Each year we defer a small number of our early-action applicants because we can't make a final decision on their application yet. If we deferred your decision, we're so sorry that we have to ask you to wait longer for a decision, but we promise to have a final decision to you by the end of March. I know, the waiting stinks. I'm so sorry. Here are some frequently-asked questions, please just let me know what others you have.
What are my chances?
This is impossible to predict at this point. On the FAQ sheet that we included with your letter, you can see that we ended up offering admission to 289 deferred students last year, and 259 the previous year. We won't know until March how many we'll be able to admit this year.
Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?
Send us your midyear grades. By the end of next week, we'll be sending you an email with instructions on how to self-report your midyear grades on MyUNC. Don't ask your counselor to send us a paper report; instead you'll enter your own grades online. If you have new test scores, you can send us those as well. Beyond that, I'm afraid all you can do is wait.
Should I still apply for Financial Aid?
Yes. The Financial Aid deadline is March 1, so you'll still want to submit your application in case we are able to admit you. More info on the Student Aid website.
My daughter was one of those deferred. If an applicant is deferred, does that mean he/she is not eligible for merit scholarships? Do deferred students get invited to scholarshiop day?
ReplyDeleteHi, Invitations to Scholarship Day have already been sent to EA admitted students. We have a pretty limited number of merit scholarships, so deferred students should not expect significant merit aid if we are able to offer them admission. We encourage deferred students to apply for need-based aid, which is how we award most of our aid money. Thanks for the question.
DeleteMy daughter was also deferred. Better than a no. In addition to the question above (real good question by the way), out of curiosity, what percentage of deferred applicants are out of state this year? - Vern
ReplyDeleteHi Vern, We deferred just under 1,800 students, of whom about half are out-of-state students. Thanks.
DeleteI had been told that at some schools if you get deferred, you can email admissions asking them what parts of your application were weaker, and they would answer. Is this the case at North Carolina? Also, aside from SAT/ACT score improvements, is there anything at this point that a deferred applicant could send in to help their chances?
ReplyDeleteHi there, Beyond submitting your midyear grades and any new test scores, there's nothing else you need to send us. We'll use your original application as we consider you. If you'd like to call our office, one of our counselors will be happy to discuss your application with you. There's usually not one specific factor in your application that led to the defer decision, though. We deferred you because you are a strong applicant that we hope to have room for in our class. Unfortunately we have a limited number of spaces and we just can't admit all of the strong students we see. Thanks.
DeleteI called the office at the end of last week and the counselor that I spoke to about my son had a VERY bad attitude. I asked the counselor if my son could do anything to strengthen his application or could we go through his application and he said "did you get a sheet of FAQ's with your letter?" I said "yes I did" and he said "so what don't you understand?" I was so shocked by this response! I am a Highly know donor at UNC and I am highly upset! I'm not sure if I am going to complain or not..
DeleteHello, I'm so sorry you had a bad experience calling our office on the phone. I hope you'll try us again--either to speak with another of our counselors or a senior member of our staff. Last week was a particularly busy one for our office, but that is absolutely no excuse for rudeness. Again, I'm sorry and I hope you'll give us another chance to help you.
DeleteHi, I was just wondering, is it possible for you to disclose the number of EA applicants versus how many were accepted, deferred, and denied?
ReplyDeleteHi. Of our approximately 13,000 EA applicants, about 4,600 were admitted and about 1,800 were deferred. Thanks.
DeleteI noted a number in very small print next to my son's name on his deferral letter. Does UNC rank order deferred applicants? Would that give us an indication of his chances?
ReplyDeleteHello, No we don't rank our deferred students in any way. The number you see was only put there as part of the mailing process. We'll review all of our deferred applicants again as we finalize the decisions for our Regular Decision applicants. Thanks for the question.
DeleteHello Julie,
ReplyDeleteWould it be too late to submit new ACT score from Feb. 11th test date? Also, if an applicant has SAT scores already submitted, would you guys accept ACT with no writing?
Thank you!
Hello, We're asking that deferred students send any updated test scores by 2/17, so I'm afraid scores from the 2/11 test date would not arrive in time. We do require that ACT scores include the writing component. Thanks.
