University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine Admissions, Tuition & Student Feedback

School Overview

Degrees: MD
Ownership: Public Non-Profit
Program Length: 4 years
Total Enrollment: 180
Founding Year: 1879
Accreditation Year: 1942

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SDN Insights

Cost of Attendance: $312,645

Estimate repayment

Estimated loan burden for UNC-SOM using 4 years of in-state tuition, $1,500 annual fees, $3,000 monthly living expenses, government-derived local cost-of-living adjustment, $1,000 loan fees, and an 8.5% interest assumption.

Cost of Living: Near national average cost of living

Chapel Hill, NC is close to the national average for cost of living. In the debt estimate, the government-derived local cost adjustment keeps the $3,000 monthly allowance at about $2,940 per month. Treat this as a city-level budgeting estimate, not the school's official cost of attendance.

Environment: Urban

Situated in a moderately accessible neighborhood, UNC-SOM offers a mix of walking and biking options. Students may find that many daily needs are reachable without a car, though longer trips still benefit from alternative transportation.

Interview Feedback

Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 17% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a moderate stress level and felt they did okay.

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Secondary Essays for UNC-SOM

1. Other

Describe an experience where you attempted a task and realized during the process that you were not ready for it. How did this experience impact your approach to trying new things?

2. Motivation and Fit

How will your life experiences foster a positive educational environment and benefit your future patients?

3. Community, Diversity, and Equity

Discuss your involvement in a service activity that has impacted your understanding of healthcare and your desire to pursue a career in medicine.

4. Understanding and Commitment to Medicine

What motivates you to apply to the UNC School of Medicine?

5. Personal Experiences and Challenges

Prompt 1: Provide an example of how you made a difference in someone's life and explain what this experience taught you about yourself.

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About the School

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, established in 1879, is the medical school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It offers a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, along with combined MD/PhD and MD/Master of Public Health programs. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school 5th in primary care and 25th in research. In 2016, the school received $449 million in research funding, with approximately two-thirds from the National Institutes of Health, making it the top recipient of federal research funding among public and private universities in the South.

Curriculum

The curriculum at UNC School of Medicine is structured into preclinical and clinical phases. The first year consists of four blocks covering basic medical sciences, integrating lectures from diverse fields. The second year continues with organ-system-based courses. The third and fourth years focus on clinical rotations, with students spending approximately 60% of their time at UNC Hospitals and 40% at other institutions throughout the state, such as Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte and Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. Opportunities for longitudinal, integrated core clerkships are available through programs in Asheville, Wilmington, and Charlotte.

Facilities

The UNC Health Care complex, situated on the southern tip of the UNC campus, comprises five hospitals collectively known as UNC Hospitals: North Carolina Memorial Hospital, North Carolina Children's Hospital, North Carolina Women's Hospital, North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital, and North Carolina Cancer Hospital. Together, these facilities offer over 700 inpatient beds and serve as the main clinical teaching facilities for the School of Medicine. Additionally, the UNC Medical Center includes the Ambulatory Care Center, NC Clinical Cancer Center, and the Family Medicine building. A new medical education building, Roper Hall, opened in 2022, providing state-of-the-art facilities for students.

Last Updated: Oct 13, 2025