Frequently Asked Questions For Applicants

To all of our applicants, thank you very much. We appreciate all of your hard work to prepare and submit your completed applications. We look forward to reading your application and getting to know you. As a reminder, our first deadline for first-year admission (November 1) is quickly approaching.

To help, please see the list of FAQs regarding our application below. We will be updating these as necessary.

What browser will I need to use the online application?
Please see Technical Requirements for more information.

I sent in my materials, but my To-Do List hasn’t been updated.
Please be aware that application submission is at its peak, and our records managers are very busy preparing all applications and materials for review. Over the next few weeks, if we find that we are missing any item from your application, we will be in touch with you through email to let you know.

Please also be aware that if you have chosen our first deadline and your application was submitted (or postmarked if you are using our paper application) by November 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET (10:59 p.m. Central Time; 9:59 p.m. Mountain Time; 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time) you will be considered for our first deadline. Be sure to send the other required items as soon as possible; they may be submitted soon after the November 1 deadline.

I submitted a CFNC application, but it is not showing up on MyUNC.
Please note that it may take 4-6 weeks for your MyUNC to be updated with your CFNC application and for your application materials to be removed from your To-Do list. We apologize for any inconvenience.

How do I submit the Teacher Recommendation or the Counselor Statement?
If you apply using Carolina's online application online, you will be asked to provide the e-mail address of the teacher and counselor who will write a letter of recommendation on your behalf. We will then e-mail your teacher and counselor with easy-to-follow instructions.

If your teacher or counselor would rather submit a paper form or if you submit a paper application, please complete the applicant portion of the Teacher Recommendation and Counselor Statement forms and give them, along with an envelope, to your teacher and counselor. We require only one teacher recommendation and find one letter to be sufficient. If you have extenuating circumstances and plan to provide more than one letter of recommendation, we urge you to include all letters in one envelope. While we can confirm that we have received a letter of recommendation on your behalf, we regret that we cannot confirm the name of the teacher who submitted a paper recommendation.

Please note that CFNC applicants will not be prompted for an email address for teacher recommendation letters or counselor statements. Please download the forms as noted above.

I didn’t meet the November 1 deadline. What do I do next?
If you did not submit your application by our deadline November 1, you will automatically be considered for our second deadline. Please just be sure to submit your application by January 18. There is no need to contact us. You will then receive your decision by the end of March.

I selected Deadline 2, but I submitted my application by the November 1 deadline. May I be considered for Deadline 1?
Please email us to request that your deadline be changed. You will then receive your decision by the end of January.

Can I print out my application?
When you get to the submit page of your application, you will be able to view a report of your application before you confirm that your application is ready to be submitted. When viewing the application report, please use your mouse to right-click on the application, and choose the option to “Print.”

I had a problem when paying my application fee. May I go back and pay my fee online?
If you applied online and had problems with your payment, you may go back and update your application fee payment as follows. (We are sorry that this feature is not available for CFNC applicants.):

1. Log back into your MyUNC account. Click on your "My Application" link.
2. Click Continue on the page that indicates you have attempted to pay your fee.
3. Click the "Pay by Check" option. Note that the Credit Card option does not appear.
4. To pay by credit card, close your current webpage and repeat steps 2 and 3
5. The Credit Card payment option should be available now.

Do I need to complete a North Carolina residency form?
When you complete our online application, you will be prompted to answer a few simple questions that in most cases will fulfill our requirements for determining residency. If not, you will be prompted to select and complete an additional form when you submit your application. However, if you are not prompted for additional residency information, there is no need for you to submit it.

I started the first-year application, but I meant to start the transfer application. How do I change this?
Please email us and we will assist you.

I don't see my question posted here.
While we strive to do our best to update this page frequently, if you don't see an answer to any question you may have, please be sure to check this blog for the very latest updates from our office. For general questions about applying and Carolina, please also visit Ask Admissions. Regardless, no matter what question you may have, please don't hesitate to email or call us at (919) 966-3621.

Financial Certificate Update

*Update 10/29/10: The Financial Certificate is now available. If we require this form, it will appear on your To-Do List within your MyUNC account. Please note that this form does not need to be submitted prior to the deadline. Thank you!*

To all of our international applicants, we’re sorry for the delay in posting our financial certificate online. We hope to have it available very soon. We will email all of our international applicants as soon as we post it online. In the meantime, please know that if you are planning to apply for admission for our first deadline, the certificate may arrive after the deadline as long as you have submitted your application by November 1.

Thank you for your patience. Please let us know if we may assist you in any way.

