Official Admission

Denied Admission

Denied admission refers to applicants who do not meet the Graduate School, program admission requirements, or both. Students denied admission must reapply to be considered again for the same program or a different program. There are no appeals of denied admission. Denied admissions are final.

Document Requirements

Applicants may be admitted pending submissions of required documents specified by the Graduate School (i.e., transcripts showing degree conferred) before the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. No student will be permitted to register for an additional semester, receive financial aid or take the comprehensive examination or its equivalent unless the specified requirement(s) is met. Failure to meet the condition(s) within the specified time frame will result in the closure of the student's program by the Graduate School.

Applicants admitted based on the requirement to complete a degree in progress must still provide an official transcript within the first semester of enrollment at UNC showing their degree conferred and a GPA of at least 3.0. If the transcript showing degree conferred reports a cumulative GPA less than 3.0, applicants will be given additional academic requirements, defined by the program, which must be met within one calendar year, to remain enrolled at UNC.

Program Requirements

When a program recommends an applicant for admission who does not meet UNC’s Graduate School standards, the program faculty must provide specific requirements in writing to the Graduate School. These requirements include a list of measurable academic and professional/behavioral requirements the student must attain in the timeframe specified by the program, but not to exceed the first calendar year of enrollment in order to remain in the program. All recommendations for admission for applicants with a GPA below the 3.00 must be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Dean or their designee. In addition, the program recommending admission for such students may also be expected to submit a letter of justification, which is a rationale detailing the factor(s) considered in recommending the student, such as GPA in the discipline, maturity, letters of recommendation, applicant work samples, GRE scores or other compelling factors.

If the Graduate School officially admits an applicant who does not meet the minimum academic standards for admission, the admitted student must complete measurable requirements stipulated by the program and approved by the Graduate School. The program must specify a timeframe for the student to complete the requirements, not to exceed one calendar year (e.g., the first semester of enrollment). The successful completion of these requirements is monitored by the program faculty, who report attainment/non-attainment to the Graduate School.  Students are not permitted to register for an additional semester, receive financial aid or take the comprehensive examination or its equivalent unless the specified provisions(s) is/are met in the timeframe determined by the program.  If program faculty need to change the additional requirements, they must submit a petition for exception to policy to the Graduate School.

Failure to complete the requirements within the specified time frame will result in the termination of the student's program by the Graduate School.