Instructions for Graduate Applicants

**If you are a prospective or current graduate student experiencing impacts from the war in Ukraine, please contact The Graduate School via [email protected] to discuss your situation.**

Welcome graduate applicants! We are pleased that you are applying for admission to the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School. Admission to Graduate School academic programs is competitive and students are selected on the basis of their academic preparation, ability, and program fit. For some programs, an on-site pre-admissions interview may be required. Early contact with your program of interest can be helpful in preparing your application.

Please see the listing of program contact information and application deadlines.

International applicants have an additional application material requirement.

The Graduate School relies mainly on email to communicate with all applicants. Therefore, please include a current email address on your application and be sure to promptly respond to all correspondence.

Required Application Materials

Required materials for all applicants typically include:

• TOEFL or IELTS score (no more than 2 years old)

Minimum Graduate Admission Requirements

The minimum requirements are:

• a bachelor’s degree (based on a four-year curriculum) completed before graduate study begins or its international equivalent with an accredited institution
• an average grade of B (cumulative GPA 3.0) or better

Along with these minimal requirements, admission decisions are based on a number of factors, including academic degrees and record, written statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, and relevant work and research experience. All admission recommendations are made by each individual program or department.

Application Process

Applications for admission to the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School are submitted via the online admission application. All required materials listed above should be submitted according to the instructions provided. Your application will not be reviewed until you have submitted your application and we have received your application fee. You must submit your application and payment by your program’s specific deadline in order for your application to be reviewed. By submitting an application to UNC-Chapel Hill, you grant consent to university staff to obtain any additional or missing information as needed, including campus safety information.

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Application Deadlines

Please be aware that each program has a specific application deadline. Most programs admit students for the fall semester only, however a few programs allow spring or summer session admissions. Please see the listing of graduate programs and their application deadlines for accepted terms of entry.

Each offer of admission is specific for the term stated in the admission letter. If you do not register for classes you must apply again in a subsequent semester; application materials that are submitted to this institution are kept on file for one year after the term for which you are applying. Contact your intended program for questions about deferrals of admission offers.

Completed applications and application fees (non-refundable) must be submitted before the program’s application deadline. The application and payment portal close at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the posted deadline date.

Applications will not be accepted for review or consideration after the posted graduate program deadline has passed. International applicants should apply early to allow sufficient time for financial and visa document preparation. The Graduate School recommends that international applicants submit a complete application no later than November 29.

Fellowship and Financial Aid Deadlines

Most of the financial support available to graduate students is based within individual programs. In addition, a limited amount of financial support is available from The Graduate School and is based upon nominations from individual programs. In order to allow sufficient time for your program to nominate you for Graduate School fellowships, we recommend that your application be submitted by December 13, 2022..

If your program continues to accept applications after December 13, 2022, you are still eligible for their program-based support. Contact your intended program for complete information about available graduate student financial support and relevant deadlines.

The University awards loans and Tuition Enhancement Grants to graduate students who qualify, based on information provided in the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form due March 1. For more information, please visit the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

Application Fees

A non-refundable $95.00 application fee is required for each program to which you apply.

Applicants can pay their application fee one of three ways:

• Credit/Debit card (Visa/MasterCard/Discover). For security purposes, the credit card address manually inserted during the final payment process must exactly match the credit card billing address for a successful transaction. If you initially receive a payment error when attempting to pay the application fee by credit card, we first suggest that you switch internet browsers and attempt the payment action again. If you encounter subsequent payment errors when attempting to pay the application fee by credit card, please email [email protected].
• Check or money order. Mail-in payments are restricted to a check (in U.S. funds) that contains the pre-printed electronic routing numbers or an international money order. All check or money order payments should be made payable to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If choosing to pay by check or money order, you will receive an email with further payment instructions, including the payment mailing address. Please ensure that any check or money order payment mailed to The Graduate School includes your full name as it appears on your application, your application ID number, and current contact information. Your application fee must be postmarked no later than your application deadline date or it will be returned. Applications that arrive without the required application fee will remain on file, unprocessed, pending receipt of the application fee. If someone is paying the application fee for you, please ensure they include your name, application ID number, and current contact information, as well.
• Fee waiver. There are several categories of applicants who may qualify for an application fee waiver. Please see Information on Application Fee Waiver requests.

