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Summary

The 3,928 first-year students who started classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this week were chosen from a record 29,507 applicants. They hail from 97 North Carolina counties, 43 states and 29 countries. The class includes award-winning researchers, artists, directors, dancers and writers, as well as champion student-athletes and community activists. Their specific achievements include:

• Organizing a food drive that collected 560,000 pounds of food — a new Guinness World Record.
• Founding an organization to improve access to clean drinking water that provided six wells in rural Ghana that serve 1,200 people.
• Raising more than $35,000 to prevent malaria.
• Inventing a novel ambient mass spectrometry ion source with a patent pending.
• Being recognized in the State of the Union Address for service initiatives.

Academic Credentials

Among the 75 percent of the class whose schools reported an official rank in class, 43.1 percent ranked within the top 10, compared to 42.9 percent last year. The percentage of students ranking first or second also increased, from 12.1 percent last year to 12.6 percent this year. The percentage ranking in the top 10 percent declined slightly, from 79.8 percent last year to 78.8 percent this year. Of students reporting a grade-point average on a weighted 4-point scale, 91.2 percent scored 4.0 or higher.

Enrolling students also presented stronger scores on the SAT reasoning and ACT. In evaluating candidates, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions uses the highest score presented by each candidate on each part of the SAT reasoning and on each subject area test of the ACT. When a candidate submits results from both the SAT and the ACT, the admissions office uses the test with the stronger results.

The middle 50 percent of the class scored between 1780 and 2100 on the SAT and between 1200 and 1410 on the critical reading and math sections combined. The middle 50 percent scored the following ranges on each component:  590-700, critical reading; 610-710, math; and 580-690, writing. The average total score was 1938 with the averages in the following sections: 644—critical reading; 659—math; 1304— critical reading and math combined. 

Compared to last year, the overall average rose three points, from 1935 to 1938. The average on the critical reading plus math sections rose four points, from 1300 to 1304.

For enrolling students who reported ACT scores, the middle 50 percent reported scores between 28 to 32 (same as last year). The average ACT score was 29.9, which dropped slightly (30 last year).

Extracurricular Achievements

• 96 percent participated in community service.
• 75 percent played a sport.
• 57 percent participated in music, drama or other arts.
• 51 percent held a position as president of class or club.
• 26 percent conducted research outside the classroom.

Most Popular Intended Majors

First-year students enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences and are not required to declare a major until the end of their second year at the University. When they submitted their applications for admission, 19.8 percent of enrolling first-year students indicated that they were undecided about their majors. Among those who indicated an intention, the most popular majors included:

• Biology
• Business
• Chemistry
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Journalism and mass communication
• Pharmacy
• Nursing
• Mathematics
• Global Studies
• Economics

Demographics

Females comprise 58.6 percent of the class, men 41.4 percent.  The share comprised by men is less than last year’s 42.2 percent but the third largest in the last 10 years and the fourth largest in the last 32 years.

The share of students identifying themselves as a race or ethnicity other than Caucasian increased slightly, from 30.1 percent last year to 31 percent this year. The share of students identifying themselves as African-American fell slightly, from 10.7 percent last year to 10.1 percent this year, as did the share of student identifying themselves as Latino or Latina, from 6.5 percent to 6.2 percent. The share of students identifying themselves as Asian or Asian-American increased from 11.8 percent to 13.4 percent, and the share identifying themselves as American Indian or Alaskan Native increased from 1.8 percent to 2.4 percent. 

The share of students in the class who will be the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university fell slightly, from 18.2 percent last year to 17.7 percent this year.

The class includes 83 international students, down from 89 last year.  International enrollment has increased by 63 percent over the past five years.

Applied / Admitted / Enrolled

Transfer Class (College of Arts and Sciences)

Average college GPA: 3.44

The middle 50 percent of the enrolling transfer class scored between 1690 and 2040 on the SAT and between 1130 and 1370 on the critical reading and math sections combined. The middle 50 percent scored the following ranges on each component: 560-680—critical reading; 570-690—math; and 560-670—writing.

Office of Undergraduate Admissions contacts: Stephen Farmer or Ashley Memory, (919) 966-3621

News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593