT requirement for candidates who are applying for admission through fall 2024. This waiver means that you may apply whether or not you’ve taken either test, and if you do take a test, you can choose whether or not to share your scores and have us consider them.

Other Tests

In addition to results from the tests listed above, the admissions committee considers results from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other national or international exams. The committee may also consider results from state-mandated end-of-course or end-of-grade tests.

Reporting of Scores

No candidate may be offered admission unless the University has received official results from the SAT or the ACT. It is the candidate’s responsibility to make sure that official results are reported directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by the appropriate testing service. The admissions committee may, in rare cases and in its discretion, accept as official score reports that are provided by a candidate’s high school.

For Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, the admissions committee considers either official results reported directly by the testing services or unofficial results self reported by candidates on their applications for admission. Candidates who are offered admission and choose to enroll must submit official score reports from the testing services in order to receive academic credit or advanced standing.

Highest Scores

In evaluating candidates who submit results from more than one sitting of the SAT or the ACT, the admissions committee considers only the highest scores earned. For both the SAT and ACT, the committee considers the highest section scores earned across all test dates and calculates a new total score (SAT) or composite score (ACT) that reflects the student’s best work (commonly referred to as “super-scoring”).  When candidates submit results from both the SAT and the ACT, the admissions committee considers the test with the stronger results.

The Board of Governors maintains The Code and the UNC Policy Manual. The Code incorporates the requirements of the North Carolina constitution and General Statutes, as well as Board of Governors bylaws and other high-level policies. The UNC Policy Manual provides more specific direction and policies on university matters.

System Code and Policy Manual

The Undergraduate Catalog is a resource for prospective and enrolled students that  includes information about application procedures, orientation, and matriculation for undergraduate students who have been accepted.

The catalog also outlines academic regulations, University facilities, and college life, as well as the requirements and course offerings for departmental degrees.

Catalog

The Honor System forms a bond of trust among students, faculty, and administrators. Carolina operates under a system of self-governance, as students are responsible for governing themselves – transforming the University into a powerful community of inquiry and learning.

Honor Code

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

FERPA

The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act requires co-educational institutions of postsecondary education that participate in a Title IV, federal student financial assistance program, and have an intercollegiate athletic program, to prepare an annual report to the Department of Education on athletic participation, staffing, and revenues and expenses, by men’s and women’s teams.

Equity in Athletics