Admissions

Students who care about communities. If you…

• want safer and greener transportation networks.
• want to protect communities from the impacts of climate change.
• want to learn how to create equitable economic growth and provide affordable housing.
• want to shape the future of cities and regions by creating beautiful, sustainable, vibrant, and equitable communities.

Then you belong at Carolina Planning. As a Carolina Planning student, you will be part of a decades-long tradition of training the leading practitioners and academics in the world who are solving these challenges.

Admission to the Graduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Carolina Planning is highly selective for both the Master’s and PhD programs. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

We want applicants with a clear understanding of the urban planning field; exceptional and relevant leadership; work, volunteer, academic or life experiences; and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. As part of the nation’s oldest public university, Carolina Planning has a strong commitment to accessibility and providing opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the planning profession. We believe the more reflective of society’s diversity the department is, the better we are.

All application materials should be submitted directly to The Graduate School’s admission portal.

A complete application includes:

• A completed application for admission to The Graduate School
• A supplemental questionnaire
• Unofficial transcripts (official transcripts will be required if offered admission)
• Statement of Purpose
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Curriculum Vita
• $95.00 application fee
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (international applicants only)
• Financial certification (international applicants only)
• Note: No GRE scores are required or considered

The admission committees consider all credentials submitted as part of the application holistically. No single factor is regarded as qualifying or disqualifying. Factors considered in the review of all applications include: grades and academic transcript(s), references, strength of courses and undergraduate institution(s), professional work experience(s), and the Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose should demonstrate comprehension of and commitment to the planning field.

The admissions committee considers all credentials submitted as part of the application holistically. No single factor is regarded as qualifying or disqualifying. Factors considered in the review of all applications include: grades and academic transcript(s), references, strength of courses and undergraduate institution(s), professional work experience(s), and personal statement. The personal statement should demonstrate comprehension of and commitment to the planning field. For PhD applicants, the fit with faculty research interests is important.

All applications for the PhD program are evaluated by faculty members and a committee of current PhD students. These students and faculty members make recommendations, and the faculty Admissions Director makes the final decisions.

Due to the sequence of courses needed to fulfill our programs’ requirements, the department only accepts admissions applications in the fall.

The GREs are not required for admissions. International applicants must submit either TOEFL or IELTS scores.

TOEFL Requirements:

• Paper-based test – 550 with a minimum of 50 in each section.
• Internet-based test – a minimum of 90.

IELTS Requirements:

• Minimum IELTS score for international students, 7

There is no required or preferred major in order to be accepted to Carolina Planning. The educational and professional backgrounds of applicants cover a wide variety of academic fields, work experiences and geographic locations. Among them are architecture, biology, business, economics, engineering, biology, geography, geology, history, landscape architecture, philosophy, planning, political science, psychology, public administration, sociology, and urban studies. However, future career goals in the field are considered, no matter what your background is.

The $95 application fee waiver is charged by the Graduate School, not the department. As such, the department cannot grant a fee waiver. There are some fee waivers available from the Graduate School; you can read about them on their website.

Faculty cannot take on doctoral students outside of the formal admissions process, so while it is a good idea to reach out to a faculty member before applying, it is not required. You do not have to have pre-approval or support for an application. Connecting with a faculty member beforehand can help you get a sense for their research agenda and your fit to work with them. 

If you have questions concerning your application or application procedures, contact us at dcrp-admissions@unc.edu.
Dr. Miyuki Hino is the Director of Admissions for the PhD program.

Incoming students will work their advisors over the summer to determine an appropriate course schedule for the Fall. Changes to the schedule can be made all summer, until the first week of school.

The following websites are a good place to start:
Student Housing
Daily Tar Heel (UNC’s student paper)
Apartment Guide