University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill: Cost, Admission Odds And Payoff
- UNC admitted 12,751 of 76,247 first-year applicants for fall 2025, and 40% of the students it admitted enrolled.
- North Carolina families earning under $80,000 pay no tuition or fees, and students from families at or below 200% of the poverty line can graduate debt-free through the Carolina Covenant.
- 26% of the class of 2025 took out student loans. Those who borrowed left with an average of $22,675.
Is UNC Worth It? The College Investor Rating
| Family | What They Pay | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | A | |
| Low-Income Families | Average $2,600 a year | A |
| Middle-Income Families | Average $9,822 a year | A |
| High-Income Families, In-State | $26,949 a year | A |
| High-Income Families, Out Of State | $63,082 a year | B |
How Hard Is It To Get Into UNC?
UNC accepted 17% of first-year applicants for fall 2025: 12,751 admits from 76,247 applications. 5,091 of those students enrolled, a yield of 40%.
- Median SAT Reading: 730
- Median SAT Math: 750
- Median ACT Composite: 32
What UNC Weighs In Admissions
UNC rates course rigor, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent and ability, character and state residency as very important. Demonstrated interest counts for nothing: campus visits won't change your odds. Alumni relationships are considered.
Very Important
Important
Considered
Not Considered
What Will UNC Actually Cost Your Family?
The average in-state UNC student receiving financial aid paid $11,305 a year after grants.
That's against a sticker price of $26,949 a year for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition alone runs $45,228. North Carolina families earning under $80,000 pay no tuition or fees, and students from families at or below 200% of the poverty line can graduate debt-free through the Carolina Covenant. UNC is one of a growing number of colleges offering free tuition by family income.
| Total Borrowed Over Four Years | $0 |
| Within Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Beyond Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Monthly Student Loan Payment, 10-Year Plan | $0 |
| Expected Pay In Your Major | $0 |
How UNC Meets Financial Need
UNC reports meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need on average. In 2024-2025, 6,264 of UNC's 20,123 full-time undergraduates had financial need, and their average need-based grant was $23,464. UNC determines financial need with both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, so how your assets are counted affects what you pay. 1,990 students without financial need received merit scholarships averaging $5,633.
Grants made up 94% of UNC's need-based financial aid in 2024-2025. The rest came from student jobs, including Federal Work-Study, and $6,347,547 in student loans.
| Source | Need-Based | Not Need-Based |
|---|---|---|
| UNC Grants | $90,207,861 | $12,994,627 |
| Federal Grants | $30,509,091 | $54,088 |
| State Grants | $15,561,046 | $4,398,839 |
| Outside Scholarships | $6,434,155 | $14,822,114 |
| Student Jobs And Work-Study | $2,475,977 | $19,523 |
| Student Loans | $6,347,547 | $20,592,003 |
| Parent Loans, Including Parent PLUS | $797,260 | $9,108,120 |
| Athletic Scholarships | $10,734,519 |
Families Still Borrow At A School That Meets Full Financial Need
UNC reports meeting 100% of financial need. Families borrowed anyway: in 2024-2025, parents took out $9,108,120 in parent loans, including Parent PLUS loans, and students borrowed $26,939,550 in student loans. In the class of 2025, 251 graduates left with private student loans averaging $37,594.
The "100% of financial need met" figure leaves out Parent PLUS loans, unsubsidized federal student loans and private student loans, because those loans replace what the school expects the family to pay. Before you commit, read your financial aid award letter line by line and appeal the financial aid award if the number doesn't fit your budget.
| Measure | All Undergrads | First Year |
|---|---|---|
| Students With Financial Need | 6,264 | 1,481 |
| Share Of Financial Need Met | 100% | 100% |
| Average Need-Based Grant | $23,464 | $20,939 |
| Average Financial Aid Package | $24,333 | $21,695 |
| Average Student Loan | $5,491 | $5,640 |
| Students Without Financial Need Receiving Merit Scholarships | 1,990 | 275 |
Does A UNC Degree Pay Off?
Generally, yes. That's why UNC earns .
UNC students earn a median of $81,094 ten years after starting college, and 89% out-earn a typical high school graduate. 13% take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $12,086, about 15% of one year's pay. Earnings still depend heavily on major: Computer Science graduates earned a median of $137,047 four years after graduating, compared with $51,208 for English Language And Literature graduates.
Who Borrowed In The Class Of 2025
1,133 of UNC's 4,424 bachelor's graduates in 2025 left with student loan debt, averaging $22,675. The 251 graduates who used private student loans averaged $37,594.
| Student Loan Type | Borrowers | Share Of Class | Average Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any Student Loan | 1,133 | 26% | $22,675 |
| Federal Student Loans | 1,062 | 24% | $13,223 |
| Private Student Loans | 251 | 6% | $37,594 |
How We Graded UNC
The overall grade weighs payoff, price, graduation and student debt. Price counts what low-income families pay (5 points), what middle-income families pay (10 points) and the sticker price high-income families pay (10 points). Each income grade swaps in that family's price alone.
Grade Checks
Financial Aid Check
UNC reports meeting 100% of financial need, yet 6% of 2025 graduates used private student loans. Ask how your family's expected contribution was set.
Financial Health Check
No federal heightened cash monitoring and no closure, merger or financial exigency announcements.
Earnings Floor
89% of students out-earn a typical high school graduate. Schools where most don't are capped at a D.
UNC In The News
We haven't covered UNC in the news yet. These stories help families weighing a school like it.
More For UNC Applicants
Compare UNC With Similar Schools
Sources And Methodology
The College Investor Rating scores every four-year college from 0 to 100 on payoff (30%), price (25%), graduation (20%) and student debt (25%) using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. An earnings floor and a financial health check can cap the grade at D, and a financial aid check flags concerns without changing it. Price is judged on its own, without earnings. The grade measures financial return for families, not teaching quality, campus life or a school's mission.
Notes On The Data
- Low-income families earn under $48,000. Middle-income families earn $48,000 to $110,000. Their prices are federal averages for first-time, full-time students who received financial aid.
- High-income families are those who get no grant aid, so they pay the sticker price (cost of attendance). Out-of-state families pay the in-state cost of attendance plus the difference in tuition.
- Paying full price is the share of undergraduates who received no grant aid from any source in 2022-23, from the Education Department's IPEDS survey. The chance of merit aid divides merit scholarship recipients by full-time undergraduates without financial need, from the Common Data Set.
- Earnings by major are medians four years after graduation. Majors with too few graduates for the government to report earnings are left out. Debt by major is median federal student loan debt among borrowers.
- Admissions, financial aid and class of 2025 student loan figures come from the UNC Common Data Set 2025-2026. Student loan debt at graduation excludes Parent PLUS and other parent loans, and students who transferred in.
- The calculator uses federal net price averages for in-state students and adds the tuition difference for out-of-state students. Borrowing up to the $27,000 federal limit for dependent undergraduates uses the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, and anything above it uses the 9.07% Parent PLUS rate. Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. See all federal student loan interest rates. UNC's own net price calculator gives a personal figure, and College Aid Pro can compare costs across schools.
Data years: Earnings follow students who started college in 2011-12 and 2012-13, measured 10 years later. Net price and borrowing rates are for 2024-25. Graduation rates follow students who started in fall 2019. Median debt covers borrowers who left school in fiscal 2024 and 2025. Full-price shares are for 2022-23.
Work at UNC? If a figure looks wrong, send us the source and our editors will review it.
Sources: UNC Common Data Set 2025-2026. U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data updated November 2, 2026. News from The College Investor.