How to Get Into UNC

How to Get Into UNC – General Information

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is a public institution that was founded in 1789. It was the first public university in the nation. With a student body of 19,742 graduate students, the UNC enrollment is large. UNC is ranked one of the best value schools in the country. 

In this “How to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide, we’ll cover the following information about UNC Chapel Hill admissions:

  • The UNC GPA requirements
  • Average UNC SAT scores
  • The UNC enrollment figures
  • Meeting the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements
  • Interpreting the UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate
  • The UNC application deadline, and much more!

Wondering how to get into UNC Chapel Hill? Know that it’s an excellent school with an ethos of diversity, creativity and discovery that attracts many top students. 

So, to stand out to the UNC Chapel Hill admissions team, craft your “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy carefully. Research the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements and put in the work to meet them well before the UNC application deadline. This is how to get into UNC Chapel Hill successfully! Read the rest of this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide for more top tips on how to get into UNC Chapel Hill. 

Figuring out how to get into UNC Chapel Hill takes strategy. We can help. CollegeAdvisor.com’s network of 300+ Admissions Experts (and former admissions officers) includes graduates from some of the country’s top schools. Want to maximize your UNC Chapel Hill admissions odds?  Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 343-6272.

How do I get into UNC?

There are many factors to consider when thinking about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill. Understand that the school evaluates individual candidates rigorously, holistically, and compassionately. So, no one factor guarantees you’ll be part of the UNC enrollment. 

UNC Chapel Hill admissions emphasizes the importance of a strong academic record when they build each UNC enrollment. So, as you look at the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements, don’t underestimate the importance of academics. A strong “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy should include exceeding the average UNC SAT scores and UNC GPA requirements. 

However, UNC Chapel Hill admissions doesn’t just care about academics. They also consider your essays, accomplishments outside the classroom, and personal traits. They look for qualities such as curiosity, creativity, leadership and courage in students who make up the UNC enrollment. So, as you think about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, consider how the extracurriculars you do in high school will demonstrate these qualities.

Most importantly, study hard and pursue your passions long before the UNC application deadline. This way, mastering how to get into UNC Chapel Hill will be much less stressful! 

How hard is it to get into the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill?

Naturally, if you’re thinking about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, you’ll wonder just how hard it is to get accepted to this school. The short answer is: it’s difficult, but certainly achievable for those who put in the work. 

When assessing how hard it is to meet the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements, you should consider multiple factors. These include the UNC acceptance rate and the UNC enrollment statistics. But, you should also include the UNC Chapel Hill GPA requirements, and the average UNC SAT scores or ACT scores. 

For the UNC enrollment class of 2021, UNC Chapel Hill admissions received 53,775 first-year applications, and the UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate for this year was 19.2%.  The middle 50% of admits achieved UNC SAT scores of 1350-1500. Beyond this, 74% of them ranked in the top 10% of their class. 

The fall class of 2021 are also a passionate and dedicated bunch—74% contributed to a cause they believed in in high school. Additionally, 82% plan to continue their education after earning an undergraduate degree.

All of this is to say that a strong academic record is a core part of the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements. The fact that there are formal UNC GPA requirements and minimum UNC SAT scores also attests to this. Additionally, UNC Chapel Hill admissions seek students with attributes and interests outside of the classroom. Overall, they look for students who would enrich the campus community.

So, while it is hard to overcome that UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate, it’s certainly not impossible! Read the rest of this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide to perfect your “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy. 

Finally, find more tips on how to stand out in the UNC Chapel Hill admissions process here. 

What is the acceptance rate at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill?

As you research how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, it can be easy to fixate on the UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate. Try not to get too distracted by this figure—so long as your GPA and UNC SAT scores are in a good place, you have a strong chance of joining the UNC enrollment.

As we mentioned above, UNC-Chapel Hill admissions received 53,775 first-year applications for fall 2021. The overall UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate was 19.2%—42.2% for North Carolina applicants and 10.5% for out-of-state applicants.

In spite of a tough UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate, the school prides itself on the diversity of the UNC enrollment. For example, among all students admitted in fall 2021, 19% were the first in their families to graduate from college and 40% qualified for need-based aid.

Bear the UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate in mind as you do your research. However, know that it isn’t the most important part of how to get into UNC Chapel Hill. 

What are the GPA requirements for the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill?

Anyone curious about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill will want to know the UNC GPA requirements. The UNC GPA requirements align with those for all schools in the University of North Carolina System. The fact that UNC Chapel Hill admissions gives UNC GPA requirements at all lets you know that they take your academic record seriously.

If you are younger than 20 and have fewer than 24 transferable credits, UNC GPA requirements state that you need a cumulative weighted GPA of 2.5. In addition, your UNC SAT scores need to exceed 1010 or your ACT composite needs to exceed 19. Finally, UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements state that you must take certain core classes while at high school. 

You may feel confident you will achieve these grades. But don’t rest on your laurels—that’s not how to get into UNC Chapel Hill! For UNC Chapel Hill admissions, these UNC GPA requirements and UNC SAT scores are only the minimum. 

Instead of aiming to meet UNC GPA requirements, think about getting your GPA above 4.0 as most admitted students will exceed this figure. This means you’ll need to choose courses which challenge you and achieve As in those courses. 

Serious about working out how to get into UNC Chapel Hill? If you want to overcome the competitive UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate, you should study hard for strong UNC SAT scores and far surpass the UNC GPA requirements well before the UNC application deadline. 

What does the University of North Carolina application include?

