The people you grow and learn with will be a big part of your Carolina career, just as you’ll be part of theirs.
Meet our newest class of Tar Heels and see who else has come to call Carolina home.
New Students
5,303Carolina welcomed 5,303 new students as the entering class of 2020. This includes 4,444 first-year and 859 transfer students ready to grow, learn, and make each other better.
Students hail from…
52 countries
44 states
97 NC counties
International students represent 5% of all incoming students. 36% of all NC students are from rural counties.
20%
of Carolina’s newest students will be the first in their families to graduate from college.
236
first-year students graduated from schools served by the Carolina College Advising Corps.
45%
of enrolling transfer students most recently attended a North Carolina Community College.
They’ve traveled different paths.
Meet Mary Grace
At 64, Mary Grace has been an activist, mother, teacher, student, and world traveler — now she’s a Carolina student. At UNC, she plans to create her own major studying trauma and resilience.
“Because of what I’ve seen across the world, I’m really interested in adverse childhood experiences and how they affect the body itself — the ability to think and learn, and heal.”
After all her travels, Mary is staying close to home this semester and taking advantage of Carolina Away, a program that lets her take courses online and participate in small-group experiences with classmates and faculty.
582
students participated in Carolina Away.
70%
contributed to a cause they believe in.
They’re complex and unique.
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49% served as president of a class or club
33% captained a varsity team
36% conducted research outside of class
16% founded an organization
top Activities
- Service 91%
- Arts & Music 79%
- Sports 71%
- Travel 60%
- Family 60%
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Rank in High School Class
of the 71% of enrolling first-year students who reported their class rank:
- 12% — 1st or 2nd
- 41% — top 10 students
- 74% — top 10 percent
- 92% — top 20 percent
success on examinations
3,496 students submitted 25,221 Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores.
82% of submitted scores demonstrated subject matter mastery.
SAT and ACT Scores
These score ranges represent the middle 50% of students’ highest reported scores.
North Carolinians
1310-1500
All Students
1320-1500
Out-of-State Students
1370-1540
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- American Indian or Alaska Native — 2%
- Asian or Asian American — 20%
- Black or African American — 11%
- Hispanic, Latino, or Latina — 11%
- White or Caucasian — 66%
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Languages other than English spoken by enrolling first-year students:
- French — 3%
- Hindi — 2%
- Korean — 1%
- Mandarin — 6%
- Spanish — 16%
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- Biology
- Business
- Psychology & Neuroscience
- Computer Science
- Political Science
Excludes 5% of undecided students
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Carolina has such a big community, so I’m sure I will find lots of different doors and opportunities that I can latch on to.
max masiello, unc ’24
They have high hopes.
Meet Luis
A life-changing accident left first-year student Luis Sanchez unable to regain his full ability to walk for nearly a year in high school. As he rediscovered his mobility, he also discovered a passion: biomedical engineering and its ability to help others.
Luis’ empathy, and his desire to use his education to help others, means he’ll be in good company at Carolina: 95 percent of incoming students say they want to deepen their appreciation, respect, and empathy for others.
95%
of enrolling students want to get better at leading, serving, and working with people from different backgrounds.
87%
plan to continue their education after earning an undergraduate degree.