Test policy · 50 states · North Carolina
Do North Carolina's public universities require the SAT or ACT in 2026?
As of October 2026: Yes. All 3 North Carolina public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
For students entering fall 2026 and beyond, the UNC System Board of Governors requires a standardized test score only from applicants with a weighted high school GPA below 2.80; those applicants must score at least 17 on the ACT or 930 on the SAT, while applicants at 2.80 or above may choose whether to submit a score.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com), October 2026. Figures and the table may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
The statewide rule
Required. Set by University of North Carolina System Board of Governors, covering students entering in the Fall 2026 semester and beyond (per UNC Policy Manual 700.1.1, Section V.C).
“Students with a weighted High School GPA greater than or equal to 2.50 and less than 2.80 are required to submit a standardized test score of a 17 or higher on the ACT or a 930 or higher on the SAT.” — northcarolina.edu
GPA waiver threshold is 2.80 weighted GPA. Below 2.80 (but at or above the 2.50 minimum-eligibility GPA), a score is required and must meet the 17 ACT / 930 SAT floor. At or above 2.80, submitting a score is optional unless a chancellor obtains Board of Governors approval (at least two years in advance) to require scores from all applicants at that campus -- none of the campuses checked (UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, UNC Charlotte) has done so. Chancellors may also grant a limited number of exceptions (up to 1% of accepted first-time undergraduates, or 75 students, whichever is greater) to applicants who meet neither the GPA nor the test-score requirement. This is a change from Fall 2024/Spring 2025, when no standardized test score was required at all (a student below the 2.5 GPA floor could instead qualify with a 19 ACT or 1010 SAT), and from Fall 2025/Spring 2026, when a score had to be submitted below 2.80 GPA but with no minimum score floor.
University of North Carolina System: Required, students entering in the Fall 2026 semester and beyond. Applies to all 16 UNC System constituent institutions (UNC School of the Arts is exempted from some adjacent provisions but not noted as exempt from this testing section). The Board of Governors first waived testing system-wide in 2020 and adopted this GPA-conditional structure via amendments through 05/23/24. Source
University by university
The flagship and the state's largest public universities. Each label comes from the university's own admissions page, quoted; "applies to" is the entering term the page names. 3 required · 0 test-optional · 0 test-blind.
| University | SAT / ACT | Applies to | CLT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Flagship
Chapel Hill
GPA-conditional test requirement effective per UNC System Policy 700.1.1; score floor (17 ACT/930 SAT) added starting fall 2026
Follows the UNC System policy: required below 2.8 weighted GPA, optional at or above. Testing is 'one factor among many' when submitted; no cutoff score for automatic admission or denial.
|
Required | 2026-2027 academic year and beyond | — | “ACT score of 17 or higher or an SAT score of 930 or higher” |
|
North Carolina State University
Raleigh
Follows the UNC System policy: optional at or above 2.8 weighted GPA, required (with the 17 ACT/930 SAT floor) below it.
|
Required | current policy as published; follows UNC System Policy 700.1.1 (fall 2026 and beyond) | — | “As a part of the UNC System, NC State is test optional for applicants with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above.” |
|
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte
Follows the UNC System policy. Page phrases the threshold as 'or lower' rather than 'below 2.8'; treated as consistent with the System's 2.80 cutoff.
|
Required | Fall 2027 applicants, as stated on the source page | — | “SAT or ACT scores are only required for students with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or lower.” |
Other public colleges in North Carolina with 5,000 or more students
Not individually checked for this report. The policy flag and the share of enrolled first-years who submitted a score are what each college reported to the federal government for the 2023 admissions cycle (IPEDS); check the college's own page before relying on it.
| College | Students | Admit rate | Reported to IPEDS, 2023 | Submitted SAT · ACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina University | 19,896 | 90% | Test-optional | 9% · 18% |
| Appalachian State University | 19,444 | 89% | Test-optional | 10% · 24% |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | 14,922 | 74% | Test-optional | 7% · 16% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 14,062 | 90% | Test-optional | 5% · 9% |
| North Carolina A & T State University | 12,182 | 46% | Test-optional | 13% · 15% |
| Western Carolina University | 10,024 | 87% | Test-optional | 9% · 23% |
| North Carolina Central University | 6,081 | 90% | Test-optional | 1% · 1% |
| Fayetteville State University | 5,762 | 80% | Test-optional | 3% · 10% |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | 5,330 | 92% | Test-optional | 0% · 0% |
What this means for your family
A North Carolina applicant needs a score, so the question is only which test and when. Take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the one where the percentile came out higher, and plan 6 to 12 weeks before the first official date.
How much a score moves with preparation, by starting score: Test Prep Gurus results. The submit-or-withhold arithmetic: Do test scores still matter?
At a glance
JSON (all states) · For AI agentsAs of October 2026: Yes. All 3 North Carolina public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
Statewide rule: University of North Carolina System Board of Governors — required, students entering in the Fall 2026 semester and beyond (per UNC Policy Manual 700.1.1, Section V.C).
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the flagship, is required for 2026-2027 academic year and beyond.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: GPA-conditional test requirement effective per UNC System Policy 700.1.1; score floor (17 ACT/930 SAT) added starting fall 2026.
Checked against each university's own admissions page, October 2026. Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach).
Questions families ask
Is North Carolina test-optional for its public universities in 2026? Yes. All 3 North Carolina public universities we checked require an SAT or ACT score from first-year applicants (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
Does University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Required for 2026-2027 academic year and beyond. Follows the UNC System policy: required below 2.8 weighted GPA, optional at or above. Testing is 'one factor among many' when submitted; no cutoff score for automatic admission or denial. Source: admissions.unc.edu.
Should my child take the SAT or ACT if North Carolina's public universities do not require it? Yes. Most families apply to colleges in more than one state, 115 four-year colleges nationally require a score, and at test-optional colleges students who submit a score are admitted at higher rates than students who do not. A strong score also opens merit scholarships. Start with a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, prepare for the whole test over 6 to 12 weeks, and decide college by college whether to send it.
Method: for each state, the flagship and the public universities with roughly 8,000 or more undergraduates. Each policy label was read from the university's own first-year admissions page (or the state or system regulation), quoted verbatim, and re-checked by a second pass, October 2026. "Required" means a score is required of most first-year applicants (exemptions in the notes); "test-optional" means a score is considered if sent; "test-blind" means a score is not considered even if sent. Community colleges and private colleges are not covered. Policies change: the page carries the term each page named, and the report is refreshed each October.
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