First Deadline is Approaching!

Hard to believe but our first deadline for first-year admission, November 1, is just a week and a half away. If you're considering applying, I really encourage you to get your application in by our first deadline. Why, you ask?

1. It’s really not that hard to meet the deadline. You’ve still got 10 days. And the only thing that you need to have submitted by November 1 is the application itself, your essays, and the application fee. It’s fine if your transcripts, test scores, and recommendations arrive after the deadline. Also, keep in mind that any test scores from tests you take in November will be considered with your application, even if you are applying for the first deadline. So really, it’s just those pesky essays. Buckle down and get them done. You’ll be glad you did.
2. More chance for scholarships. The earlier you get your application in, the more time we’ll have to consider you for merit scholarships. Some scholarships require that you apply by the first deadline. Others don’t require it, but it gives the selection committees more time to do their work. This isn’t a hard and fast rule; plenty of scholarships are awarded to second-deadline applicants. Definitely do your research about all the different scholarships available, both through the University and from outside sources. But for the best chance of being considered for the greatest number of scholarships, it's best to apply by November 1.
3. You don’t want to spend your winter holiday filling out applications. I mean, who would? And if you’re applying to a lot of schools, it’s at least one application that you won’t have to worry about while you’re stuffed with holiday turkey.

Questions? Please let us know. We hope to see your application soon!

Extraordinary Opportunity: Assured Enrollment in Business

Over the next few weeks we'll be highlighting a few of the many extraordinary opportunities that Carolina offers to outstanding students. Today we're focusing on assured enrollment in the BSBA program in the Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Students at Carolina who want to earn undergraduate degrees in business administration normally apply to the BSBA program during their sophomore years. Each year, however, approximately 40 admitted first-year applicants are offered assured enrollment in the BSBA program.

These students still spend their first two years immersed deeply in the arts and sciences, as do all our students. And they're not obligated to pursue the BSBA degree if their interests lead them elsewhere.

Given the high quality of the BSBA program at Carolina, this is a great opportunity. And like almost all of the opportunities we offer to first-year candidates, there's no special application for this one; if you apply for first-year admission, you'll automatically be considered.

Read more about assured enrollment in business.

Our Newest Transfer Students

We recently posted some details about the first-year class that joined us this fall, but we also wanted to give you some more information about the students who joined our sophomore and junior classes as transfer students. These students bring a variety of perspectives and backgrounds to Carolina, and our community is all the stronger because of it.

Transfer Applications to the College of Arts and Sciences for Fall 2010:
2,929 applied
1,189 were admitted
823 enrolled

Of those who enrolled:
71% enrolled as sophomores and 28% enrolled as juniors
52% are female, 48% are male
23% are first-generation college students

The average college GPA for enrolling sophomores was 3.38 and the average SAT (CR+M) was 1230. The average college GPA for enrolling juniors was 3.29 and the average SAT was 1172.

If you're considering applying to Carolina as a transfer student, I encourage you to check out Jacob's posts over on Tar Heel Blog. Jacob joined us as a sophomore transfer student last year, and has since been writing about his experiences here at Carolina. If you have questions about what life is like at Carolina from a transfer student's perspective, he is always happy to respond to your comments.

Visit Us on Facebook

For the latest updates from our office, you can always visit this blog, but starting today, you can also keep in touch with us by becoming a fan of our new Facebook page. As a fan, you may also comment on our posts and upload your favorite Carolina photos. Help us get it started by visiting today.

Helping Students Find Their Way to College

Four years ago, thanks to a grant from a wonderful organization called the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, our office launched the Carolina College Advising Corps, a program that helps students find their way to colleges that will serve them well.

The Carolina Corps hires recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduates -- smart young people who want to serve and change the world -- and places them as college and financial-aid advisers in schools across North Carolina. Our advisers help students look for colleges that will be good fits for their skills, talents, and aspirations. Then they help students complete admissions and financial-aid applications, search for private scholarships, and leap over any other hurdles that might stand in the way of their enrollment. This year our advisers are serving 56 high schools with more than 10,000 graduating seniors.

The Carolina Corps is part of the National College Advising Corps -- a consortium of similar programs based at other universities across the country. The National Corps, which is also headquartered here at UNC-Chapel Hill, was featured recently in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Our advisers are amazing people, and they're very good at their jobs. And although they love Carolina, they know that their mission is to help each student find the right fit -- a place where he or she can thrive.

That's what we want for every student -- and that's what we want for you, too. Please let us know if we may help in any way. And thank you, as always, for your interest in UNC.