A core part of your “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy is completing the application before the UNC application deadline. UNC Chapel Hill admissions require you to submit the following by the UNC application deadline:

As part of your UNC application, you must submit:

You’ll find plenty of advice on completing the Common App here. 

The UNC application deadline for Early Action is October 15 and for Regular Decision it’s January 15. The deadline for supporting materials and UNC SAT scores or ACT scores is November 1 for Early Action and February 1 for Regular Decision. 

Given the low UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate, ensure each component of your application meets the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements well before the relevant UNC application deadline.  

As we mentioned above, UNC Chapel Hill admissions require you to take a specific set of high school courses as part of the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements.

Regarding the UNC SAT scores or ACT scores, UNC Chapel Hill admissions recommends you  take the test once or twice only. Students rarely raise their scores significantly after a second testing. 

In the next section of this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide, you’ll learn how your extracurriculars will help you overcome the low UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate.

What extracurriculars does UNC Chapel Hill like?

If you really want to know how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, know that your extracurriculars are an important part of your “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy. 

Firsty, make sure you don’t choose your extracurriculars based on the kind of candidate you think UNC Chapel Hill admissions will be looking for—this isn’t how to get into UNC Chapel Hill! 

The UNC Chapel Hill admissions team explicitly selects for a diverse UNC enrollment. So, choose activities which really get you excited, not those which fit an imagined ideal UNC student.  

That said, it can be helpful to look at the UMC supplemental essays, which are a part of the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements. These can tell you something about the kinds of traits UNC Chapel Hill admissions looks for. 

The UNC supplemental essays touch on themes of community, identity, and personal history. So, as you think about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, consider how your extracurriculars contribute to your community, reflect your identity, or honor your history. For example, you might work at a local store on the weekends, volunteer at your church, or play saxophone in a jazz band. Find more ideas of suitable extracurriculars here. 

Whatever you do, ensure you’ve done your research on how to write about extracurriculars in your supplemental essays. Do this well before the UNC Chapel Hill admissions deadline for supporting materials—February 1 for Regular Decision.  

Outside of this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide, CollegeAdvisor has many more resources about how to use extracurriculars to your advantage. 

How does University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill review applications?

For those researching how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, you might wonder what happens after the UNC application deadline. How does the UNC Chapel Hill admissions filter through the thousands of applications to build the UNC enrollment?

In their official admissions policy, UNC says that all students must meet the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements outlined above to be considered for UNC enrollment. Beyond this, the criteria they use for choosing the strongest applicants include:

  • evidence of academic promise based on the student’s academic record, school recommendations, standardized test scores, and written application
  • evidence that the student can handle the demands of university life

So, to succeed at the UNC Chapel Hill admissions process, everything we’ve mentioned in this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide will stand you in good stead. Focus on exceeding the UNC GPA requirements and minimum UNC SAT scores. Then, show that you could enrich the UNC community through your supplemental essays. This is how to get into UNC Chapel Hill!

Will UNC Chapel Hill consider my social media?

While thinking about how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, students may worry about how their social media presence affects their UNC Chapel Hill admissions odds. However, UNC Chapel Hill admissions officers tend not to look at students’ social media profiles. The UNC enrollment is large, and the school receives tens of thousands of applications each year. So, the UNC Chapel Hill admissions team usually doesn’t have time to look at students’ social media.

However, it’s still important that you remain responsible on social media. What you post might not directly impact your UNC Chapel Hill admissions odds, but future employers might look at your social media accounts. So, even beyond the college process, you should use social media responsibly.

In summary, to build an ideal “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy, you should play it safe on social media. UNC Chapel Hill admissions is unlikely to check your socials, but given the low UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate, you don’t want to risk it. 

Is University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill a good school for me?

Before you even begin strategizing how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, ask yourself whether the school is right for you. It’s no use surpassing those UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements—the UNC GPA requirements and median UNC SAT scores—unless you’re going to really enjoy your time there. 

The UNC enrollment is large and diverse. At UNC, you’ll find friends with different backgrounds, races, experiences, worldviews, abilities, and identities. UNC also has more than 800 clubs and organizations dedicated to arts, sports, culture, and academics. For the open-minded and curious, UNC life will feel vibrant and exciting.

Academically speaking, the UNC curriculum is rigorous and allows for plenty of student choice. As an undergraduate, you’ll have opportunities to study abroad, conduct your own research project, and engage in public service. Faculty and staff are at the top of their fields and deeply integrated into the community.

So, before you get bogged down in the UNC Chapel Hill admission requirements, we suggest you research UNC first. Lay out your goals and passions, and ensure UNC would help you achieve them.  

Additional tips to get into UNC

In this “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” guide, we’ve covered the most essential parts of your “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy. However, there are a few final things to bear in mind as you approach the UNC application deadline. 

UNC Chapel Hill admissions isn’t just looking for hardworking box-tickers. They also want students to do the following: 

Challenge Yourself

Take the toughest classes available in your school. At the same time, pursue your interests, broaden your horizons, and gather new knowledge outside the classroom.

Engage with the World

Participate in your community, ask how things work, and explore the world around you.

Be Authentic

Don’t try to become the “ideal college applicant” if it doesn’t reflect who you are. Take part in life’s activities, responsibilities, and opportunities in the ways that only you can.

Overall, the best “how to get into UNC Chapel Hill” strategy involves balancing excellent academics, enriching extracurriculars, and authenticity. Once you’ve done your research on how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, don’t hesitate to apply. Good luck!

This guide was written by Bethany Nelson. If you want to know how to get into UNC Chapel Hill, we’ve got you covered. CollegeAdvisor.com’s network of 300+ Admissions Experts (and former admissions officers) includes graduates from top schools across the country. Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 576-0953.