Want to be a Tar Heel? Join the club! One of the great “public Ivies,” UNC Chapel Hill is a fiercely competitive state flagship university. With top-tier programs in the sciences, an alumni body that includes Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, and a basketball team that brings out fans from across the nation, it’s easy to see why it’s great to be a Tar Heel!

UNC – Chapel Hill: The Basics

Public

Private

Liberal Arts

Research University

Affiliation: Secular (nonreligious)

The Location (Chapel Hill, NC):

The town of Chapel Hill is considered the third corner of North Carolina’s famous “Research Triangle” — along with nearby Raleigh and Durham, Chapel Hill is known for its history of dynamic intellectual activity and world-class hospitals. But it’s not all work, no play. Chapel Hill is also a lively college town, with mural-bedecked buildings, a famous annual street fair, and a nationally renowned food scene with an emphasis on home cooking — yum!

The Numbers

Admission Rate

 23%

Average High School GPA

 4.39

Preferred Standardized Test 

 Either

Average SAT Score 

1271-1470

Average ACT Score 

 28-33

Accepts ACT Superscore?

 Yes

Application Deadline

 January 15

Accepts Common App?

 Yes

Tuition (Annual)

 $8,980 in-state; $36,159 out-of-state

Enrollment

19,014 undergraduates

Average Class Size

 <20

You’d Make a Great Tar Heel If:

  • You’re an aspiring journalist — in print or broadcast. UNC Chapel Hill’s campus paper, The Daily Tar Heel, has won national awards for collegiate journalism, while their radio station, WXYC, was the first in the world to host an internet broadcast.
  • You love a bargain. For North Carolina residents, UNC Chapel Hill offers a world-class education with a four-figure tuition cost, plus the opportunity to apply for scholarships, including the debt-free Carolina Covenant for students from low-income families. Talk about a deal!
  • You enjoy a friendly rivalry. UNC Chapel Hill’s basketball rivalry with nearby Duke University is one of the fiercest in the nation, inspiring Chapel Hill students to don the school’s signature light blue, sing songs, and cheer the Tar Heels to victory on game day — where a win will be celebrated with a campus bonfire party.

Fun Fact(s):

What’s a “Tar Heel”? And what’s with the goat? First of all, that’s not a goat, it’s a ram — Ramses, the UNC Chapel Hill mascot, a live Dorset ram, as well as a student in a ram costume. As for “tar heels,” the name dates back to the eighteenth century, when the Chapel Hill area was a major producer of tar and pitch. Watch your feet!

Famous Alumni:

Michael Jordan:
Athlete

Andy Griffith:
Actor

Nikole Hannah-Jones:
Historian, Pulitzer Prize Winner

James Polk:
US President

Planning college applications? Sign up for a free consultation with one of our expert advisors!