University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a small city, with 20,752 undergraduates. Interdisciplinary studies is its signature field: 9% of its bachelor's degrees, about three times its share across the colleges we cover. 91% of students finish within six years, and former students who are working earn a median of $72,200 ten years after starting.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill admitted 12,751 of 76,247 applicants for the fall 2025 entering class (16.7%).
- Acceptance rate
- 16.7%
- Fall 2025 class
- In-state tuition
- $8,994
- $41,203 out of state
- Paid after aid
- $11,655
- Average, students with aid
- SAT, middle 50%
- 1400–1530
Every figure on this page is published by the college or a federal survey, compiled by GoodGoblin, and carries the source it came from. They describe the fall 2025 entering class, a read on the school, not a prediction about any one applicant.
What University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is known for
Measured by the 6,420 bachelor's degrees it awarded in 2022–23, and what its graduates went on to earn.
Interdisciplinary studies
9.3%
of its bachelor's degrees: about three times the 2.9% share across the colleges we cover.
- Biology5448.5% of degrees$62,047+8% vs $57,214 nationally
- Communication and Media Studies5218.1% of degrees$70,240+25% vs $56,359 nationally
- Behavioral Sciences5037.8% of degreesToo few graduates to publish
- Economics4436.9% of degrees$103,846+26% vs $82,686 nationally
- Computer Science4276.7% of degrees$137,047+28% vs $107,009 nationally
- Business Administration, Management and Operations4016.2% of degrees$135,874+99% vs $68,257 nationally
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), field-of-study data. Degrees are bachelor's degrees awarded in 2022–23. Earnings are the median for 2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, in 2024 dollars, working and not enrolled, four years after graduating. Shares across the colleges we cover count every bachelor's degree at the colleges with a page here.
The place
Where it is, how big it is, and how students live.
Setting
Small city
Chapel Hill, NC
Undergraduates
20,752
Fall 2024
Type
Public
Doctoral university, very high research activity
Living on campus
Half or more
of undergraduates live on campus
Students per faculty member
15 to 1
Fall 2024
International students
6%
of undergraduates, fall 2024
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), including the Carnegie Classification and the federal locale code it publishes.
What stands out at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Three things University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published, ranked by how much each could change what you actually do, not by how impressive it looks. Every one describes a class that has already enrolled.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill files the essay under “very important”.
That is the top of the scale the form offers, and the only other factors this school puts there are Course rigor and Recommendations.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
2,099 admitted from a waitlist of 7,355.
5,258 students accepted a place on that list, and 2,099 were admitted from it, 39.9% of the students who waited. A waitlist offer here is not a near-miss anyone can plan around.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
28% of the enrolled class sent an SAT.
The SAT band on this page describes that share of the class, not all of it. Another 41% sent an ACT. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill files test scores under “considered”.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Every figure, in full
The same measured fields on every one of these pages. Nothing is filled in where the school published nothing.
Acceptance rate
16.7%
12,751 admitted of 76,247 applicants
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
SAT, middle 50%
1400–1530
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
ACT, middle 50%
29–34
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Average GPA of admitted students
4.47
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Enrolled students who sent an SAT
28%
Counted per test: a student may send both.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Enrolled students who sent an ACT
41%
Counted per test: a student may send both.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Where do you actually stand at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
The figures on this page describe a class that already enrolled. GoodGoblin reads them against your own transcript, scores, activities and budget, then builds the balanced list, the essay plan and the deadline calendar around what it finds.
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What University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill costs
The published price first, then what students who received aid actually paid, by family income.
In-state tuition and fees for 2024–25 were $8,994 ($41,203 out of state), and the full in-state cost of attendance, with housing, food and books, was $26,055. After grants and scholarships, students who received financial aid paid $11,655 a year on average.
In-state tuition and fees
$8,994
2024–25 school year
Out-of-state tuition and fees
$41,203
2024–25 school year
Full cost, in state
$26,055
Tuition, fees, housing, food and books
Paid after aid
$11,655
Average, students who received aid
What students paid, by family income
Each bar is that figure as a share of the $26,055 full cost.
- Under $30k$2,004Typical public university: $10,013
- $30k–$48k$3,918Typical public university: $10,847
- $48k–$75k$8,538Typical public university: $13,703
- $75k–$110k$16,415Typical public university: $17,979
- Over $110k$24,396Typical public university: $22,475
Source: the federal College Scorecard. Tuition and cost of attendance are for the 2024–25 school year; colleges usually raise them each year. What students paid is the average net price for first-year students who received federal financial aid. Typical public university: the median across the 338 public universities on GoodGoblin, for in-state students, compiled by GoodGoblin from the same federal data.
Where it leads
Who finishes, who stays, and what they earn and owe afterwards.
Finish within six years
91%
Our colleges' median: 63%
Return for a second year
97%
Our colleges' median: 79%
Earnings after 10 years
$72,200
Our colleges' median: $57,440
Median debt at graduation
$14,000
Our colleges' median: $23,725
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Six-year completion describes students who started in fall 2018; second-year return describes students who started in fall 2023; earnings describe students who started in 2009–10 and 2010–11, measured in 2020 and 2021, in 2022 dollars; debt describes federal loans of students who graduated in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Medians are across the 1,034 colleges with a page here.
What University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says it weighs
The school's own words, from the form it fills in every year. Ranked as it ranks them.
- Essayvery important
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Course rigorvery important
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Recommendationsvery important
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- GPAimportant
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Class rankimportant
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Test scoresconsidered
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Not considered
- Demonstrated interest
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
The waitlist, as the school reported it
Published counts, including the ones schools rarely lead with.
- Offered a waitlist place
- 7,355
- Accepted the place
- 5,258
- Admitted from the waitlist
- 2,099
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Essays on this application
2 essay prompts on the application: 2 are optional.
Published deadlines
Each date is read from the college's own materials and re-checked on a schedule.
Guides for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill applicants
More colleges on the record
Each of these pages carries the same measured figures and sources.
Other colleges in North Carolina
Closest acceptance rates in the same state.
Colleges with a similar acceptance rate
Closest acceptance rates anywhere in the country.
The GoodGoblin College Data Report: five findings counted across 1,034 colleges ›
Build the list this school belongs on.
The figures on this page describe a class that already enrolled. GoodGoblin reads them against your own transcript, scores, activities and budget, then builds the balanced list, the essay plan and the deadline calendar around what it finds.
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