First-Year Freshmen

As a graduate from a North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High School (CIHS) you have an important decision to make when applying for admission to UNC Pembroke. According to House Bill 97 Section 11.16.(a) “any student who graduated from a cooperative innovative high school program with an associate degree and who applies for admission to the constituent institution has the option of being considered for admission as a freshman or as a transfer student.” You can see if your early college qualifies by reviewing the list of Cooperative Innovative High School Programs.

If you choose to apply as a first-year freshman, an admission decision is made on the basis of: completing your minimum high school course requirements, overall weighted GPA and class rank, plus SAT and/or ACT scores.

If you choose to apply as a transfer student, an admission decision is based on the total number of transferable college credits and overall transfer GPA.  Please refer to our Transfer Admission Requirements for more information.

To ensure your eligibility for housing, merit scholarships and first-year freshman programs, regardless of which option you choose, you will be listed as a first-year student with transfer college credit. However, your actual classification will be determined by the total amount of transferable semester hours of credit.  Students at UNC Pembroke are classified according to the number of semester hours they’ve earned in keeping with the following table:

If you have questions about which applicant status to select, please call our office at 910.521.6262 prior to submitting your application.

House Bill 97 Secion 11.6 (a)

UNCP offers a variety of unique partnerships providing students Pathways to Success in a variety of professional programs. 

Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Tuskegee University 

Medical School
East Carolina University

Physician Assistant
Methodist University

Engineering
(mechanical, electrical, civil, environmental)
North Carolina State University

Learn more about the Pathways to Success programs.

The Honors College offers students an opportunity to become independent, successful thinkers, researchers and communicators, while simultaneously preparing them to be responsible members of a global society.

Once accepted to UNCP, incoming first-year students are automatically considered for membership in the Maynor Honors College. Selected students will receive an invitation. Incoming first-year students who do not receive an invitation, but would like to be considered for admission may submit an application.

Those invited to join the honors college will also be automatically eligible for merit scholarships To be most competitive for these awards, students should apply to UNCP as early as possible. 

Explore the Honors College.