AdmitRate

UNC Chapel Hill acceptance rate

UNC Chapel Hill admitted 16.7% of first-year applicants for fall 2025. Of 76,247 students who applied, 12,751 got in.

Of every 100 applicants, about 17 were admitted.
  • 76,247applied
  • 12,751admitted
  • 5,091enrolled
  • 40%of admitted students enrolled (yield)

Fall 2025 entering class. Source: UNC Chapel Hill, Common Data Set 2025–26, section C1. Checked October 30, 2026.

How this compares with the federal figure

The Department of Education's College Scorecard still shows fall 2024, the latest year federal data covers. The college's own report is a year newer.

Entering classAcceptance rateSource
Fall 202516.7%Common Data Set 2025–26
Fall 202415.3%College Scorecard (IPEDS 2024–25)

Admission got slightly easier, by 1.4 percentage points.

Acceptance rate by residency

UNC Chapel Hill reports applicants and admits separately for North Carolina residents, out-of-state students and international students.

Computed from the residency breakdown in section C1 of the Common Data Set 2025–26.

Early decision and early action

UNC Chapel Hill does not offer early decision. It offers non-binding early action. Apply by October 15 and you'll hear back by January 31. It is not restrictive, so you can apply early to other colleges too. Regular applications are due January 15.

SAT and ACT scores

The SAT or ACT is required for some applicants. Under UNC System rules, applicants with a weighted GPA below 2.8 must send an SAT or ACT score; for everyone else scores are optional. In fall 2025, 28% of enrolled first-years submitted SAT scores and 41% submitted ACT scores, so these ranges describe only those students.

The middle 50% of enrolled students who submitted the SAT scored between 1400 and 1530.

25th, 50th and 75th percentiles of enrolled first-years, fall 2025. Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, section C9. The green bar is the middle 50% and the dark tick is the median.

High school GPA

The average high school GPA of enrolled first-years was 4.47. 97% had a 3.75 or higher. The average is above 4.0, so it includes weighted grades.

Share of enrolled first-years in each GPA range, fall 2025. Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, sections C11–C12.

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Waitlist

7,355 applicants were offered a place on the waitlist, 5,258 accepted it and 2,099 were admitted from it (39.9% of those who stayed on the list).

Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, section C2.

Application fee and cost

Application fee: $85 (can be waived for financial need).

Tuition and fees for 2025–26 are $9,095 for North Carolina residents and $45,228 for out-of-state students; the average net price after grants was $11,305 in 2024–25. See UNC's full cost and net price by family income.

Common questions

What is the UNC acceptance rate?

16.7% for students entering in fall 2025. The college admitted 12,751 of 76,247 first-year applicants, according to its Common Data Set 2025–26. The federal figure for fall 2024 was 15.3%.

Is UNC test-optional?

Mostly. UNC Chapel Hill requires the SAT or ACT only from some applicants. Under UNC System rules, applicants with a weighted GPA below 2.8 must send an SAT or ACT score; for everyone else scores are optional. In fall 2025, 28% of enrolled first-years submitted SAT scores and 41% submitted ACT scores.

What GPA do you need for UNC?

There is no published minimum. The average high school GPA of enrolled first-years in fall 2025 was 4.47, and 97% had a GPA of 3.75 or higher.

Sources

Each figure was copied from the source document and checked by hand. If you spot an error, tell us and we'll correct it. Read how we check the data.