Admission Updates for 2024 Applicants

You can now apply to NC State for spring or fall 2024.

Learn more about our review process and what it takes to be a competitive applicant by registering for an in-person or virtual admission information session here and reading the updates below.

Application Review

Consideration of Pass/Fail Grades

• High School Courses – We are aware many schools allowed the option of “Pass” or “Credit” for courses taken during semesters impacted by COVID-19. Grades of “Pass” or “Credit” will not negatively impact your application review. However, “Pass” grades will not be included in your GPA calculation. Many factors of your academic performance are taken into consideration in our admission review process including your grades and course curriculum as well as your class rank and test scores, if provided. If you apply by our November 1 Early Action deadline, you will have the opportunity to upload your grades to your applicant portal showing your progress in your fall courses through November 15.
• College Classes – During the semesters impacted by COVID-19, NC State will honor and award credit for courses with a “Pass” or “Satisfactory” grade from any regionally accredited community college or university. During the application process, pass/fail grades will be reviewed but will not be calculated into your cumulative GPA, which is considered in the admission review process. If you are currently enrolled in courses for the fall term, we encourage you to submit your transcript at the end of the fall term so it reflects your most up-to-date academic performance.

Change to Minimum Course Requirements

The UNC System recently updated minimum course requirements for students applying for admission starting in the fall of 2024.  High school students are no longer required to have completed two years of a world language. While taking a world language is no longer an admissions requirement, we strongly encourage students to continue to take two years of a world language in high school. For many students, completing two years of a world language in high school will help them meet foreign language proficiency.

Completing our Written Responses

We understand that students may be using ChatGPT or other AI tools to assist them with their college applications. If you want to leverage these tools for help writing your college essay, we encourage you to use them as a learning experience that can help brainstorm ideas and structure thoughts. In the end, we want to hear about your experience in your own unique voice.

Math Preparation for First-Year Applicants

The vast majority of our STEM and business majors require students to complete at least one semester of calculus. When reviewing applicants for those programs, we are expecting students to have taken math through precalculus as a minimum in high school.  

Test-Optional for 2024 Applicants

First-year students applying for spring or fall of 2024 are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores. You will have the option to indicate on your Common App or Coalition on Scoir application if you would like your scores used in our review process. Test scores will only be used to enhance your application. Not submitting scores will not adversely affect your application in any way. Learn more about test-optional here.

Application Highlights

New Academic Offerings for 2024 Applicants

• New Major – Music Technology (First-Year Students Only) – The new undergraduate major in Music Technology is an interdisciplinary program that provides a foundation of theoretical and practical skills in music and electrical and computer engineering to prepare students to design, develop and implement advanced music technologies. In addition to a variety of supporting courses, it has three primary components: a musicianship core;  an engineering core; and a music technology core (18 credit hours). All students will complete a two-semester senior design project. Applicants will be required to submit no more than five samples of work and an essay by the application deadline – November 1 for Early Action applicants or January 15 for those applying regular decision.
• Chemistry (B.A.) – Students are now able to indicate their intent for the B.A. in Chemistry. NC State’s B.A. in Chemistry is built around the core sub-disciplines of chemistry with the addition of elective coursework in a chosen field. This program is designed to train you for a career outside of traditional laboratory work.
• Science, Technology and Society – The only one of its kind in North Carolina, a major in Science, Technology and Society will help you understand the connections among science, technology, economics, domestic policy, international relations, the environment, health and medicine and other crucial areas. Our students examine how science and technology emerge, how they engage with society, how they change through social processes and how society changes under their influence. 2024 applicants can now apply directly to the B.A. or B.S. track for this program. The B.A. track includes more courses in the humanities and social sciences, while the B.S. track includes more courses in mathematics and the natural sciences.

Optional Community Disruption Short Answer Question

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, there is space on the application to describe those impacts. We care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.

School Counselors will also be given the opportunity to indicate how the school environment was impacted by disruptions such as COVID-19 and to explain any changes to the school grading scale or other ways students may have been impacted.

University Honors Program Consideration

As you apply to NC State, you are invited to apply to the University Honors Program (UHP). The program enriches the educational experience of a group of academically motivated and intellectually curious students from all communities, providing them with a platform for achieving their unique potential. To learn more about the University Honors Program, please visit their website.

• First-Year Applicants: As a part of the consideration process, the essay you submit through the Common App or Coalition on Scoir will be reviewed. You will also be asked to respond to the prompt below in no more than 600 words. As you write your response, you are encouraged to include any settings that have been part of your high school or secondary school journey – school, community, work, family, etc.
  
  Critical and creative thinking are valuable skills in problem-solving. Tell us about a time in which you used one or both of these skills to address a problem or a need, in or out of the classroom. 

This essay prompt is also part of the application for NC State’s Park Scholarships Program. You are welcome to reuse or adapt your essays. Please note the Park Scholarships Program requires a separate application. Additional details are available at park.ncsu.edu.

• Transfer Applicants: Transfer applicants should complete the critical and creative thinking prompt (listed above) as a part of their application to be considered for the University Honors Program.