Admission Updates for 2023 Applicants

You can now apply to NC State for spring or fall 2023. To maintain our commitment to access for all students and continue to cultivate a diverse and inclusive community at NC State, we’ve made a few updates to our application process.

Learn more about what it takes to be a competitive applicant and our review process by registering for a virtual admissions information session here and reading the updates below.

Application Review

Consideration of Pass/Fail Grades

• High School Courses – We are aware many schools have allowed the option of “Pass” or “Credit” for courses during 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 associated with 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.

Test-Optional for 2023 Applicants

First-year students applying for spring or fall of 2023 or 2024 will no longer be 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 Updates

Optional Community Disruption 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.

Required Short Answer Question About Diversity

To further our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive community at NC State, we now require all applicants to respond to the following:

“NC State University is committed to building a just and inclusive community, one that does not tolerate unjust or inhumane treatment, and that denounces it, clearly and loudly. Please describe what those words mean to you and how you will contribute to a more diverse and inclusive NC State environment.”

University Honors Program Consideration (First-Year Applicants Only)

Starting in fall 2022, NC State’s University Honors and University Scholars programs united under one name: the University Honors Program. The University Honors Program enriches the educational experience of a diverse community of academically motivated, intellectually curious, and high-potential students from all communities, providing them a platform for achieving their unique potential. You may indicate your interest in being considered for the Honors Program when completing the Common App or Coalition on Scoir application and answering two short answer questions.

• One of the key components of the University Honors Program is a special set of courses called Honors (HON) seminars. You can learn more about them here. These discussion-based seminars are designed to expose students to the ways multiple disciplines approach and solve problems.
  
  Review the courses we have offered in recent years and write a 250-350 word essay in which you explain why one particular course will be of interest, furthering your academic, professional, and personal goals while engaging you and your peers.

• Another key component of the University Honors Program is the Honors Forum. The Honors Forum is designed to help students become active, informed, and engaged citizens. It delivers debates and discussions about contemporary social, political, and scientific issues; lectures from people with compelling stories to tell; and performances from a diverse collection of artists. You can learn more about it here.
  
  As a UHP student, imagine you are tasked with helping select speakers and topics for the Honors Forum. In an essay of 250-350 words, tell us what speaker, creative figure, or topic would you promote? How did you make your choice? How does your choice educate, challenge, and inspire others?