DeleteHi, Julie. Would you mind telling me what is the percentage/ratio of students from the deferred list that is accepted from in-state and out-of-state? Are the in-state students more likely to become accepted? How does the admission office finalizes who gets accepted and who doesn't? Also, do you think mid-year grades will suffice? I know it depends on the individual as well, but do you prefer students to retake the SAT/ACT? If so, what is the date it would have to be submitted by? Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHi, The number of in-state vs out-of-state deferred students we're able to admit really varies a great deal from year to year, so I'm afraid that is not going to be very helpful in predicting your chances. We'll review all of our deferred applicants again as we review our Regular Decision candidates and make final decisions for the class.
DeleteIf you'd like to submit updated SAT/ACT scores, we'll need them by 2/17. Thanks for the questions.
Hi Julie, How many students were deferred last year for early action?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Mark
Hi Mark, Last year we deferred about 1,400 students. Thanks.
DeleteHi julie,
ReplyDeleteSomehow UNC recieved an SAT test score that I never sent and it was 1500 (pretty low) and I was deferred. I had sent my ACT score December 30th but some reason the ACT sent it around January 4th. Is there any way UNC could look into that?
Hi, We ask that EA candidates send their test scores by November, as there often isn't enough time to consider scores sent later. We'll consider all test scores that you've sent as we move forward in reviewing your application. Give us a call if you have more questions. Thanks.
DeleteJulie-
ReplyDeleteHow many RD applicants did you receive this year? thanks!
About 29,000.
DeleteSorry, that's wrong. We got 29,000 TOTAL applications. 16,000 RD applications. :)
DeleteHow many Deferred students are admitted, on average?
ReplyDeleteHi, In the post above, I stated the numbers for the previous two years. It can vary a great deal from year to year, so it's very difficult to predict. Thanks.
DeleteI don't know how you guys do it?
ReplyDelete1. 29,000 more applications
2. 1800 deferred applications
3. 4600 admitted
4. countless emails/blogs
5. numerous phone calls
Something tells me my son made the right decision in pursuing UNC. Hope to hear good news in March. Deferred/OOS/Optimistic
Thanks for all the work.
I am a parent of an in-state student who was deferred last year . . . twice . . . and ended up getting admitted. I want to offer you some hope but also give you some advice. When was my son was deferred EA, he was devastated. He held out hope until the RD notifications and got deferred again. Realizing the limited possibility of his eventually getting into UNC, he moved on, picked another school, sent in his enrollment deposit and started getting excited about going there. Then at the end of May he was shocked and thrilled to find out he had been admitted to UNC and quickly changed course. So there is hope ...but please start thinking of an alternative plan just in case. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi julie,
ReplyDeleteDid the major we selected, play a role in the decision for deferral, or does carolina not look at applicants intended majors, when admitting/deferring/rejecting applicants?
Same question...please advise.
DeleteThanks!
Hello. No, choice of major is not a factor in our admissions review at all. We only use your choice to assign an advisor if you end up enrolling here. Thanks for the question.
DeleteJulie- Sorry to barrage you with questions, but how many slots are available for RD+the deferred ED people? Just trying to figure out what my odds are. I'm DYING to become a tar heel!
ReplyDelete-Eric
Same here! Thanks Julie for all of your patience!
DeleteHi. We work very hard to consider each applicant within the context of our entire applicant pool, so the timing of your application does not affect your chances of admission (EA vs RD). That's why we end up having to defer some of our EA candidates, because we just can't make a final decision on their application until we've reviewed the applications of our entire pool. If it helps, last year we admitted 18% of the approximately 14,000 out-of-state students who applied. So it's not really a matter of how many spaces are left--we're looking at the overall pool as we make each decision. I hope this helps. Thanks.
DeleteWhat about in-state? I'm just trying to crunch some numbers and see if I can figure out any odds.
DeleteIf worse comes to worse and I need to transfer, are you guys are likely to admit someone in the UNC system?
Hi. No, we don't give preference to students coming from other UNC schools. We get a lot of strong transfer applicants from a variety of schools--both 2-yr and 4-yr. Thanks for the question.
DeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteWould it be safe to assume deferred OOS students will have an answer in March? Do you put OOS students on the waiting list? Also, how many OOS students applied this year? Thanks
Hi. We do form a small waiting list when we release our second round of decisions, so it's possible that deferred students could be included in that group. We had 6,800 OOS applicants for early action; I'm sorry I don't yet have final numbers for regular decision.
DeleteThank you
DeleteWhat is the email to send addition information for admission. I was notified that I was on the deferment list.
