Early College
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Early college high school students who will not graduate with an associate's degree in addition to their high school diploma are considered a first-year applicant.
High school students who have taken courses through a dual enrollment program at a Community College or University are considered a first-year applicant, regardless of if they will earn an associate degree.
Students who will be fully enrolled in the NC Community College dual enrollment opportunity, Career and College Promise, for their final semester in high school will be considered a first-year applicant for admissions purposes. A requirement in participating in the program is listed as the following:
"Currently enrolled North Carolina high school students who meet the eligibility criteria for their chosen pathway can participate in CCP College Transfer and CTE pathways, including home school students and private school students. Students who have already graduated from high school are not eligible. "
Should you have graduated from high school and applied to a NC Community College to enroll in courses outside of the Career and College Promise program, you will be considered as a transfer applicant for admission purposes.
Early college students from North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High Schools (CIHS) receive special consideration in admission to UNC system universities. According to House Bill 97 Section 11.16.(a), “any student who graduated from a cooperative innovative high school program with an associate degree and who applies for admission to the constituent institution has the option of being considered for admission as a freshman or as a transfer student.” The full list of CIHS programs can be found through the NC Department of Public Instruction.
If you have not yet graduated from high school but are enrolled in a North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High School, you may have the option to apply as a transfer student if you will complete your associate degree prior to enrolling. See our Admissions Requirements for Transfer Students for further details. To choose the path that’s best for you, consider the below differences and review the implications carefully:
| If you apply as a First-Year student: | If you apply as a Transfer student: | |
| Application deadlines | First-Year students have two concrete deadlines for applications. November 1st to be considered for Early Action and February 1st to be considered for Regular Decision. Notification letters are mailed in January for EA students and in March for RG students. Applicants cannot apply for Spring semester. | Transfer applicants can apply for entry in the Spring, Summer, or Fall term. The priority deadline for the Summer or Fall term is March 1 and the Spring deadline is October 15. Decision letters are sent on a rolling basis. |
| Application evaluation | Your application will be evaluated on a holistic review of your standardized test scores, essay, recommendation letter, high school grades and college transcript. | Your application will be evaluated based on your performance in your previous college coursework. |
| Scholarships | There are more opportunities for scholarships. | Scholarships are limited. |
| Major selection | Center for Academic Advising advisors work with students in their first year until they are able to declare into their major. Advisors work with students to meet major admission requirements and explore career options suitable for their interests. | Transfer students are advised by their academic major department unless they do not meet the necessary pre-requisite requirements. Students who are not major ready will work with an advisor from the Center for Academic Advising. |
| Orientation | First-Year Orientation is mandatory. | Transfer orientation is mandatory. |
| Housing | On-campus housing is mandatory. | On-campus housing is not guaranteed and space is limited. |
Regardless of how you apply, your transferable college credits will be evaluated and your class standing will be determined based on the number of credit hours you've successfully completed. Please note that an associate degree does not necessarily ensure that you will be able to complete all remaining degree requirements in two years.
Regardless of how you apply, all students will be required to submit final high school transcripts if admitted. Admitted transfer students will also need to submit final college transcripts.
Early College Frequently Asked Questions
Transferring Credits to UNCW
Credits earned at another institution with a grade of a "C" (2.0) or better are accepted by the university if the work transferred is comparable to offerings at UNCW. There are no maximums on transfer credit. However, transfer students must meet the university's residency requirement and fifty percent (one-half) of the minimum semester hours required in the degree must be earned through enrollment in a regionally-accredited 4-year college or university. For information regarding transfer of credit, visit the Office of the Registrar website.
Regardless of how you enroll, you will be eligible to receive transfer credit for college courses completed during high school as well as AP, IB and CLEP exam credits. Transfer credit is articulated from the official transcripts of the institutions attended or official test score report(s). Prior to admission, students completing college coursework through a community college or university can review how college credits will transfer using our Transfer Credit Equivalency tool.Your timeline to graduation is contingent on the transfer credit evaluation, fulfillment of UNCW University Studies (general education) requirements, and major requirements.
An associate's degree may fulfill many but not all University Studies requirements. Additionally several majors have separate admissions requirements and highly sequenced coursework.
Students who are admitted as first-year students will be advised by the Center for Academic Advising. Students who are admitted as transfer students will be advised by their academic college, unless they do not meet the necessary prerequisite requirements. Students who are not major ready will also work with the Center for Academic Advising until they are ready to declare their major.
Students admitted as a first-year student will be required to live in on-campus housing for their first and second academic years.
Students admitted as transfer students are invited, but not required, to live on-campus. On-campus housing is limited for transfer students, so interested students are encouraged to apply early. Transfer students are also encouraged to explore off-campus housing resources.
If applying as a first-year applicant, an unofficial transcript can be used when we review your application for your initial admission decision as your coursework will be listed on your official high school transcript.
If applying as a transfer applicant, an official transcript is required to complete our review of your application.
All students will need to submit their official and final college transcript to receive transfer credits at UNCW.
As part of your orientation to UNCW, your academic advisor will work with you to answer questions about major and career exploration, graduation requirements and timeline, University policies and processes, and class registration.
Both first-year and transfer applicants are considered for UNCW’s need-based aid as long as they submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please visit the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to learn more about applying for financial aid.
First-year students are required to attend an in-person orientation session. Parents or guests are also able to attend first-year orientation. Transfer students are also required to complete new student orientation and have the option to participate in a virtual or in-person orientation.
No, if you are admitted to UNCW, you are not able to apply again as a different student type for the same year.
If you are admitted to UNCW as a first-year student but would prefer to enter UNCW as a transfer student, we encourage you to consider applying for a future term.
If you are denied admission as a first-year applicant, you may be able to be considered as a transfer applicant. Please contact our office if you are interested in this option.
Students who are not competitive as transfer applicants are encouraged to contact their Transfer Counselor to create a plan for transferring.
If you’re a first-year student, you will receive academic advising and course registration instructions after you attend first-year orientation. First-year students may be eligible to participate in early course registration if they have met certain orientation registration deadlines. Please visit the website to learn more.
If you’re a transfer student, you will receive further instructions for academic advising and course registration after registering for orientation.