UNC Chapel Hill
北卡罗来纳大学教堂山- Tier 3
- Chapel Hill, NC
- NC state flagship
- Data last checked 2026-10
UNC Chapel Hill admits about 17% of first-year applicants. The middle 50% SAT range is 1400–1530, and the GPA reference is 3.75 (Unweighted 4.0 scale, 25th percentile). SAT / ACT optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); strong scorers should submit. Applying for financial aid can affect admission for international students. A year costs about $29,050 in-state and $70,264 out-of-state (2026-27).
Admit rate by applicant pool
At the same school, admit rates can differ a lot depending on who is applying.
Source: Fall 2025 · CDS
Flagship Majors and Admit Data
| Major | Admit rate | vs overall | One-liner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenan-Flagler Business School★ Flagship | Not published | Harder | |
| Biology / Chemistry (Pre-Med)★ Flagship | ≈ overall 17% | ≈ overall | |
| Public Health / Global Studies★ Flagship | ≈ overall 17% | ≈ overall | |
| College of Arts & Sciences | ≈ overall 17% | ≈ overall |
Where no official major admit rate is published, difficulty is estimated from the school's public information.
NC in-state students have significant advantage
- NC In-state residents
- Admit rates are usually much higher than for out-of-state applicants; UMich, GT and UIUC are more lenient with in-state students.
- Out-of-state students
- Tuition is 2-3x in-state, and admit rates are usually much lower than for in-state applicants.
- F1 international
- Counts as OOS + needs additional English/visa documents. Some schools have a separate quota for international students.
US applicants
- Overall admit rate
- 17%. The actual number for the domestic pool (which holds most seats) is roughly aligned with the official figure.
- Financial aid / FAFSA
- Need-blind for domestic; FAFSA aid applications don't affect admission (need-aware applies only to international).
- In-state vs OOS
- NC in-state students have a significantly higher admit rate (tuition is also 1/2 - 1/3 of OOS). Non-state domestic still has an advantage over international.
- Test policy
- SAT / ACT optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); strong scorers should submit. Official policy ›
- Application timing
- ED/EA deadlines early November, RD January. Domestic families typically begin college visits at the end of 11th grade.
International (F-1) applicants
- International friendliness 2 / 3
- Normal international pool (most schools), admit rate 30-60% lower than domestic
- Need-blind for international
- ✗ No — F1 applicants applying for aid see significantly lower admit rates (need-aware)
- State flagship + F1
- Counted as OOS + intl together; admit rate 50-70% lower than in-state.
Cost per year
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $29,050 in-state and $70,264 out-of-state.
This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
Waitlist
| Cycle | Accepted a waitlist spot | Admitted from waitlist | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | 5,258 | 2,099 | 40% |
| Fall 2024 | 4,084 | 295 | 7.2% |
| Fall 2023 | 4,633 | 36 | 0.8% |
- Confirming your spot
- Regular Decision applicants must confirm their spot on the waitlist in MyCarolina by April 21; students who don't confirm will not be reviewed
- When you'll hear
- UNC won't know whether there are openings until after May 1, and will share final decisions by July 31
- Other rules
- The school asks only for updated grades (report them yourself in MyCarolina or have your school send a transcript) and doesn't encourage extra recommendation letters
Numbers are from the school's Common Data Set (section C2), checked 2026-10. They can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative. Official waitlist policy ›
Already on a waitlist? The Application Rescue Kit lays out the timeline and real cost of four paths: waitlist, gap year, transfer and spring admission ›Transfer
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 5,330 applied and 1,970 were admitted (about 37%).
Are popular majors open to external transfers?
- Computer scienceLimitedTransfer students cannot apply directly to the computer science major; you first enroll at UNC, finish (or have credit for) Data Structures COMP 210 plus a discrete math course (C or better), and then apply to the major; the department says this round (fall 2026 applications) it expects to admit all qualified applicants.
- EngineeringLimitedUNC has no traditional engineering school; applied sciences (materials and environmental engineering tracks) and biomedical engineering are open to transfer students, but they require a separate major application and prerequisites, with a February 15 deadline.
