You can now apply to NC State for fall 2026.

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

Selecting a First and Second Choice Program

We strongly recommend that students select first and second choice academic programs that are in different colleges. For example, Criminology and Communication are both in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Programs within the same college often have similar admissions criteria. If we determine you’re not competitive for your first choice, you’ll be reviewed for your second choice. View a full list of academic programs by college here.

Not sure where to start? Focus 2 Apply helps you explore how your strengths and interests align with different NC State majors and future career paths. Take the career assessment at go.ncsu.edu/focus2apply.

Math Preparation for First-Year Applicants

To prepare for the academic rigor of college-level courses, we strongly recommend that all high school students take pre-calculus. To be a competitive applicant for a STEM or business-related program, pre-calculus is the minimum requirement. To ensure you are fully prepared for the advanced math coursework you will encounter in these fields, we will also expect you to have completed calculus if it is offered at your high school.

Test Score Policy for 2026 Applicants

First-year students applying for spring or fall 2026 with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above (a B- average) 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. In these cases, test scores will only be used to enhance your application. Not submitting scores will not negatively affect your application in any way. 

First-year students applying with a weighted GPA below 2.8 will be required to submit an SAT or ACT score. Learn more about test score consideration here.

Change to Minimum Course Requirements

The UNC System 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.

Application Highlights

New Academic Offerings for Applicants

• Music Technology – 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.
• First Year Program Updates – First-year programs provide incoming students with interests in broad multi-disciplinary areas, like engineering, the environment and life sciences, with academic support and interdisciplinary opportunities. For majors including Biological Sciences, Biology, Zoology, Genetics and Microbiology, incoming students can choose one of two first-year programs based on their interests. The Life Sciences First Year (LSFY) program provides a common curriculum for students to explore life science majors before committing to one discipline. The Environmental First Year (ENVFY) program provides a broad introduction to interdisciplinary problem-solving related to grand challenges in the environment and sustainability. Consider your interests (e.g. if you are interested in animals and saving the environment, you might consider ENVFY) and the best “fit” for you (e.g. if you are interested in lab research and studying organisms to learn more about life, you might consider LSFY) when deciding between the two programs.

University Honors Program Consideration

First-year applicants can apply directly to the University Honors Program (UHP) when completing their NC State first-year application. 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.

You will 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.

Think about a time when your curiosity led you to not just learn, but to act. How did you learn more, and what tangible steps did you take as a result of what you learned? What insights about yourself, others, or the world did you take away from this process of learning and doing?

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.

Choose NC

When completing your first-year application, you will have the opportunity to opt in to the Choose NC Program. If we aren’t able to offer you admission, the Choose NC program provides a streamlined way for you to automatically apply to other universities within the University of North Carolina (UNC) System.

By opting in to Choose NC, if you are not admitted to NC State, your application will automatically be sent to the College Foundation, Inc. (the UNC System’s technology partner) who will forward it to the schools you selected on your NC State application. Those schools will then contact you directly. Participating in Choose NC will not affect your NC State application. If you already planned on applying to any of the Choose NC participating schools, we encourage you to apply to them directly to help ensure consideration for special opportunities like honors programs or scholarships. Learn more at go.ncsu.edu/choose-nc.