Rising high school seniors can take a UNC course for credit as a Summer School Visitor.
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You may apply through The Summer School to be a Summer School Visitor if you are an honor roll student who has completed your junior year of high school. International high school students cannot be considered for admission. High school seniors are only eligible to take courses in Summer Session 2. High school seniors are not eligible to audit courses at UNC-CH.
A Top Education. At an Unmatched Value.
Named the #1 public university for best value in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report, UNC–Chapel Hill offers high school students the chance to experience world‑class academics, renowned faculty, and vibrant campus life at an exceptional value through Summer School.
After clicking the Summer Visitor application link, all students must create an account under “First Time Users” to start a new application. You will receive an email with a temporary password/PIN to activate your account. Then you will need to create your password.
Start a new application and Select “Summer School Visitor” as the level of study.
Be sure to provide a VALID email address. Decision notifications and other important information will be sent to this email address beginning in March.
The 2026 Summer School Visitor online application is now open! Please allow at least 3-5 business days to process your application. Decision letters will be sent out beginning in March 2026.
Courses are limited to high school students until after review and are only available in Summer Session 2. Please browse the Summer Session 2 course listings on our website for which courses you would like to take, then include this list in the supplemental application materials of your application. See supplemental application materials below for more information.
In addition to completing the online application, the following are required for high school students:
Reminder: Rising high school seniors may not take a UNC-CH class if their high school offers the same or a comparable course.
All required documents MUST be submitted by the application deadline
If you claim to be a resident in North Carolina for tuition purposes, you must complete the residency process with the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS) at www.ncresidency.org. The application will provide specific instructions when you get to “Do you claim to be a North Carolina Resident?”
You will not be able to submit your application until you complete this process.
The RDS will provide you with a Residency Certification Number (RCN), which you will need enter in the box when you return to the application.
The residency application deadlines for 2026
Maymester/First Session: 5/18
Second Session: 6/27.
Second Session
March 2: International
June 10: Rising high school seniors*
June 16: All other summer visitors
*All required documents MUST be submitted by this date.
Summer visiting students begin registration on March 12, 2026. Registration for high school students is restricted to certain classes and qualifications. As such, the academic director will register you for summer courses after your acceptance. You will receive a confirmation email once registration is complete, which will include any next steps.
If you still have additional registration questions, you may contact the Academic Director Erin Moseley (erin_moseley@unc.edu).
Visiting summer students at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are allowed to register and will not be penalized for failure to meet the state-mandated pre-matriculation immunization requirements for full-time students.
This change of policy is supported by an interpretation of the law by a consultant with the Immunization Services Division of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. Visiting summer students are advised that it is always prudent to be adequately protected from diseases that are preventable with available vaccines. For your information, the vaccines required for matriculating students in the State of North Carolina include DPT (Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis within the last 10 years), Polio, and MMR (Mumps, Measles Rubeola, and Rubella). In addition, the following vaccines are recommended: Hepatitis B series, Varicella (chicken pox), Meningococcal Meningitis, and a test for tuberculosis if coming from a country with high prevalence of disease. For your convenience, these vaccines are available at Campus Health Services by calling 919-966-2281 for an appointment. Costs are at or below community rates.
The Summer School will begin sending decision notifications and other information in March. Notifications and other information can be found on your application status page.
Once you are accepted as a Summer Visiting Student, you must create a UNC email address. Information about how to create this email address will be sent to your application status page. More information about what must be done if you are accepted can be found in the visiting student’s webinar.
Dual enrolled high school students should be aware that courses offered in summer are the same rigorous courses offered during the academic year but in a condensed format that requires diligence and commitment to assignments. Classes generally meet 90 minutes per day (or the equivalent of asynchronous activities) and can require up to 3 to 4 hours of additional out-of-class work each day.
The maximum credit hour load cannot exceed more than 4 credit hours in the Second Session for high school students.
All grades for Summer School Visitors become part of an academic transcript at UNC-Chapel Hill. UNC-Chapel Hill requires that even non degree-seeking students—including Summer School Visitors—maintain an acceptable GPA to continue to enroll. More eligibility information can be found on the advising website.
Auditing of courses is permitted only in lecture-based courses. For information on the auditing process, please visit the registrar’s website.
Please note: dual-enrolled high school students cannot audit courses.
To drop a course, please initiate the drop through Connect Carolina.
To cancel all your summer session courses (only done BEFORE classes begin), please contact Summer School at summer_school@unc.edu.
To withdraw from your summer session courses (only done AFTER classes begin), follow the instructions on the Registrar’s web page.
Deadlines for these actions can be found on the registrar’s page.
Everything you need for a successful summer at Carolina is right here.