ReplyDeleteHi, We'll be sending you an email next week with instructions on how to self-report your midyear grades on MyUNC. Beyond that, we do not need any additional information. We'll use everything in your original application and any midyear grades you report to consider you. Thanks.
DeleteJulie -
ReplyDeleteYou're probably tired of this question, but I'm having a hard time understanding why my daughter was deferred. I looked at some of the stats posted by admitted students in the other blog thread and there were more than a few that were much lower than my daughter's. We also personally know some students who were admitted whose grades are lower and SAT's are lower. In addition to strong grades and boards my daughter is quite involved in activities and a well-rounded individual. We're honestly just stumped.
I feel the exact same way. Just don't understand why I didn't make the cut right away...
DeleteDitto. Daughter got deferred when admitted students from her high school have lower grades/class rank and do not have any more activities or AP courses than she. What are you really looking at when you decide?
DeleteHi all. I know it can be hard to understand. Our holistic review takes the entire application into account--everything from grades and test scores to a student's essays and background. The truth is we have far more qualified applicants than we have spaces in the first-year class. Every single student deferred is one that we hope to have space for, but we just won't know until the spring. Thanks for the questions.
DeleteIf we eventually do get denied and want to transfer, are you guys more favorable to transferring inside the UBC system, or does it not matter?
ReplyDelete-dying to be a tarheel
UNC not UBC... Oops!
DeleteHi, No, we don't give preference to students coming from other UNc schools. We get strong applicants from many different types of schools, all across the country. Thanks.
DeleteDo you goes have a limit of how many people who can accept who applied regular decision? I notice that you guys usually accept somewhere around 7,500 freshman, but since you guys already accepted around 4,200 in the EA pool, wouldn't the likelihood of getting in regular admission be lower vs. EA. I know you guys have said it doesn't but the numbers kind of freak me out. Also is the 16,000 applicants that are doing regular also include deferred students? Thank you for your time!
ReplyDeleteHi. It's a bit complicated because we tend to get higher numbers of North Carolina residents applying for our first deadline. We work really hard to ensure that each student is given the same consideration, regardless of whether they apply EA or RD. The 16,000 are only those students who submitted an application for RD. Thanks.
DeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your hard work answering all of these questions! I am wondering what our midyear grades will tell you. If i have made all A's throughout high school and made all A's first semester senior year as well, does that just confirm my academic achievement? We're you just making sure that the people on the deferred list maintained their hard work?
Hi. If we've deferred you, it's because we just couldn't make a decision yet on your application. Once we have your grades and we review all of our RD applicants, we'll be able to make a final decision. Sorry to have to ask you to wait longer!
DeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteAre you guys planning to accept 32% of the total applicants like last year? Or do you plan to still accept about 7,000 applicants, which will lower the percent to about 26% acceptance rate? Thanks!
Hi. We'll be making lots of tough decisions this spring. We really won't know anything final until we've had a chance to review all of the applications we've received. Thanks.
DeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI have accomplished a couple of things between december and january that I would like to tell you guys about (volunteer things). How do I send you extra information, in an email?
Hi there. We generally do not need any additional information from deferred students (beyond midyear grades) as we use your original application materials as we complete our review of your application. If there's something that you feel it's very important for the admissions committee to know, you may email it to us at uncsubmit@admissions.unc.edu.
DeleteI made one A, two B's and one C this year. the C was in an ap class, does that hurt my chance for acceptance? If most student's make a C in that class then does it help? I don't know if collegs know this but lot's of teachers really can't teach, especially at my school, I don't understand why they just can't fire them..
ReplyDeleteHi. If you've been deferred, we'll take everything into consideration, including all of the information you submitted in your application as well as any new midyear grades you submit. We always take the rigor of a course into consideration as we look at a grade. Thanks for the question.
DeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI was just curious about what happens when the admissions board rereads our applications. Are the applications of the people deferred read first or are our applications put on hold till the entire pool of RD applications are read? Also do 2nd semester classes have any impact on the decision? I'm taking a few AP classes and would like that to be considered. Thank you!
-Terry
Hi Terry, Right now we're busy reviewing the applications of our regular decision students. As we complete this review, we'll also review the applications of our deferred students again. On your application, you should have listed all of the courses you are taking for the entire year. If your schedule has changed or if you did not list second-semester classes, then we would want to know that. You can submit this information to us by email at uncsubmit@admissions.unc.edu. Thanks.
