The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, sometimes just called UNC, is a public research university. You have probably heard of their Basketball team, the UNC Tar-Heels… Come on, Michael Jordan went there. But there is a lot more going on at UNC. It’s one of the oldest public universities in the US. They offer over 70 courses of study for their about 20k undergrads. The school is also serious about research and is part of the North Carolina Research Triangle with Duke and NC State.
UNC has a 16.8% acceptance rate, but that number is a little misleading. Since it is a public school, they accept in-state students at a higher rate. This means their is more like 43% for North Carolina residents and 8% for out-of-state students. It's a competitive school to get into, especially for out-of-state students. Since it is so competitive, we want to help by breaking down what you need to do if you hope to get into UNC.
What is UNC looking for?
UNC reviews applicants based on several factors. They rank the importance of these factors as part of an annual document called the .
Pay close attention to the factors marked “important” and “very important.” If you want to get into UNC, you want to absolutely slay in these categories.
Rigor, Class Rank, and GPA
The first thing UNC will look at is your transcript, and you should make sure that it is giving top student. There are a couple of ways to do this.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you complete the required classes. They are pretty standard, but double-check.
But just completing these classes isn’t enough. You also want to take as many of these classes as possible at a high level. This could mean AP, IB, Honors, Dual Enrollment, etc. You should pretty much take whatever the most challenging classes your high school offers. This speaks to the rigor of your transcript. Challenge yourself and take a hard course load. Most incoming UNC students also have some college coursework on their transcripts.
Of enrolling first-year students who sought credit for their college-level coursework:
75% of students received AP or IB test credit for at least 1 course and 45% of at least 5 courses.
57% received dual enrollment credit for at least 1 course and 37% for at least 5 courses.
You also want to maintain an outstanding GPA. Most accepted students had a 4.0 unweighted and because they were taking challenging classes, the average submitted GPA was 4.47.
These numbers are high—honestly, crazy high. But let that dissolve any illusions you may have had that UNC was not a super hard, academically rigorous school. All this is to say, you should be pushing yourself to match these grades. It’s a lot to ask, but you need an outstanding GPA to get into UNC.
Finally, UNC also looks at class rank. If your high school doesn’t rank, don’t hyperventilate. Not all high schools do. However, this can still be good data to look at.
The large majority of students who submitted class rank came from the top 10% of their class. It’s clear that UNC is looking for top students. Even if your school doesn’t rank, you want your transcript to look like it belongs to a top student. Rigor and GPA will help do that.
One Note about Test Scores
UNC is currently However, if you send test scores, UNC says:
“We use test scores as part of our evaluation because we believe that they’re helpful, both to us and to students, when they’re understood appropriately and viewed as part of a larger and much more interesting portrait.”
About 56% of students sent test scores, so while they aren’t necessary, they can help you if you have good scores. When it comes to scores, you want to be over the 50th percentile and, ideally, over the 75th percentile. Think of it as being “above average.” Last year, the 50th percentile for SATs was 1450, and the 75th was 1510. For the ACT, the 50th was 32, and the 75th was 34.
Extracurriculars
This data is a bit old, but in 2020, 49% of incoming freshmen were the president of their class or club, 33% were team captains, and 36% conducted research. While old, it speaks to the type of students UNC is looking for. Not everyone with a 4.0 and a 34 on the SAT gets into UNC; you need to show you are a well-rounded and exciting candidate. Extracurriculars are a great way to do that.
More recently, they published the that their admitted students participated in.
Service: 76%
Sports: 63%
Part-time work: 58%
Arts & Music: 44%
Internships: 19%
Family: 10%
UNC is looking for active students who push themselves to explore their interests outside the classroom. What those interests are is less important than how to choose to follow them. Your resume should be dripping in commitment. You want to take on leadership roles and really commit your time to your passions.
At least one of your extracurricular interests should connect to what you hope to study at UNC. This could be through a club, internship, research, and/or summer program. For example, if you hope to study psychology, volunteering for a helpline, taking a college summer course in abnormal psychology, and starting the psych club at school will help establish that interest. See how far you can take it.
Ideally, your resume will also include a job and volunteer work. However, remember commitment and leadership. Again, UNC isn’t going to be impressed with a 1-hour a month commitment at a soup kitchen. If you are volunteering, make sure you are dedicated and care about the cause.
Essays and Recommendations
Essays and recommendations are doubly important because this is where readers will get a real sense of who you are and your personal qualities. It is hard to control what your recommenders will say about you, but choose teachers who know you well, ask them early (they will appreciate it), and take your time on any questionnaires they might ask you for. We also usually advise on asking a teacher who teaches something related to what you want to study if possible (we know this isn’t always possible… if you are confused, we are happy to talk it over with you.)
However, what you fully control is what you say about yourself. You want to write a stand-out Common App essay. We have a ton of blogs about how to do it (we think this one is especially helpful), but if you need a crash course, the TLDR is:
Great Common App essays:
Tell a great personal story.
Showcase some of those positive personal qualities that we mentioned earlier.
Do both of the above in a creative, unique and well-written way.
This might seem simple, but it’s harder than you may think. Give yourself enough time to brainstorm, write, and edit something that you can be proud of and really captures your unique essence. If you need us, we are here to help! The essays are our absolute favorite part.
UNC also asks applicants to write a supplement. We have another blog all about it, but there is only one required essay, and they give you an option on prompts. It isn’t tricky other than they want you to tell them new stories, and you should again showcase your positive characteristics.
UNC asks a lot from its applicants. You need to be the total package with excellent grades, great extracurriculars, and stand-out essays. It can feel overwhelming, but if you need help, we have you covered.
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