  Submit fee waiver requests and required documentation within your online admissions application. Please do not mail fee waiver documentation. We will review fee waiver requests only after you have submitted your application. We will send additional information, including status updates, via email. After you have submitted a fee waiver request, please allow several days for your request to be reviewed.

Transcripts

An unofficial transcript from any post-secondary education experience (including community colleges, summer sessions and extension programs) is required to be uploaded in the application. Each unofficial transcript must be complete (not select courses), include grades, be issued in the original language and be accompanied by certified English translations when applicable. You may upload unofficial transcripts before mid-year grades are posted. Applicants will be able to upload optional, updated unofficial transcripts from their current institution, if applicable, after submitting their application.

You should obtain a copy of your unofficial transcript (obtained from a student account) as “official” transcripts do not scan well. You should follow the instructions in the application for uploading unofficial transcripts, including:

• Scan multiple page transcripts into one file.
• Preview your uploaded transcript(s) to ensure legibility so that the processing of your application is not delayed. If you cannot read the file clearly, please try another scanner or different settings and upload again.

Study Abroad experiences that appear on your undergraduate institution transcript do not need to be listed separately on the application.

Transfer credit posted on the transcript from other institutions is not accepted in lieu of transcripts from the original institution attended.

The Graduate School does not accept and will not retain paper or electronic transcripts sent as part of your admissions application. Please do not request that electronic or paper transcripts be sent as part of your application; we only accept unofficial uploads for application evaluation.

 If you are offered admission, one official transcript for each university attended will be required prior to the first day of the term. Instructions for how to submit official transcripts will be included in the admission offer letter.

Transcripts will not be kept on file in The Graduate School for admitted students who did not accept their admission offer from a previous admissions cycle or who did not enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill.

A note on foreign degrees:

As part of the transcript submission process, degree credentials are also reviewed. Assessment of a foreign degree, including those conferred from institutions participating in the Bologna Accord, is based upon the characteristics of a national system of education, the type of institution attended, its accreditation and the level of studies completed. The following guidelines indicate the level of study expected of international applicants prior to graduate enrollment:

• British patterned education bachelor’s degree with honours
• French patterned education degree of diplome requiring four years of post baccalauréat study
• Germany university Diplom preferred. Applicants with very strong academic records may be considered if they have completed the Staatsexamen, a bachelor’s degree after a 13-year Abitur, or at least one year of full-time study beyond the Vorprfung, Zwischenprfung, Vordiplom, or any other bachelor’s degree
• Other European countries: university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
• Canada three-year bachelor’s degree from Québec; four-year bachelor’s degree from all other provinces
• Latin America university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal bachelor’s degree in engineering or medicine; master’s degree in all other fields
• Philippines five-year bachelor’s degree or four year bachelor’s degree plus one year of graduate work
• Other Asian countries: university degree requiring a minimum of four years of study

If you do not meet the specific criteria above, you may confirm that you have earned the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree via a certified credit evaluation. If you only have a 3-year degree or otherwise do not meet the educational requirements for graduate admission, you are welcome to consider other admission options available at UNC admissions.

Letters of Recommendation

Three current letters of recommendation from persons qualified to evaluate your academic and professional qualifications are required. You should solicit recommendations from individuals who are familiar with your academic achievement and who can address your potential for success in this particular academic setting. If you have been out of school for a number of years and are unable to contact former professors, letters from other individuals who can address your achievement and potential will be accepted. We advise against using generic letters of recommendation such as those provided by campus career planning and placement offices. Please see the information and instructions specific to your intended program for more information.

The online application will prompt you to submit the names and email addresses for your three required recommenders.

Email invitations will be sent to recommenders once you select ‘Save’ in the online application. You can also update recommender information and send reminder emails to your recommenders within the online application.

Standardized Test Scores

UNC Graduate School Institution Code: #5816 (no department code)

Please see specific program listings for test score requirement information.

