U. North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, NC

Key differences on Getting in

1
U. North Carolina Wilmington's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than U. South Carolina-Columbia's
SAT midpoint
2
U. South Carolina-Columbia admits 57% vs. 65% at U. North Carolina Wilmington
Acceptance rate
3
U. South Carolina-Columbia's yield is 2 pts higher than U. North Carolina Wilmington's
Yield rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. North Carolina Wilmington65%

U. South Carolina-Columbia57%Most selective

Applicants

U. North Carolina Wilmington22.4K

U. South Carolina-Columbia59.6KMost

Admitted

U. North Carolina Wilmington14.5K

U. South Carolina-Columbia33.7KMost

Yield rate

U. North Carolina Wilmington21%

U. South Carolina-Columbia23%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. North Carolina WilmingtonSelective
U. South Carolina-ColumbiaSelectivefrom South CarolinaVery selectivefrom other states

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. North Carolina Wilmington66%

U. South Carolina-Columbia63%

Men admitted

U. North Carolina Wilmington60%

U. South Carolina-Columbia55%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. North Carolina Wilmington

1240–1350

U. South Carolina-Columbia

1200–1360

Axis runs 1100–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. North Carolina Wilmington

24–29

U. South Carolina-Columbia

26–32

Axis runs 20–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. North Carolina Wilmington7%

U. South Carolina-Columbia32%

Submitted ACT

U. North Carolina Wilmington13%

U. South Carolina-Columbia15%

Test policy

U. North Carolina WilmingtonTest scores recommended
U. South Carolina-ColumbiaTest-optional

How they read a record

U. North Carolina Wilmington
and GPA are both very important; class rank is important; tests are considered. This college reports (average 4.09), which pile most students into the top band; the bands can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.
U. South Carolina-Columbia
GPA is very important; , class rank, and tests are all important. 48% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	U. North Carolina Wilmington	U. South Carolina-Columbia
High school GPA	Very important	Very important
High school record	Required	Considered
Class rank	Important	Important
College-prep program	Considered	Required
Recommendations	Considered	Considered
Essay	Very important	Considered
Legacy status	Considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:University of North Carolina Wilmington (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of South Carolina-Columbia (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why