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 logo

Harvard University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill logo

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%
Common app member 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
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

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
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Social Sciences
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
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)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $168,979
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $238,213
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $135,965
  • Year 2: $127,836
  • Year 3: $150,089
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $116,248
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $128,102
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,961
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $117,488
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,271
  • Year 2: $86,036
  • Year 3: $96,602
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,162
  • Year 2: $72,083
  • Year 3: $95,204
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,938
  • Year 2: $73,823
  • Year 3: $89,917
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,557
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $87,057
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,899
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $86,155
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,205
  • Year 2: $68,666
  • Year 3: $82,520

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.
Harvard University Harvard vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Harvard University Harvard vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Harvard University Harvard vs Yale University Yale University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Harvard University Harvard vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Harvard University Harvard vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Harvard University Harvard vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Harvard University Harvard vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Harvard University Harvard vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Harvard University Harvard vs Barnard College Barnard College
Harvard University Harvard vs Jewish Theological Seminary of America Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Harvard University Harvard vs New York University New York University
Harvard University Harvard vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs The University of Alabama The University of Alabama
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Auburn University Auburn University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Florida State University Florida State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Florida University of Florida
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Iowa University of Iowa
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Kansas University of Kansas
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Kentucky University of Kentucky
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Maryland, Baltimore University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri-Columbia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University at Buffalo University at Buffalo
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Clemson University Clemson University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Texas Tech University Texas Tech University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC vs University of Utah University of Utah