DeleteJulie- does this put the deferred at a disadvantage for admission?
DeleteHopeful Heel
Hi Hopeful Heel, Does what put them at a disadvantage? The fact that we review RD students first? We consider each student within the context of our entire applicant pool, so the timing of the review of your application does not matter. Each student is reviewed by the same standards. Thanks.
DeleteI was wondering if decisions about RD were made before you looked at ours? Or does the context of the RD pile help with determine the deferred? I'm just very confused on the process. And is there any way you could give us an update on how we stand compared to the RD pile after we submit our first semester grades? Hoping to join your university next year.... so so badly!!!!!!!
Delete-Hopeful Heel
Hi. I'm afraid we won't have any further information for you until the end of March when we post final decisions. We'll re-review the applications of all of our deferred applicants as we finalize the decisions of our Regular Decision applicants. Then all of those students will receive their decisions at the same time, by the end of March. Thanks.
DeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all of you work on these blogs, they are very helpful. Will the regular decisions applicants be able to update their first semester grades, and GPA? I see that the deferred students will be getting an email, will the RD also get this email? If so, when should we expect this email?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hello, Yes, we'll ask deferred and admitted EA applicants and all RD applicants to self-report their midyear grades on MyUNC. We're planning to send an email with instructions on how to do so within the next week. Thanks!
DeleteThanks so much for the information!
DeleteAs a deferred student, is it absolutely necessary to take all of the AP tests in May or is that only if I'm looking to get the credit for it?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Amy
Hi Amy. It's entirely up to you. The scores won't arrive before final admission decisions are made, so we would only need the scores if you wanted to get credit for them. We do award significant credit for AP scores, though, so many students do choose to submit those scores. Here's the full AP credit table. Thanks for the question.
DeleteHi Julie. I am a deferred student and I just recently received the email about submitting my mid-year grades. However, is there a section or something that I can write about considering the fact that I am in dual enrollment whereas I am taking college courses this year at a local college/university. How does the admission office review dual enrollment students based on the rigor of the classes.
ReplyDeleteHi. On the midyear grade form, there is a free-response box for each course where you can put a note or explanation. Rigor of coursework is an important part of our review, and we're looking to see that students are challenging themselves as much as possible given the offerings available in their school and community. I hope this answers your question. Let me know how else I can help.
DeleteHi Julie, another question. I am confused when submitting my grades because the college and high school grading scale differs. Due to the fact that I'm taking college courses, it counts as honors courses when transferred back to my high school transcript. Which scale should I abide to? The college or my high school grading scale? Thank you for answering my questions.
DeleteHello. You should report grades as they will be listed on your high school transcript. You can also provide further explanation in the free-response box under each course. Thanks!
DeleteHello, for the mid-year reports, would you prefer the grades for each quarter or the average for the entire semester? My school goes by quarter rather than semester, however they also provide a "year to date" grade which is the above all average so I am not sure which grades to report.
ReplyDeleteHi there. The "year to date" grade would probably be most helpful, as it will reflect all of the work you've done so far in the class. There is a free-response field under each course, so if you want to provide more details you can do so in that space. Thanks!
DeleteHello Julie, would you be able to tell me what was the average GPA and SAT middle range for the EA applicants?
ReplyDeleteHi. For students admitted under early action, the average GPA was 4.59 and the middle 50% ranges for SAT were: 610-720 (CR), 630-740 (M), and and 610-720 (W). Keep in mind that our review is holistic and numbers will never tell the whole story. Also, statistics about GPA can be misleading, I have written about that on the blog before. These numbers are all pretty much in line with past years' early candidates. Thanks for the question.
DeleteHi Julie, I'm an EA admitted student and I have yet to receive an email/notice about reporting my mid-year grades. Is this normal? What should I do?
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of your help!
Hi, The email with instructions actually went out yesterday (Sunday, 2/5). Just let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks.
DeleteAny update on how the deferred odds are stacking up? How are the RD apps going?
ReplyDeleteHi there. I'm afraid we really won't have anything to report until decisions are ready at the end of March. Thanks for your patience!
DeleteAnytime. Please keep us updated! Dying to know if I can make the cut and be a Tarheel!!!
DeleteHi Julie - did the email on submitting midyear grades also go to deferred students (your answer above was to an admitted student)? Dont think my daughter got an email. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi. Yes, deferred students should have received an email with instructions on how to self-report their midyear grades on MyUNC. There are also instructions on the blog. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!
