Public · University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina · Small city

#2 graduation rate in North Carolina#3 most selective in North Carolina
15.3%
Admit rate
$11,655
Avg net price
91%
Graduation rate
$72,200
Median earnings

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 20,752 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 20,752 undergradsSmall cityVery selective · 15% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's admitted students.

Admit rate
15.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1390–1530
Avg GPA
4.49

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in the counties of Orange and Durham, North Carolina, United States. Though William Barbee died shortly after settling there in 1758, one of his eight children, Christopher Barbee, became an important contributor to his father's adopted community and to the fledgling University of North Carolina. Though Chapel Hill is a principal town of a large metropolitan area, it retains a relatively small-town feel. Combined with its close neighbor, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area has roughly 85,000 residents. Many large murals can be seen painted on the buildings. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
10 miles to Durham, NC
To the ocean
115 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) · major hub

How University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill compares

Selectivity15.3%

More selective than 96% · #3 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1439

Higher than 92%

Graduation rate91%

Higher than 96% · #2 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention97%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$72,200

Higher than 85% · #6 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$11,655

Cheaper than 86% · #6 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$14,000

Lower than 92%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment20,752

Larger than 95%

Percentiles compare University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

32,305students
  • Undergraduate20,75264%
  • Graduate11,55336%

Undergraduates by gender

20,752undergrads
  • Women12,85862%
  • Men7,89438%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White53%
  • Black7.4%
  • Hispanic9.7%
  • Asian16%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
20,752
Graduate enrollment
11,553
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$58,193
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$135,414
Endowment
$5,728,314,165

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 4,699 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina80%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International4.7%

Most first-years stay in state — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

5% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
15.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1390–1530
SAT average
1439
SAT reading
690–750
SAT math
700–780
ACT composite
28–34
Average GPA
4.49weighted

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,994
Out-of-state tuition
$41,203
Room & board
$13,804
Books & supplies
$1,290
Total cost of attendance
$26,055
Average net price
$11,655

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
91%
Graduated on time (4 years)
84%
First-year retention
97%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$57,057
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$72,200
Median debt at graduation
$14,000
Students with federal loans
13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
76%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
84%
Low-income (Pell)
82%
First-generation
81%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
10,006
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Housing charge (year)
$7,366
Meal plan (year)
$5,650
Application fee
$85
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
965 (515 men · 450 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (16)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)228
Football123
Lacrosse96
Soccer78
Swimming and Diving (combined)72
Rowing59
Baseball50
Basketball48
Fencing46
Wrestling37
Field Hockey26
Softball26
Tennis20
Golf19
Volleyball19
Gymnastics18

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
114
Property offenses (2022–2024)
205

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (32,438 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

106reported offenses a year
38 violent a year68 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
45
Burglary
23
Rape
17
Fondling
9.7
Aggravated assault
9.3
Robbery
1.3
Murder
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$2,004
$30–48k
$3,918
$48–75k
$8,538
$75–110k
$16,415
$110k+
$24,396

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$35,215

$8,538/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$11,706
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 34% — get grant money from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill itself, averaging $11,706, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 4,425 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$72,200
Typical debt at graduation
$14,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$68,684
Men
$79,858

Men out-earn women by $11,174 (16%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
48.9″
Annual snow
2.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chapel Hill 2 W, NC US station (1.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill side by side →

Colleges near University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.