The UNC Policy Manual

700.1.1.1[R]

Adopted 08/06/87

Amended 09/21/87

Amended 08/30/89

Amended 08/21/95

Amended 02/21/97

Amended 04/12/00

Amended 03/05/02

Amended 03/15/04

Amended 12/01/04

Amended 04/03/06

Amended 12/06/10

Amended 01/20/15

Amended 04/02/20

Amended 10/29/24

Regulation on Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Undergraduate Admission for the

University of North Carolina System

I. Purpose. This regulation implements the minimum eligibility requirements established in Section 700.1.1 of the UNC Policy Manual for baccalaureate degree-seeking applicants for first-time undergraduate^{^[1]} admission.

II. Minimum Course Requirements (MCR). Applicants must complete the set of courses defined in Section 700.1.1 of the UNC Policy Manual, which includes four English course units, four mathematics course units, three science course units, two social science course units, and two additional academic courses from English, mathematics, science, social studies, world languages or computer science. These courses must be high school level courses.

III. Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER).

A. For students entering in the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semesters:

1. High School GPA: Applicants must achieve a minimum weighted 2.5 high school grade point average (GPA);^{^[2]}

2. Standardized Test Scores: Students are not required to submit a standardized test score. However, if a student does not meet the minimum High School GPA requirement, they may gain admission eligibility with a composite ACT score of 19 or a combined SAT (mathematics and evidence-based reading and writing) of 1010.

B. For students entering in the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semester:

1. High School GPA: A minimum weighted GPA of 2.5.

2. Standardized Test Scores: Students with a weighted High School GPA greater than or

equal to 2.50 and less than 2.80 are required to submit a standardized test score (ACT or SAT).

C. For students entering in the Fall 2026 semester and beyond:

1. High School GPA: A minimum weighted GPA of 2.5.

2. Standardized Test Scores: Students with a weighted High School GPA greater than or

equal to 2.50 and less than 2.80 are required to submit a standardized test score of 17 (rounded to the nearest whole number) or higher on the ACT or a 930 or higher on the SAT.

The chancellor of each respective constituent institution may, subject to the approval of the president and the Board of Governors, require all students with a weighted High School GPA of 2.80 or greater to also submit a standardized test score. The Board of Governors must grant any such approval before December 1, two academic years before the implementation of the requirement.

D. A test score submitted pursuant to Section III.A.2 above may be met by a “superscore,” defined as a combination of subtests from more than one administration of the same test. However, the SAT scores may not be calculated by conversion of ACT scores or vice versa.

IV. Exemptions. The following groups of applicants are exempt from some portion of the MCR or MER, although institutions may set alternative undergraduate admissions requirements for these populations. Students in these categories are not counted as chancellor’s exceptions or students who require special consideration.

A. Applicants who are at least 21 years old at the start of their first undergraduate term are exempt from both MER and MCR;

B. Applicants who have earned at least 24 transferrable credits from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution^{^[3]} are exempt from both MER and MCR;

C. Graduates of home schools are exempt from the minimum GPA requirement but must meet the minimum test score and MCR;

D. Graduates of non-traditional high schools that do not have grades or operate on a scale other than that on which the policy and regulation are based are exempt from the minimum GPA requirement but must meet the minimum test score and MCR;

E. Graduates of foreign high schools (excluding American high schools in foreign countries) for which high school GPA and/or required admissions test scores are not provided, or are provided on a scale that is not comparable to the GPA scale on which this admissions policy is based, may be exempted from the MCR and MER.

V. Applicants Who May Require Special Consideration or Exceptions to Policies. Each campus shall establish policies describing the admission of students requiring special consideration regarding MCR or students for whom chancellor’s exceptions are made to MER. Such students would not otherwise be eligible for admission at the institution, and further evaluation of their records is necessary. Any student admitted under special consideration or chancellor’s exception must show demonstrable promise for academic success at the institution. Policies must include faculty participation in the decision-making process, must be approved by the campus board of trustees and submitted to the president.

A. Special Considerations for MCR. Institutions may waive some minimum course requirements for applicants who have superior academic records in high school, as measured by grades, rank in class, test scores, or the rigor of courses taken, or who demonstrate special talents. These applicants must have completed the eleventh grade and met virtually all of the minimum course requirements as well as the requirements for high school graduation.

B. Chancellor’s Exceptions for MER. The maximum number of chancellor’s exceptions is limited to one percent (1%) of the total number of first-time undergraduate applicants accepted in the academic year of admittance, or 75 students, whichever is greater. The calculation of this one percent shall exclude the populations described in paragraphs V., or VI.A., above.

1. A chancellor’s exception may be applied to any first-time undergraduate who has not submitted or does not meet either the SAT/ACT minimum requirement^{^[4]} or the high school GPA minimum requirement.

2. Students admitted through Summer Bridge or other summer enhancement programs must meet MER or be counted as a chancellor’s exception.

VI. Supplemental Institutional Requirements for Non-Public School Students. The undergraduate admissions policy of each constituent institution shall define a uniform set of application materials for all applicants that comprise a complete application for admission. No additional information will be required from any applicant based upon the type of high school attended. Whenever the information presented by an applicant to any constituent institution does not clearly indicate whether an applicant is admissible under the institution’s current policy, the institution may request supplemental information.

Admissions officers should refrain from setting any minimum scores on supplemental tests unless and until they have been validated for predicting graduation and retention and found to be nondiscriminatory with regard to these applicants.^{^[5]}

VII. Campus Criteria. Any campus may set admissions requirements that exceed minimums established by the Board of Governors upon the approval of their campus board of trustees.

VIII. Reporting Requirements. A report of the admission of students requiring special consideration to the MCR and chancellor’s exceptions to the MER must be made annually to the board of trustees at each respective campus and submitted to the president. Notation of any special consideration or exception shall be required annually as a part of student data reported to the UNC System Office. Responsibility for oversight rests with the chancellor.

IX. Other Matters

A. Effective Date. The requirements of this regulation shall be effective on the date of adoption of this regulation by the president and comply with the effective dates included in Section 700.1.1 of the UNC Policy Manual.

B. Relation to Federal and State Laws and Policies. The foregoing regulation, as adopted by the president, is meant to supplement and does not purport to supplant or modify, those statutory enactments, regulations, and policies which may govern or relate to the subject matter of this regulation.