University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill acceptance rate, SAT range and net price

Two admission rates under one roof

At Chapel Hill the overall rate is an average of two very different contests. For fall 2025, 37.0% of North Carolina applicants were admitted and 9.6% of applicants from other states, with international applicants at 15.0%. The out-of-state pool, 48,645 applications, is almost three times the in-state pool for a much smaller number of seats: 728 out-of-state students enrolled against 4,063 North Carolinians. For a student outside North Carolina, a score inside the range does not change the arithmetic of that pool.

UNC: where your SAT score lands

Your SAT total

Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)

52%

Middle 50%	1,400 to 1,530
Your score is	inside the middle 50%

Fall 2025 entering class, CDS 2025-26, C9 (1,102 SAT submitters, 1,945 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.

Odds and net price at other universities →

October 15, not November 1

UNC's early round is non-binding Early Action with an October 15 deadline, two weeks before most early dates, and supporting materials and test scores are due by November 7. Regular Decision closes January 15. There is no Early Decision. The waiting list did move for fall 2025: 5,258 students accepted a place and 2,099 were admitted from it, so accepting a place is worth the effort. Admitted students in both rounds confirm by May 1, which leaves time to compare aid offers from other colleges before deciding.

A test rule tied to GPA

The UNC System sets a floor rather than a requirement. An applicant with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above on a 4.0 scale may apply without scores; below 2.8, an ACT of 17 or an SAT of 930 is required. In practice the enrolled class sits far above that line, with an average weighted GPA of 4.47. Among students who sent scores, 41% used the ACT and 28% the SAT (a student could send both), and the SAT median was 1,470.

UNC: the out-of-state premium

Years of study

Extra tuition for a non-NC student

$128,836

In-state tuition and fees 2024-25	$8,994
Out-of-state tuition and fees 2024-25	$41,203
Gap per year	$32,209

Published tuition and fees, before any nonresident scholarship; future increases not included.

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What a year in Chapel Hill costs

For 2026-27 a resident pays $7,230 in tuition and $2,130 in fees, and the on-campus budget adds $15,870 for housing and food. A non-resident's tuition is $47,472. Student Blue health insurance is not in the budget; an enrolled student billed for it can ask for a budget adjustment. Travel is set at $1,078 for residents and $2,050 for non-residents, the only living-cost line that differs. Compare with UVA and Michigan in the comparison tool.