Carolina Offers Admission to 28 Percent of Most-Ever Applicants

Posted on March 31, 2014

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has offered admission to 2,655 students after its second deadline, bringing the total offers to more than 8,600.

The University received a total of 31,321 freshman applications this year — a ninth consecutive record, an increase of 2 percent from last year and an increase of 35 percent compared with five years ago. Twenty-eight percent of all first-year candidates have been offered admission — 52 percent of those from North Carolina and 17 percent of all others.

Across both deadlines, 83 percent of admitted students are ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and nearly half are ranked as top 10 students. The middle half of the class scored between 1270 and 1500 on the Critical Reading and Math portion of the SAT and between 29 and 34 on the ACT.

“As impressive as these numbers might be, they don’t tell the full story of these students,” said Stephen Farmer, vice provost for enrollment and undergraduate admission. “Our class will include inventors, entrepreneurs, veterans, leaders, athletes, artists and community servants. These students have traveled different paths to Carolina. They come from 96 North Carolina counties, 49 states and the District of Columbia, and 55 different countries. Some come to us from the strongest high schools in the country and some from schools that are struggling.”

Roughly 14 percent will be following in the Carolina footsteps of one or more parents, while another 14 percent will be the first in their families to attend college. More than 19 percent identify themselves as African-American, American Indian, or Latino or Latina.

The University expects 3,990 freshmen to enroll in August.

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More online…

• 6,036 Hear ‘Yes’ as Initial Applications Set Record
  February 2014 news report
• 5,393 Hear ‘Yes’; Initial Applications Up 15 Percent
  January 2013 news report
• Admissions Applications Soar With First Use of Common App
  January 2012 news report
• 5,100 Hear ‘Yes’; Initial Applications Up 7 Percent
  January 2011 news report
• Answering Questions About Admissions and Financial Aid at UNC
  As Carolina has become more attractive, competition at the admissions office continues to increase. The Carolina Alumni Review devotes in-depth coverage each March/April to this subject; features and data dating to 1996 are available. Topics have ranged from what it takes to compete, how financial aid works – including the creation of the Carolina Covenant, ensuring students from low-income families can graduate without debt – to how Carolina uses student essays to make admission decisions.
• GAA Admissions Initiatives, including the annual Alumni Admissions Forum, Order of the Bell Tower Shadow Day and GAA-supported scholarships.

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