UNC harvests its new crop

As UNC seniors brace themselves for their last three weeks on campus, a new crop of students is looking forward to making the campus their home.

More than 18,600 high school students applied for admission to UNC, and admissions officials said the campus community can expect to see an even more diverse freshman class this fall.

Next year’s freshman class will be composed of students from all 100 North Carolina counties, all 50 states and 44 countries around the world.

“It’s the best-qualified applicant pool in history,” said Steve Farmer, director of admissions.

“We have every reason to believe that these students will be just as accomplished out of the classroom — and probably even a little more accomplished out of the classroom — than the students we admitted last year.”

The admissions office plans to enroll 3,669 students next semester, an 80-student increase from the 3,589 students enrolled last year, Farmer said.

Last fall, 19,053 students applied, 6,736 students were admitted and 53.3 percent of that total enrolled at UNC.

The average SAT score of admitted students jumped 13 points to 1336 from last year’s average of 1323, Farmer said. Other statistics have yet to be compiled.

In-state applicants had a 57 percent acceptance rate, while 19 percent of out-of-state applicants were admitted.

“We expect the people who made it through the admissions process this year to come here and make their mark,” Farmer said.

“Otherwise, we wouldn’t have said ‘yes’ to them. When all is well and done, these students will be the most diverse group of students that we have had.”

In a final effort to attract admitted students, the admissions office sponsors Explore Carolina, a program in which admitted students learn about the UNC campus and facilities.

All admitted students are invited to attend a one-day session on campus, while the highest achieving students are invited for an overnight experience.

The Explore Carolina program includes lunch with current students; discussion panels with student health, faculty, learning center and orientation representatives; guided tours and lectures about undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities.

The overnight tour includes spending the night on campus with a UNC student, sitting in on a class and a dinner in the Pope box at Kenan Stadium with a performance by Tar Heel Voices.

“The overnights are for the high achieving. They are the top 10 percent of our admitted class, based on all the criteria of admittance,” said Dave Meredith, assistant director of admissions.

He also said the sessions serve a vital function for the admissions process.

Typically, 60 percent of students who attend the program already have decided to attend UNC, while the remaining 40 percent use the time to decide if UNC is the right fit, he said.

“The programs help students see what Carolina has to offer,” Meredith said.

“A mother came up to me today and said, ‘OK, you did it. She’s coming here. Where do I sign up?’’’

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.