Tuition, Cost & Aid

This University is renowned as having top tier academic programs; some have even referred to it as a southern ivy league school. With this revered quality in education, it is astonishing that the tuition is less than $17,000 dollars a year, whereas other institutions that rival the prestige of UNC are over $35,000 a year. At Carolina you are definitely getting more than what you are paying for, I would consider it the steal of the century!

While I have not attended other universities in addition to this one, I am confident in saying that a UNC education is an excellent deal for minimal amount of financial difficulties I have had. The financial aid office is always helpful and has worked with me to find options for paying for school. I am an RA in the Upper Quad community, and this has really helped me as a source of income during the year in addition to the excellent leadership skills I have built. If you do not decide that an RA position is your cup of tea, there are plenty of on-campus options for jobs during school, especially on Franklin street in downtown Chapel Hill and with the university (Undergrad Library, Honor Court, Teaching Assistants). Whatever you choose, UNC is affordable enough to where you can find a way to pay for school!

This is a great value school, especially for in-state students. The tuition is only about $15,000 for one of the best educations in the country. Unfortunately there is not much by way of on-campus jobs. The majority of on-campus jobs are offered through work study, which can only be received by the federal government. The Rec center, the libraries and the Union do hire non-work study students, but those jobs go quick, so be sure to grab them as soon as possible. Other than that, students would have to resort to Franklin Street which can be a 20-30 minute walk from some dorms. Also, Franklin only provides food and retail jobs, so people who don't work well in those situations are out of luck. Also, many of the food services on Franklin do not close on the weekends until after the P2P stops running so a walk home in the middle of the night would be necessary if you don't have a car (which you most likely won't if you are a first-year). There are a lot of jobs advertised in the Daily Tar Heel everyday, so those in dire need of a job can surely find something.

UNC is an excellent value college. Kiplinger consistently rates UNC among the best values in the nation! Compared to nearby Duke University, UNC students can receive a similar degree for less than half the price. Not bad for a public university. The cost of living in the surrounding community is rather cheap and finding a job isn't hard considering the growing economy of the region and the wealth of businesses surrounding Chapel Hill.

As a student from North Carolina, UNC is a great deal based off of the education you are receiving. It is obviously more expensive for out of state students, but every out of state student loves Carolina.

Carolina is not cheap. But, college in general is not cheap, and I have heard many praises sung about how Carolina offers a good education for it's price. Which it does. But just know, the university can be a little stingy with their awards - you are required to fill out both a FAFSA and a university document, the CSS Profile. In my experience, the CSS Profile intially excluded me from a lot of need based grants that I, ahem, needed. There is an appeals process that they try and keep quiet about, but I encourage you to contact the financial aid office and ask if there is anything you can do to earn more money towards your tuition. I'm sad to say that Carolina - both it's students and faculty - can be pretentious, but shake off the haters. Your earned your spot there!

UNC has a private school education at a public school cost, but you get so much more than an ivy league-worthy education for your money. Tuition covers student tickets to athletic events, use of the 2 on-campus gyms, the many soccer fields, tennis courts, and basketball courts, and access to the 2 pools. Campus shuttles and the local bus system are also free to students for getting around campus.

UNC offers the best education for a great price, compared to colleges that share is caliber. I have many friends from out-of-state, and they say UNC was a great choice for them, both for education and costs.