All students applying to colleges and universities in North Carolina, both public and private, must complete a Residency Determination. This will determine whether you must pay in-state or out-of-state tuition at the public schools and whether or not you qualify for state funded aid consideration at public and private institutions. We recommend that you fill this out as early as possible so you will have your code to use in applications for schools in North Carolina.
Following are some college application "umbrella" sites. For some schools you may need to apply directly from the schools' website.
College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Opens October 1st for the 2027-28 school year. That is the school year you will start college. The FAFSA form is open now but that is for the current academic year only (2026-27) for people already in college.
Most colleges and universities will require either your ACT / SAT score(s) be sent directly from the testing agencies. If ordered after you take the test, there is a fee for this service. Do not confuse self reporting test scores on an application with sending official test scores.
The school profile contains statistics on our school which may be requested on college applications. This profile is linked to the Common App for schools to access.