New Students

• If you have taken any college-level coursework and want to get credit at UNC, you must send in your scores or final transcript to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for evaluation.
• If you want to see what credits you will receive at UNC, you can check out this table on the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website: https://admissions.unc.edu/credit/credit/test-and-placement-credit/
• If you have taken courses at an NC Community College or another four-year institution, please visit https://admissions.unc.edu/credit/credit/transfer-equivalencies/ to see courses that have previously transferred back to UNC. *Please note that this list is subject to change*
• If you have additional questions, please check out https://admissions.unc.edu/, email the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at unchelp@admissions.unc.edu, or call their office at (919) 966-3621.

Beginning Summer/Fall of 2020, the Computer Science department is now offering two on-campus placement exams. To learn more about the exams, please visit the Computer Science website.

We understand that this is an exciting time, and it is likely you are ready to get started planning your courses for this Fall. While New Student Orientation will provide you with most of this information, we wanted to provide you with some tools if you want to get a head start.

If you have questions about any of these tools, save them for your New Student Orientation session. Most of your questions will be answered there, but if they are not, you will have a chance to ask!

Undergraduate Catalog:

The Undergraduate Catalog provides information about UNC’s policies and procedures. The Catalog also has a comprehensive list of all the courses offered at UNC. While each course may not be offered each semester, you can get a feel for what courses interest you.

At New Student Orientation, we will tell you about the general education requirements for graduation. The Undergraduate Catalog will list what general education requirements each course fulfills.

If a course looks interesting to you, you can search for it in the top right-hand corner of the page to get more information.

New Student Guide:

The New Student Guide is a great resource for your first year at UNC. This resource has information about appropriate courses for first-year students and information about building your schedule.

Sakai and Canvas:

Sakai and Canvas are UNC’s course management platforms (similar to Blackboard or Google Classroom). Most of your courses will have pages on either Sakai or Canvas. Your “Class of 2026” academic advising page will be hosted on Sakai. On this site, we will share information about appropriate courses for first-year students, curriculum information, a course registration guide, and frequently asked questions to guide your first year at UNC. Here is the link to access Sakai: https://sakai.unc.edu/welcome/

Again, please do not worry if you have questions about these resources. Some of your questions may be answered here: https://advising.unc.edu/faqs/student-resources/. If not, save your questions and we will address them during New Student Orientation.

We understand that during this unprecedented time, you may have questions about how the university is handling COVID-19. Please visit https://www.carolinatogether.unc.edu/ for the most accurate information.

When you complete your coursework from high school or your previous institution, you will need to send in your final transcripts to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Instructions will be listed in your ConnectCarolina Student Center.

If you have questions about this process, please check out https://admissions.unc.edu/, email the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at unchelp@admissions.unc.edu, or call their office at (919) 966-3621.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has a great checklist of everything you will want to do before you arrive on campus. You can find the checklist here: https://admissions.unc.edu/enroll/first-year-checklist/.

The Foreign Language Placement Exams allow departments at UNC to gauge your previous knowledge of a foreign language and help you select the course that best fits your current knowledge. For more information, visit https://languageplacement.unc.edu/. If you had testing accommodations from your high school or previous institution and need those accommodations for the Foreign Language Placement Test, please reach out to Dr. Hosun Kim at hosunk@email.unc.edu.

The MATH department now offers two on-campus placement exams. To learn more about the exams see below.

Calculus Placement Exam: intended for students who know calculus but do not have AP scores

ALEKS Placement Exam: intended for students who know Algebra and/ or trigonometry but do not have ACT or SAT Subject Tests. Taking this exam can give you credit for MATH 110 PL or MATH 130 or MATH 231.

The Registrar’s Office is the best resource for key academic deadlines, how to register for courses on ConnectCarolina, and additional registration FAQs. Please note that many of your questions about the registration process will be answered during New Student Orientation.

If you have additional questions that are not answered during New Student Orientation, please visit https://registrar.unc.edu/, email registrationservices@unc.edu, or call (919) 962-3954.

If you have technical difficulties visiting any website, during Orientation, or throughout the registration process, you can contact the ITS Service Desk. Before you reach out, it is very helpful to take a screenshot of the error message you receive. Please make sure that you read the error message to make sure it is a technical error and not an error from another office. You may visit the ITS Website https://help.unc.edu/sp, or call at 919-962-HELP

• Dining Plans – If you want to set up a dining plan, please visit https://dining.unc.edu/. You can view the dining plan options and contact Carolina Dining Services with any questions at 800-UNC-MEAL.
• Financial Aid – The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid can provide you with information about scholarships and financial aid. If you are looking for more information, you can visit their website at https://studentaid.unc.edu/ or email aidinfo@unc.edu.
• Housing – For questions and information about housing, visit https://housing.unc.edu/. This website provides information about residence halls, rates, and other housing-related needs. If your questions are not answered online, you can email housing@unc.edu or call their office at 919-962-5401.
• Immunization Records and Information – For information about Campus Health and to submit your Immunization Records, visit https://campushealth.unc.edu/, email  immunizations@unc.edu, or call 919-966-2281.
• Orientation – For information about New Student Orientation, visit https://nsfp.unc.edu. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of New Student and Family Programs at newstudents@unc.edu or call (919) 962-8304.
• Purchasing Laptops – For information about UNC laptops or to purchase a laptop, you can visit the Carolina Computing Initiative: https://cci.unc.edu/.
• Tuition and Payment – For information regarding tuition and payments, visit https://cashier.unc.edu/. If your questions are not answered on their website, you can contact cashier@unc.edu.