UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State admissions both favor North Carolina residents, and at UNC the in-state advantage may grow. A 1986 UNC System policy caps out-of-state students at 18% of first-year enrollment on most campuses. In September 2026, UNC-Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees asked the university to enroll 4,750 to 5,000 in-state first-year students in fall 2027, up from about 4,300 in 2026. At NC State, which admitted 41% of applicants for fall 2026, your odds depend heavily on which college you apply to.
Figures below are from each university's own publications, its board's resolution, and the UNC System.
UNC-Chapel Hill: the numbers
| Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025, all first-year applicants | 78,116 | 12,754 | 16% |
| Fall 2026 Early Action, North Carolina residents | 14,931 | 5,903 | about 40% |
| Fall 2024, in-state applicants | 16,553 | 6,289 | 38.0% |
| Fall 2024, out-of-state applicants | 42,085 | 2,792 | 6.6% |
| Fall 2024, international applicants | 7,897 | 1,128 | 14.3% |
Sources: UNC fall 2025 first-year profile; UNC News, Dec. 18, 2025; UNC Common Data Set 2024-25 (residency by address at time of application). The fall 2026 Early Action and fall 2024 rates are our calculations from those counts.
UNC's fall 2026 class: 5,319 enrolling first-year students and 1,006 transfers, chosen from 83,005 total applicants. Enrolling first-year students had a middle-50% SAT of 1400-1530 and ACT of 30-34, and 78% of those who reported a class rank were in the top 10%.
For self-reported results from the 2026 cycle, see UNC-Chapel Hill accepted vs. rejected applicants.
UNC's push to enroll more North Carolinians
On Sept. 24, 2026, UNC-Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees passed a resolution asking the chancellor to:
| Fall | In-state first-year enrollment target |
|---|---|
| 2026 (actual) | about 4,300 |
| 2027 | 4,750-5,000 |
| 2028 | 5,250-5,500 |
| 2029 | 5,750-6,000 |
| 2030 | 6,000-6,250 |
Source: UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, "Resolution in Support of Expanded University Enrollment Growth," Sept. 24, 2026.
The resolution notes that UNC enrolls about 3% of North Carolina's high school graduates, down from about 5% in the mid-1990s, and that its waitlist has averaged about 2,000 in-state students a year who weren't ultimately admitted. It asks UNC to return to 5% by 2030 "while also maintaining the University's high standards for admission."
What it means for applicants: the resolution sets enrollment targets, not admission rules, and it's a request to the chancellor. But if UNC meets the fall 2027 target, it would enroll 450 to 700 more North Carolina first-year students than in 2026, a 10% to 16% increase.
UNC-Chapel Hill: fall 2027 dates
- Early Action: Oct. 15, 2026 (passed). Last cycle, UNC moved in-state Early Action decisions up a month, releasing them before the holidays; non-resident Early Action decisions came in February.
- Regular Decision: Jan. 15, 2027.
- Testing: students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher can choose whether to self-report SAT or ACT scores.
NC State: admit rates by college
NC State admitted 41% of 47,900 first-year applicants for fall 2026, and 13% of incoming first-year students were from out of state. Applicants choose a first- and second-choice program, and admission is by college:
| College | Applications | Admit rate | Enrollment target | Weighted GPA (NC State recalculated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design | 1,198 | 25% | 128 | 4.24 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 7,323 | 34% | 540 | 4.36 |
| Poole College of Management | 7,577 | 34% | 558 | 4.37 |
| Natural Resources | 1,991 | 38% | 277 | 4.31 |
| Agriculture and Life Sciences | 4,222 | 39% | 616 | 4.35 |
| Sciences | 7,797 | 43% | 734 | 4.45 |
| Education | 972 | 44% | 162 | 4.28 |
| Engineering | 13,053 | 45% | 1,875 | 4.45 |
| Wilson College of Textiles | 625 | 61% | 195 | 4.20 |
| Exploratory Studies | 2,948 | 62% | 825 | 4.21 |
Source: NC State Undergraduate Admissions, High School Counselor Newsletter 2026-27. NC State recalculates GPAs, adding 1 point for AP, IB and college courses and 0.5 for honors.
NC State notes that changing majors after enrolling requires a competitive process (CODA) and isn't guaranteed, so choose a second-choice program you'd be glad to study.
NC State: fall 2027 dates
| Apply by | Residency and materials by | Decision | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Action | Nov. 1, 2026 | Nov. 10 | North Carolina residents: by end of December. Everyone else: by Jan. 31 |
| Regular Decision | Jan. 15, 2027 | Feb. 1 | March 31 |
To get the December decision, North Carolina residents must confirm residency through the Residency Determination Service by Nov. 10. Applying by Nov. 1 is also required for the University Honors Program and the Park Scholarship. NC State is test-optional for applicants with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or higher.
What this means for you
- North Carolina residents: apply to NC State by Nov. 1 and finish RDS by Nov. 10. That's what gets you a December decision.
- Pick your NC State college carefully. Admit rates ranged from 25% to 62% in 2026.
- UNC in-state applicants may have more room in 2027. The trustees' target is a 10-16% increase in in-state first-year enrollment.
- Out-of-state applicants compete for limited seats. The UNC System's 18% cap applies on most campuses, and UNC admitted 6.6% of out-of-state applicants for fall 2024. See in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rates.
- For costs, see North Carolina college financial aid. North Carolina's class of 2027 National Merit Semifinalist cutoff is 217.
Sources
- Resolution in Support of Expanded University Enrollment Growth (PDF), Sept. 24, 2026 — UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees
- UNC-Chapel Hill expedites Early Action admission decisions (Dec. 18, 2025) — UNC News
- Admissions: First-Year Profile — UNC-Chapel Hill
- Our Newest Class — UNC-Chapel Hill Undergraduate Admissions
- Common Data Set 2024-2025 (PDF) — UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
- Admissions — UNC-Chapel Hill admissions case information (the 18% out-of-state cap)
- Undergraduate Admissions — UNC-Chapel Hill Catalog
- Admissions Fast Facts — NC State
- High School Counselor Newsletter 2026-27 — NC State Undergraduate Admissions