We recommend that you plan to take any required exams no later than October to allow time for scores to arrive in time for consideration for fall admission.

Standardized test scores must be official and reported directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). They must be current and no more than five years old.

In order for a test score to be considered complete, applicants must provide a numeric score in all sections of the GRE.

Standardized test scores that are submitted to this institution are kept on file for one year after the term for which you are applying.

When you register for any tests, you should indicate the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School (institution #5816) as a score recipient. If you did not specify the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School as a score recipient at the time of taking the test, you must promptly ask ETS to send your scores to us (institution #5816). No departmental code is required.

GMAT scores should be sent to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Kenan-Flagler Business School – Other Graduate Programs (code D40-HL-34), or Kenan-Flagler Business School – PhD Program (code D40-HL-50)

While self-reported scores are useful for informal evaluation, we cannot complete the final review or offer admission until we have received the official report of your scores.

Please note: If you submitted your official test scores to UNC-CH with your application, expect a minimum of seven business days for your test scores to be matched to your application.

If you have taken, or plan to take, an official test more than one time and wish for additional scores to be available as part of your application review, you must request that each set of official scores be sent to the University. All valid, official test scores that have been sent to the University will be available as part of the application review process.

If you already hold, or are in the process of earning, a research or professional doctorate degree, you may be exempted from the standardized test score requirement. This waiver request must come to The Graduate School directly from the academic program to which you are applying. An unofficial transcript showing degree awarded, or degree in progress, will be required for final approval of this exemption by The Graduate School. Please contact your intended academic program to determine if they will support this exemption.

Average scores of applicants offered admission

International applicants must also submit official TOEFL or IELTS standardized test scores.

Statement of Purpose

All graduate programs require a written statement to be uploaded within your application. The form and content requirements may vary by program. Please read the information and instructions specific to your intended program before applying. Your written statement is a critical component of your application for admission and can sometimes be the determining factor in approval of admittance or financial support. Therefore, your statement should reflect your professional goals, as well as familiarity with the program and faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Resume/CV

All graduate programs require a resume or CV to be uploaded within your application. Your resume/CV should provide information about your work and volunteer experiences, research, awards, recognitions and activities pertinent to your proposed program of study.

Community Standards Questions

Applicants for admission will be asked several questions regarding criminal pleas, charges and convictions, academic and conduct-related suspensions from post-secondary educational institutions, and military discharges (i.e., the University’s “Community Standards Questions”). You must describe violations of law in your home country and in any other country in which you have resided and visited. The term “law” includes codes, legal rules and regulations, and other criminal-type statutes or violations of municipal, local, provincial, state, federal, national, commonwealth, and other governmental jurisdiction.

If additional information is needed, you may be asked to submit information for a criminal background check, including a nominal fee, and asked to provide additional information to the graduate program and Graduate School. Depending on the circumstances, affirmative disclosures by an applicant may also be concurrently reviewed by the Office of Dean of Students or the University’s Emergency Evaluation Action Committee, for a determination as to whether the applicant’s previous behavior could impact University community, property, or processes.

An affirmative response to a community standards question does not automatically preclude an applicant from being offered admission to, or enrollment in, a graduate program within The Graduate School. Rather, each response is reviewed holistically in conjunction with an assessment of the applicant’s overall candidacy and application for admission, including an assessment of their academic record, personal qualities and experiences, and integrity and character.

Failure to provide complete, accurate, and truthful information will be grounds to deny or withdraw your admission, or to dismiss you after enrollment. The same actions will occur if you fail to notify The Graduate School promptly in writing of such charges that occur at any time after you submit the application.

Application Status

Once we have received all required application materials and fees, the review and evaluation of your application will begin. You may monitor the status of your application checklist through the application website.

It is your responsibility to monitor your application for completeness by logging into your application and checking your application status. If your official test scores do not appear as received within two weeks of submitting your application, please email [email protected].

You will be able to upload optional, updated unofficial transcripts from your current institution, if applicable, after submitting your application. Additionally, you may be asked to upload specific additional materials through your application status page after submission. The Graduate School cannot alter any application materials once your application is submitted. If you would like to send new information or updated documents to the academic program to which you applied, please contact the program directly.

