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Admissions Criteria for High School Seniors

Pottery class in the Craft Center.

Who can apply?

We encourage all students interested in the University Honors Program to apply. 

Admission is not automatic. Students are required to respond to additional program-specific essay questions for the University Honors Program as they apply to NC State. These questions are integrated into the NC State application. 

Admission is based on the assessment of your potential for exceptional academic work and understanding of the program requirements. Primarily this is done by evidence of creativity, initiative, and aspirations for academic excellence as described in your application essays. Secondarily, the programs consider SAT/ACT scores (when available), high school grades, the rigor of courses taken in high school, class rank (when available).

Application Timeline:

Early Action

  • Students have until January 5, 2024 to submit their University Honors Program application via their WolfPaw account.
  • Students who are admitted to NC State University in January will receive a decision about the University Honors Program admission on February 23, 2024.

Regular Decision

  • Students have until February 2, 2024, to submit their University Honors Program application via their WolfPaw account.
  • Students who are admitted to NC State University in March will receive a decision about the University Honors Program on April 5, 2024.

Students applying to the University through the Common Application can apply to the Honors Program within that application OR in their wolfPAW account. Students applying to the University using the Coalition application must apply to the Honors Program exclusively through their wolfPAW account.

We encourage you to review the Admissions Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you have questions about the application process, please email our main office at university_honors@ncsu.edu.