Admissions & selectivity
University of North Carolina Wilmington Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at University of North Carolina Wilmington?
University of North Carolina Wilmington’s reported acceptance rate is 64.2%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 64.2%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
University of North Carolina Wilmington admitted 64.2% of applicants in the reported entering class, a rate that describes that pool rather than an individual applicant’s odds. That rate is below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 22,358 first-year applicants, 14,472 admitted applicants, and 3,109 enrolled students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled University of North Carolina Wilmington students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, University of North Carolina Wilmington reported score profiles for a limited portion of enrolled first-year students, so they are context rather than admission minimums. Applicants should compare SAT results with the 1240 to 1350 range for the middle half of enrolled SAT submitters; 7% submitted SAT scores.
The middle half of ACT submitters scored from 24 to 29, and 13% of enrolled first-year students submitted ACT scores. Among first-year students with a reported class rank, 19% were in the highest tenth of their high-school class and 51% were in the highest quarter.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at University of North Carolina Wilmington. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
7% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1240
- Median
- 1301
- 75th percentile
- 1350
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
13% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 24
- Median
- 26
- 75th percentile
- 29
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at University of North Carolina Wilmington?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23.9%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 40.6%
- First-year retention
- 88.2%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
At University of North Carolina Wilmington, an estimated 40.6% of undergraduates enter as transfers or part-time students, so attendance includes a sizable route beyond first-time entry. Pell Grant recipients make up 23.9% of undergraduates, and federal enrollment data list 14,922 undergraduates.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 3,755 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 3,415 admitted, and 2,034 enrolled. The enrollment figures show a campus with both grant-aided undergraduates and a substantial transfer presence.
The university retains and graduates students at rates that sit above the medians for comparable institutions, and its Pell recipients finish within single digits of the overall cohort. First-year retention stands at 88.2%, against a peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The six-year graduation rate is 70.6%, above the peer median of 65.0%. Pell recipients in the same entering cohort complete at 62.8%, 7.8 percentage points below the overall rate.
An enrolled student can expect a campus where most classmates persist and graduate, and where the outcomes for Pell students are not far behind the rest of the cohort.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.