Admissions

First-Year Admission - Standardized Testing

 

Test Waiver Update: 2021 Applicants Only

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on test availability and the likelihood of additional cancellations, the UNC Board of Governors waived the standardized test requirement for first-year students applying for admission in Spring 2021, Summer 2021, and Fall 2021. 

 This means that for spring 2021 and fall 2021 first-year applicants, submitting the SAT or ACT will be optional. If you have SAT and/or ACT scores that you feel are reflective of your academic ability, you can choose to submit them with your application. If you do not have any scores or choose not to submit them, your application will not be negatively impacted. Please note that this policy is only for students applying for a term in 2021. 

Click here to review our frequently asked questions regarding standardized test scores.

 

For first-year students applying after 2021, a standardized test score is required for admission to the university. UNCW will consider either the SAT or ACT, or both if both are provided. Your standardized test scores are an important factor in our decision, as they are the only universal benchmark to compare all students; however, they are only one factor in the decision. SAT II Subject Tests and AP or IB scores are not considered in the admission decision at UNCW.

SAT Reasoning Test

UNCW will continue to "Super Score" student's results within the same SAT test version.  We recommend students, families and counselors to visit College Board for additional information on the SAT.

The middle 50 percent of students admitted for fall 2020 scored between an 1190-1290 on the Evidence Based Reading & Writing and Math sections of the SAT.  

ACT

The middle 50 percent of students admitted for fall 2020 scored between a 23-27 on the ACT composite score.  UNCW will "Super Score" your results, taking your highest subscores from any ACT test date provided. Please note that the writing section of the ACT is not required for admission purposes.  We recommend students, families and counselors to visit ACT for additional information.