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. South Carolina-Columbia57%Most selective

U. North Carolina Wilmington65%

Applicants

U. South Carolina-Columbia59.6KMost

U. North Carolina Wilmington22.4K

Admitted

U. South Carolina-Columbia33.7KMost

U. North Carolina Wilmington14.5K

Yield rate

U. South Carolina-Columbia23%Highest

U. North Carolina Wilmington21%

Quad's selectivity

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

Men and women

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

Women admitted

U. South Carolina-Columbia63%

U. North Carolina Wilmington66%

Men admitted

U. South Carolina-Columbia55%

U. North Carolina Wilmington60%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. South Carolina-Columbia

1200–1360

U. North Carolina Wilmington

1240–1350

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

ACT composite,

U. South Carolina-Columbia

26–32

U. North Carolina Wilmington

24–29

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

Submitted SAT

U. South Carolina-Columbia32%

U. North Carolina Wilmington7%

Submitted ACT

U. South Carolina-Columbia15%

U. North Carolina Wilmington13%

Test policy

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

How they read a record

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.
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.

What they look at

Factor	U. South Carolina-Columbia	U. North Carolina Wilmington
High school GPA	Very important	Very important
High school record	Considered	Required
Class rank	Important	Important
College-prep program	Required	Considered
Recommendations	Considered	Considered
Essay	Considered	Very important
Legacy status	Not considered	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 South Carolina-Columbia (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;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 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of North Carolina Wilmington (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of North Carolina Wilmington 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