Admission Updates for 2025 Applicants

You can now apply to NC State for spring or fall 2025.

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.

We’re offering admissions support for students in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Learn about the ways we’ve adapted our application process and policies to support those in the western part of North Carolina here.

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.

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 Score Policy for 2025 Applicants

First-year students applying for fall 2025 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 adversely 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

Academic Offerings and Updates for 2025 Applicants

• 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.
• 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.

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.
  
  Tell us about an event, realization, or project where your curiosity inspired you to take action. What initially sparked your interest, how did you pursue further understanding, and what specific actions did you take as a result? 

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.