Harvard vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Harvard, an Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 4.5%, while UNC-Chapel Hill, a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 24.4%. Both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, with Harvard excelling in fields like social sciences, biological sciences, and computer science, and UNC-Chapel Hill excelling in fields like business, nursing, and public health. The student bodies at the two universities also differ, with Harvard having a more international student population and UNC-Chapel Hill having a more diverse student population in terms of race and ethnicity. Additionally, Harvard has a higher graduation rate (97%) compared to UNC-Chapel Hill (89%). Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences
|
![]() Harvard University |
![]() University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
---|---|---|
Overview |
||
Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Campus setting | City: Midsize | City: Small |
College type | 4 year | 4 year |
Control/business model | Private (Non Profit) | Public |
Calendar system | Semester | Semester |
Degrees offered | Undergraduate and Graduate | Undergraduate and Graduate |
Students retention rate | 96.0% | 97.0% |
![]() |
Yes | Yes |
Religious affiliation | ||
|
||
Admission |
||
Acceptance rate | 4.0% | 20.4% |
Application fees |
Undergraduate:
$75
Graduate:
$105
|
Undergraduate:
$85
Graduate:
$95
|
SAT range | 1480 - 1580 | 1140 - 1380 |
ACT range | 33 - 36 | 22 - 27 |
Students submitting SAT score | 54.0% | 2.0% |
Students submitting ACT score | 31.0% | 12.0% |
Total number of applicants | 57,786 | 50,729 |
Total number of admissions given out | 2,318 | 10,348 |
Admitted students who chose to enroll | 1,951 | 4,690 |
Yield rate | 84.2% | 45.3% |
Test scores (SAT/ACT) | N/A | N/A |
High school GPA | Not required | Required |
Recommendation letters | Required | Required |
High school transcript | Not required | Not required |
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) | Not required | Required |
|
||
Tuition and Fees |
||
Sticker price | $78,028 |
In state:
$24,770
Out of state:
$52,633
|
Average net price | $13,910 | $11,508 |
Tuition | $51,143 |
In state:
$7,019
Out of state:
$34,882
|
Room & board |
Room/dormitory:
$11,705
Meal plan:
$7,236
|
Room/dormitory:
$6,878
Meal plan:
$5,004
|
Available payment plans |
|
|
|
||
Financial Aid |
||
Students receiving financial aid
(Grants & scholarships) |
56.0%
Average amount $59,840 |
42.0%
Average amount $16,076 |
Students receiving federal student loan |
3.0%
Average amount $5,180 |
17.0%
Average amount $4,244 |
Students taking out private loans |
2.0%
Average amount $8,080 |
3.0%
Average amount $14,032 |
|
||
Students and Campus |
||
Undergraduate students |
9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0% |
19,845
Men 39.6% Women 60.4% |
Graduate students |
21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7% |
11,796
Men 41.4% Women 58.6% |
Racial/ethnic diversity |
Moderate
|
Low
|
Out-of-state students | N/A | 16.2% |
International students | 23.9% | 6.8% |
Campus local/setting | City: Midsize | City: Small |
Dormitory capacity | 12,874 | 9,984 |
First year students are required to live on campus? | Yes | No |
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from | New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey | North Carolina Georgia Maryland New York Pennsylvania |
|
||
Academics |
||
Popular study areas |
|
|
Students to faculty ratio | 7:1 | 15:1 |
Institutional accreditation | New England Commission on Higher Education | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
|
||
Outcome |
||
Graduation rate | 96.7% | 90.5% |
Dropout rate | 2.0% | 3.7% |
Transferred out | N/A | 5.4% |
Alumni salary by major (Top 10) |
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
|
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
|
Compare Similar Colleges
The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing
statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you
don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page.
There, you can search for the
specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
































































































































