High School Students
Who is a High School Student?
Who Can Apply
By policy set by the Summer School Administrative Board, only honor roll students who have completed their junior year of high school may apply to Summer School as visiting students. By policy set by the Summer School Administrative Board, international high school students cannot be considered for admission. Rising high school seniors are not eligible to audit courses at UNC.
What is Needed
In addition to completing the online application, the following are required for high school students:
- An up-to-date transcript,
- A personal statement to the Academic Director of Summer School stating the purpose for taking the specific course(s) that you identify by number and name, the reason for taking the course(s) at UNC-Chapel Hill rather than elsewhere, and the future expectation for enhanced educational opportunity that would result, Rising high school seniors may not take a particular class if their high school offers the same or comparable course.
- A letter of recommendation from the most appropriate teacher or principal, headmaster, or counselor confirming your preparation and ability to take this particular course(s), and
- A statement that you will be living with parents or legal guardians while you are attending Summer School (rising high school seniors over 16 years of age are exempt from this requirement).
**All required documents MUST be submitted by application deadline**
Transcripts
Attending Summer School at UNC-Chapel Hill might not affect your chances for admission at the college of your choice, but you will experience college life firsthand and be exposed to the level of performance and competition expected in college courses. Be aware that UNC-Chapel Hill offers no courses specifically for high school students. The grades and credit hours that you earn are recorded on a UNC-Chapel Hill transcript and become part of your permanent UNC-Chapel Hill record.
Eligibility
High school students who are admitted and enrolled in a course will receive course credit and create a UNC-Chapel Hill transcript. All course work carries degree credit and becomes a permanent record at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students who do not earn at least a C in a course are in jeopardy of being ineligible to return as a visiting or nondegree-seeking students at UNC-Chapel Hill. UNC-Chapel Hill requires that even nondegree-seeking students maintain an acceptable GPA to continue to enroll. The information about eligibility can be found at the bottom of the page at https://studentsuccess.unc.edu/good-standing/.
College Campus and Safety
High school students who enroll in and attend Summer School courses will be on a college campus where they will interact with many other individuals as part of coursework and related activities. Part of those interactions will be in class, labs or other situations. As part of coming to a large university, high school students (and perhaps their parents) should have conversations about keeping safe while on campus. Information to promote those conversations can be found at http://safe.unc.edu/. Students should always discuss any issues with parents/guardians and/or the Dean of Summer School. If an incident does occur, go to http://safe.unc.edu/ for reporting options.
Course Load
The maximum course load allowed for high school students cannot exceed more than 4 credit hours in Second Session.
Courses at UNC-Chapel Hill can be one of five modes of instruction. The modes are as follows:
In-person Modes of Instruction
- In-person, On-campus Learners
- In-person, On-campus and Remote Learners
Remote Modes of Instruction
- Synchronous Remote
- Mostly Asynchronous Remote
- Fully Asynchronous Remote
More information about what each mode entails can be found on the Registrar’s website. Please check on UNC-Chapel Hill Class Search to ensure that the courses you are interested in taking have modes that are compatible to your schedule and location.
Class Attendance
Regular class attendance is a student obligation. Students are responsible for all of their work, including assessments, tests, and written work, and for all class meetings. If a course instructor chooses to take attendance and sees that a student misses three or more consecutive class meetings or misses more classes than the course instructor thinks advisable, the instructor may report the facts to the student’s advisor and/or academic dean.
No right or privilege exists that permits a student to be absent from any class meetings, except for these University Approved Absences:
- Authorized University activities
- Disability/religious observance/pregnancy, as required by law and approved by Accessibility Resources and Service and/or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC)
- Significant health condition and/or personal/family emergency as approved by the Office of the Dean of Students, Gender Violence Service Coordinators, and/or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC).
Instructors may work with students to meet attendance needs that do not fall within University approved absences. For situations when an absence is not University approved (e.g., a job interview or club activity), instructors determine their own approach to missed classes and make-up assessments and assignments.
The University’s policy regarding University approved absences as well as the instructor’s course-level policies are communicated to students via the instructor’s course syllabus on the first day of class.
This information and more can be found on the University Approved Absence Office website.
Registering for classes
High school students must submit their proposed course(s) to the Academic Director in Summer School for approval and for registration. They are not permitted to enroll themselves in summer courses. If they need to cancel, withdraw from or drop a course, they must contact the Academic Director in Summer School. Rising high school seniors are not eligible to audit courses.
How to Apply as a Summer Visitor
The 2024 summer visitor online application opens February 01, 2024.
*Please allow at least 3-5 business days to process your application.*
**Decision letters will be sent out early March, 2024**
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE YOU START THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
Creating an Account
All students must create an account under First Time users to start a new application. You will receive an email to activate your account with a temporary password/PIN. Then you will need to create your own password. Start a new application and Select “Summer School Visitor” (not to continue into fall) as the level of study.
Be sure to provide a VALID email address. Decision notifications along with important deadlines begin in March and are sent to your application status page.
If you are accepted as a visiting summer student, you must create a UNC email address. Decision notifications along with important deadlines, directions to create your email begin in March and are sent to your application status page. More information about what must be done if you are accepted can be found in the visiting students webinar.
Residency
If you claim to be a resident in North Carolina for tuition purposes, you must complete the residency process with the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS) at www.ncresidency.org. Specific instructions will be located in the application when you get to “Do you claim to be a North Carolina Resident?
You will not be able to submit your application until you complete this process.
The RDS will provide you with a Residency Certification Number (RCN), which you will need enter in the box when you return to the application.
The residency application deadlines for 2024
Second Session – 6/29
Deadlines for Summer Visitor Applications 2024
Second Session
June 14 Rising high school seniors **All required documents MUST be submitted by this date**
June 18 All other summer visitors