UNC Charlotte welcomes the Class of 2026

UNC Charlotte welcomed a new group of high-achieving and diverse students to campus this fall. The freshman class of 4,157 is the second-largest group of first-year students in the University’s history. Charlotte also opened its doors to many graduate and transfer students looking to complete their degrees at UNC Charlotte. Meet the newest Niners:

Academic Excellence

• The incoming class boasts an average weighted high school GPA of 3.95, matching the high standards of last year’s class.
• First-year students were awarded a record of more than $1.3 million in scholarships, an increase of 5.7%.
• 36% of first-year students declared science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) majors.

Diversity

• 37% of the freshman class identify as an underrepresented minority, a 3% increase from 2021.
• The incoming class saw increases in the number of students identifying as Black (16% of incoming class), Hispanic (14% of incoming class) or multi-racial.

Global Community

• UNC Charlotte’s national and global footprints are expanding with more than 600 new international students from 37 different countries.
• Out-of-state enrollment increased by 13.5% and now comprise 11% of the incoming first-year class. A total of 38 states are represented in the new class of students. 
• The freshman class hails from 85 of North Carolina's 100 counties. Wake continues to be the largest county, with a 3.4% increase over the previous year, followed by Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus and Guilford.

Non-freshman Students

• Charlotte also welcomed 6,090 graduate students — a total of 21% of the University’s enrollment. Four graduate programs have an enrollment of more than 200 students — teaching certificate, Master of Business Administration, Master of Computer Science and Master of Social Work. 
• The University’s 49erNext program, a co-admission program introduced in 2019 with community college partners, brought 50 students to Charlotte’s campus this fall. Students from this program join the University with a 3.33 average GPA, and 96% were admitted into their intended majors. There are approximately 200 students enrolled in the program this fall at six partnering community colleges. Overall, the University welcomed transfer students from 76 counties and 52 of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges.

Student Success

• The University continues to improve notable first-year retention rates across underrepresented minority populations. 
• This year’s incoming class, coupled with the high number of returning students, brings the University’s enrollment to 29,551 for the fall 2022 semester.
• Charlotte’s graduation rates continue to increase. The most recent four-year graduation rate increased to 50%, and the six-year graduation rate climbed to 70%, both the highest ever and well above the national average, with Charlotte students joining the workforce or pursuing advanced degrees earlier.