- BusinessLimitedKenan-Flagler Business School allows direct applications only from students transferring in as juniors (60 credits done and two full years at another school), with limited spots and very selective admission; students who transfer in as sophomores must apply internally after enrolling; applicants not admitted to business may be offered admission to the College of Arts and Sciences only.
UNC Chapel Hill · US College Application Deep Read · Chinese-American Lens
In the Chinese-American US college application pool, UNC Chapel Hill sits in the High-caliber private / LAC (often-underestimated tier) layer. Overall admit rate is 17%, with traditional strength in Pre-Med / Business / Liberal Arts, and Kenan-Flagler Business School as the entry that Chinese-American families track most.
UNC Chapel Hill is the NC state flagship — heavy in-state preference, out-of-state and international applicants face an effective admit rate tighter than the overall 17%. GPA 25th percentile 3.75/4.0, SAT middle range 1400-1530. In Chinese-American US college application planning this kind of school usually functions as a value safety, with the out-of-state penalty to watch.
If you or a parent is evaluating whether UNC Chapel Hill is a reach, match, or safety in this US college application cycle, the "I have 4.0 / 1500, can I get in?" question is not answerable from public forums alone — real judgment requires layering this season's admissions policy, your high-school competitive density, within-major selectivity, and ED/EA timing into one model. Public flagships often run rolling or priority deadlines — earlier submission lifts admit probability. The Kaiso engine assigns UNC Chapel Hill to a tier based on your real profile, and every judgment is auditable.
What parents ask about UNC Chapel Hill
What is UNC Chapel Hill's undergraduate admit rate?
UNC Chapel Hill (北卡罗来纳大学教堂山) overall undergraduate admit rate is about 17% (private or public). SAT mid-range (25-75 percentile) 1400-1530. GPA threshold reference 3.75 (Unweighted 4.0 scale, 25th percentile). Data last verified 2026-10.
Does UNC Chapel Hill require the SAT or ACT?
SAT / ACT optional for the 2026-27 cycle (fall 2027 entry); strong scorers should submit.
What early rounds does UNC Chapel Hill offer?
2026-27 cycle: EA due Oct 15, RD due Jan 15.
What are UNC Chapel Hill's admit rates for in-state, out-of-state and international applicants?
In-state applicants 37%, Out-of-state applicants 9.6%, International applicants 15%. Source: Fall 2025 · CDS.
How much does a year at UNC Chapel Hill cost?
Published cost of attendance for 2026-27 (tuition, housing, food, books and fees): about $29,050 in-state and $70,264 out-of-state. This is the published sticker price; what a family actually pays depends on financial aid and scholarships.
How hard is it to transfer into UNC Chapel Hill?
Fall transfer, Fall 2025: 5,330 applied and 1,970 were admitted (about 37%).
How many students get in from UNC Chapel Hill's waitlist?
Fall 2025: 5,258 accepted a waitlist spot and 2,099 were admitted (about 40%); Fall 2024: 4,084 accepted a waitlist spot and 295 were admitted (about 7.2%); Fall 2023: 4,633 accepted a waitlist spot and 36 were admitted (about 0.8%). These numbers can change a lot from year to year; the school's latest release is authoritative.
What are UNC Chapel Hill's flagship majors?
UNC Chapel Hill flagship majors: Kenan-Flagler Business School, Biology / Chemistry (Pre-Med), Public Health / Global Studies. 大二末申请商学院，Assured Admission 项目很难 ~5%
Is UNC Chapel Hill friendly to international (F1) applicants?
UNC Chapel Hill is need-aware for international students — F1 applicants applying for aid see significantly lower admit rates. International friendliness 2/3.
What advantages do in-state students get at UNC Chapel Hill?
UNC Chapel Hill is the NC state flagship public. In-state residents have significantly higher admit rates than out-of-state (tuition is also only 1/2-1/3 of OOS). F1 international students count as OOS plus an international quota.