DeleteWould it be helpful to submit an updated GPA?
ReplyDeleteHi there. No, we don't need any updated GPA information, just your grades. We really don't consider GPA very much, as it varies so much from school to school. (Read more on that here.) Thanks for the question.
DeleteAny other info available? It's so weird knowing we can only provide you with our grades!!
DeleteJulie-
ReplyDeleteWhen (roughly) will rd be posted? And where can we check back for that information?
Thanks
Hi there. We're on schedule to release regular decisions by the end of March. Thanks!
DeleteWill you guys be handling the decision release like you did in January?
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteI actually two letters of recommendations, and one of my teachers e-mailed my letter of recommendation to uncsubmit@admissions.unc.edu, and she said she hasn't received any reply back about whether you received my letter of recommendation or not. I was just wondering about whether you guys usually send a reply to every e-mail once you receive the documents or not, because I know that you are all on a busy-schedule.
Hi there, I'm afraid we can't confirm the receipt of additional letters of recommendation. However, you shouldn't need to worry--it will be included in your file. Thanks!
DeleteThank you. One more question, I submitted my FAFSA and CSS profile, and is there anyway that I can check about whether you received those or not?
ReplyDeleteHi there. You can follow up with the Office of Student Aid and they'll be able to tell you if your financial aid documents have been received. Thanks.
DeleteThank You. I called the Office of Student Aid, and they said that they cannot tell whether they received my financial aid documents since I applied for RD.
DeleteJulie-
ReplyDeleteAre you planning on sending out letters for rd and then posting results like in January?
Hi there. I haven't heard yet. I'll update this blog when I know more. Thanks.
DeleteIs there any way you could give a rough date for admissions decisions? How's it looking for the deferred pile? Are we considered in the same "pile" as the RD people, or do we have our own pile and are only taken after the entire RD "pile" has been looked at? I'm trying to figure out my odds of getting in. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi there. Deferred students as well as all RD applicants will have a decision by the end of March. If I'm able to give further updates, I'll definitely post them on the blog. We review all deferred applicants as a group as we finalize the decisions of our regular-decision applicants. I'm sorry I can't give you any more information, but not too much longer to wait now. Thanks!
DeleteSo I'm assuming that it will be VERY difficult for those of us who are deferred to get in? Can you release about how many ED people dropped their admission? Or how many from the second round you'll admit? Trying not to get my hopes up....
DeleteWoah that's not fair if deferred students get a slimmer chance
DeleteHi. We work very hard to ensure that each student has the same chances of being admitted--whether they apply early or regular decision. Each student is considered within the context of the entire applicant pool. That's why we have to defer some students--we simply can't make a final decision until we've seen the entire applicant pool. Thanks.
DeletePart of that confuses me... if you look at each candidate and judge them with the whole pool, why do you take less students from my school than from another private school down the road from it? We have very similar curriculums. The only difference is religious affiliation. We have the same size and everything. Also, why do you take more students from public school? I feel like my school gets shorted and attending that school has adversely affected my chances of admission. Is there any way you could shed some light on why? It just doesn't seem fair.
DeleteHi. We do work really hard to ensure that each student is evaluated within the context of our entire applicant pool, and we don't have any quotas by school, region, race, or any other measure (except that we enroll 82% of our first-year class from NC). And religious preference is a total non-factor--in fact we don't even import that information from the Common App. I know that rumors and anecdotal evidence can often lead people to suspect that we preference some schools or some kinds of students, but it's really not true. I hope you'll let me know, or give our office a call and speak to one of our admissions counselors, if you have more questions. Thanks.
DeleteThank you for clearing that up Julie! Hope you have a great day! Please keep us posed with information relating to the release of decisions.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteDo deferred applications start getting looked at on March 1, and then throughout March students will receive their letters? Or will all the deferred applicant letters be sent out at the same time at the end of March?
Hi. All decisions will go out at the same time--both deferred students and our regular-decision applicants. Thanks.
DeleteI am getting so scared as the decision for the RD applicants is approaching. UNC-CH is my top choice. Can you tell us out of 16,000 RD applicants how many applicants are you going to offer admission for the fall 2012? Thank you so much for your patience.
ReplyDeleteHi there. We're still working on reviewing our regular-decision applicants, so I'm afraid it's too soon to say. Good luck to you!
Delete