Academic Criteria

First-Year Admission - Academic Considerations

UNCW will consider several aspects of your academic history in making our admissions decision. Among these factors are your academic rigor and coursework; grades, grade point average and class rank (if provided); and an increasing strength of schedule.

Students with a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) must apply and meet requirements as transfer students.

Academic Rigor & Coursework

Students should challenge themselves with the most rigorous coursework available at their high school, which allow them to maintain academic success.

Advanced and honors courses, and college-level coursework (AP or IB courses, dual-enrollment coursework from community colleges and universities) will make a student more competitive in the admission process.

UNCW does not have a minimum number of college-level courses to be competitive or considered for admission, however, we would encourage you to pursue these courses if you feel you would obtain a letter grade of "C" or higher.

Grades, Grade Point Average (GPA) and Class Rank

The middle 50% weighted GPA of admitted seniors is 3.80-4.43. This means that most students admitted to UNCW present an A/B average, with few, if any, C's and no D's or F's.

The minimum GPA for the UNC System is a 2.5, though it is highly unlikely that UNCW would consider a GPA in this range.

While your GPA will not be recalculated by our staff, it is reviewed in the context of your high school's individual grading scale (it is the duty of your regional counselor to be familiar with this information).

A grade point average must be provided by your high school on your transcript for consideration for admission, even if your school does not assign a GPA.

Your class rank will be considered, if provided.

The class rank allows our staff to evaluate your academic performance in comparison to other applicants from your high school. For students in graduating classes with less than 50 students, your class rank will not be considered in the admission process.

Increasing Strength of Schedule

UNCW's carefully reviews your transcript to see that you have challenged yourself more and more throughout your high school career.

This means that we expect to see you enrolled in more challenging courses in your senior year than you were enrolled in during your freshman year.

Also included as a means of evaluation of your strength of schedule are early-release programs.

Aside from students with internship opportunities or those released early to attend classes later in the day through dual-enrollment programs, we highly discourage you from participating in an early-release program.

Not only will doing so weaken your application, but it also drastically impairs your preparation for a full schedule as a college freshman.

Home School Students

Detailed course descriptions are not necessary. If more information is needed about a course, the student will be contacted.

Home-schooled students must submit a notarized transcript that is signed by the School Administrator should they be admitted and choose to enroll.

Please note that a notarized transcript is not needed at the time you submit an application.

First-Year Admission - Additional Considerations

Several other items are taken into consideration when making your admissions decision in an effort to get to know you on a personal level. These items include your required essay, your short answer question, involvement and letter of recommendation.

Required personal essay and short answer question

UNCW requires both a personal essay and a short answer question. Since UNCW does not offer personal interviews, approach your essay like a personal interview.

Don't waste your time with demographic information (your name, age, hometown, high school, etc.), as it is already included on your application for admission. Do tell us everything we need to know about you to fully-understand your academic potential, work ethic, distinguishing characteristics, etc.

PROOFREAD your essay and the short answer.

While we are not anticipating a Pulitzer Prize-winning essay, we are expecting a well-thought-out college essay. It is never a bad idea to have a parent or educator proofread your essay as well.

Involvement

From clubs and organizations to varsity or junior varsity athletics and part-time or full-time jobs to volunteer and community service activities, paint a picture of yourself beyond the classroom. This is your space on the application to brag about yourself, so tell us your most impressive achievements first (leadership positions, varsity letters, awards, etc.) and end your list with the clubs and organizations you have recently joined or are merely a member of. If you run out of room on the application, send us a resume.

Letter of Recommendation (Optional)

In addition to the supplemental items above, you have the opportunity to provide a letter of recommendation. Submitting a letter of recommendation is encouraged, but not required. Should you choose to submit one, we would prefer for it to come from a core academic teacher (English, foreign language, math, science, or social studies) or your school counselor. This recommendation should not merely recap your GPA and class rank, but should address your preparedness for a rigorous collegiate environment, your academic integrity and social character. Ultimately, your recommendation is an expert review of your qualifications to join our freshman class.

Ask someone to not only write you a recommendation, but also to write you a good recommendation. Often times the best person to write this recommendation is an individual who has experienced first-hand your work ethic and determination in the classroom and has observed or knows of your activities outside of the classroom.

Home School Students

For the optional recommendation letter, students are encouraged to submit one from an instructor other than the parent if they wish. This is usually possible since most home-schooled students have taken or are taking a dual-enrolled course at a local college.

If that is not the case, the student should submit one from an employer or former employer. For further suggestions, please contact the Admissions office.

Important Note to Residents Outside North Carolina

Admission of applicants residing outside the State of North Carolina to an online degree, certificate program or individual online course offered by UNCW, is dependent on UNCW‘s ability to secure authorization from the applicant's state of residence, if such authorization is required.

Due to evolving changes in higher education regulations, at this time, UNCW is unable to serve all students who are interested in our courses or programs.

For questions specific to the state authorization process, call 910.962.2807 or email stateauthorization@uncw.edu.

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