For International Applicants only

Together with the instructions above, international applicants are also required to submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores as part of their application. The Graduate School understands it is difficult and sometimes confusing to apply to universities in another country, and we will assist you in clarifying requirements whenever possible.

TOEFL or IELTS Score

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Graduate Admissions Code (FOR TOEFL ONLY): #5816 (no department code)

All international applicants must submit acceptable, official TOEFL scores (reported directly to school code #5816 from ETS.org) or IELTS scores (reported directly from IELTS.org, either by mail or electronically to The Graduate School). We accept no other English Language tests.

We recommend that you plan to take any required exams no later than October to allow time for scores to arrive in time for consideration for fall admission.

Standardized test scores must be official and are reportable for a period of two years from the date of the exam. Exam results more than two years old cannot be considered.

Standardized test scores that are submitted to this institution are kept on file for one year after the term for which you are applying.

When you register for any tests, you should indicate the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School as a score recipient. If you did not specify the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School as a score recipient at the time of taking the test, you must promptly ask to send your scores to us. While self-reported scores are useful for informal evaluation, the official report of your scores must arrive before final review and admission can be offered.

If you have taken, or plan to take, an official test more than one time and wish for additional scores to be available as part of your application review, you must request that each set of official scores be sent to the University. All valid, official test scores that have been sent to the University will be available as part of the application review process.

The required minimum total score on the exams are:

• The internet-based TOEFL exam = 90
• The IELTS exam = 7

Some programs have their own minimal score requirements which are higher than those stated above, in which case these higher standards will be required.

Exceptions to the English Standardized exams are available for the three categories listed below:

1. applicants from countries where English is the SOLE OFFICIAL language of instruction. (Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada-except Québec, England, Ghana, Ireland, India, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Uganda, and Wales.)
2. applicants who have received or will receive a degree from an accredited university in the United States. (You must upload an unofficial transcript showing degree awarded or in progress, or a letter from your Registrar or Dean verifying your degree candidate status from that institution within the online admissions application. If you are offered admission, the official transcript must be received, or the English exam scores will be required to enroll.)
3. applicants who have received or will receive a degree from an accredited university where English is the SOLE language of instruction. (If you are a degree candidate in a university where English is the SOLE language of instruction, along with your request, you must submit an official verification from that university that English is the SOLE language of instruction along with your anticipated date of graduation. If the degree or an official verification is not received, the English exam scores will again be required.)

Applicants in category 1 will automatically receive the exception. If you believe you qualify for a waiver of the English standardized exam under categories 2 or 3, you must indicate this request and upload the appropriate documentation within the online admissions application.

All newly admitted international students will be reviewed for their level of English proficiency prior to enrolling for classes. You will receive communications from the University regarding English language, writing, and speaking support services to support your transition to our campus.

Financial Certification

International applicants who are offered admission to a graduate program are required by United States federal regulations to certify that you have sufficient funds to pay for your expenses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the entire length of your studies. Every international applicant offered admission, including applicants who may receive teaching or research assistantships or other awards, must complete and upload the International Student Data Form and Financial Certification Instructions/Worksheet to their ConnectCarolina Student Center after being offered admission. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) will send you information and instructions for completing and uploading these forms in order to document that you meet necessary financial requirements. ISSS will then send you the appropriate documents to use in obtaining or updating your visa once it has been determined that you have met the necessary financial requirements.

International applicants in need of financial aid may write to the Institute of International Education, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, or review the IIE website.

The University’s Office of Scholarships and Student Aid can only fund students who are U.S. citizens, nationals, permanent residents with I-151 or I-551 Alien Registration Receipt Cards, permanent residents of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Trust Territory or the Pacific Islands, and other non-citizens who have Arrival-Departure Records (I-94) showing “refugee” or “adjustment applicant” or official grant of asylum in the United States. Students who meet these requirements should apply for financial assistance before March 1.

For any additional questions, please contact our Admissions Office.