How to Apply & Deadlines

Application Deadlines

Admission Requirements

• Recommended 2.5 GPA
• Essay
• Resume

GPA Requirement

Students may apply after they’ve established a UNC-Chapel Hill cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. We take a holistic approach to admissions and recognize that a GPA reflects only one facet of a candidate’s preparation for acceptance into the HOLD program.

Personal Essay

Why are you interested in pursuing a degree in Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD)? You may include educational, professional, volunteer, and personal experiences that contributed to your interest in learning about how to understand organizations, develop leadership skills, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to effectively lead change and strategize in organizational settings. Describe how these experiences expanded your knowledge of how people lead and engage in groups, organizations, and communities. Discuss your professional goals and describe how a degree in HOLD will prepare you for accomplishing those goals.

Resume

A standard resume is required. Career services can assist you with preparing a resume. Please be sure to include your experiences working with and leading organizations, either through work, volunteer efforts, and co-curricular activities, along with the duration of each experience. For extra-curricular activities at UNC-Chapel Hill, describe any special roles you have fulfilled, such as being an officer or heading a committee. Some of this information could be included in your essay.

How to Apply

If you are a current undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill:

Students may apply after they’ve established a UNC cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.

To apply to the HOLD major, you must first request a major change within ConnectCarolina.

Once you have submitted the request to change your major in ConnectCarolina, you will receive an email from UNC’s application system, Slate, that includes a link to the online application. Please note that it may take 24-72 hours to receive the application email.

All application materials are submitted electronically. No hard copy materials are accepted. By submitting an application to the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education, consent is granted to university staff to obtain any additional or missing information as needed, including Campus Safety Information.

Note: The application includes a test score section; however, it is not required, as test scores are not mandatory for admission.

If you are a transfer student from another university:

You may transfer into the HOLD program as a junior transfer student. You may apply in your first semester at the university or through the common application.

How to apply as a transfer student:

1. Create an account and start your Common Application.
2. Submit the Common Application, the Common Application supplement, and application fee.
3. For the School of Education Common Application supplement, upload your response to the following question: “Why are you interested in pursuing the Human and Organizational Leadership Development major?”
4. Submit official transcripts from all secondary and post-secondary schools to:
   Office of Undergraduate Admissions
   Jackson Hall, Campus Box 2200
   Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2200

After you submit your application, you will receive instructions for creating your MyCarolina account, which will allow you to view the status of your application, including your admission decision. Be sure to check your MyCarolina account frequently for important application updates.

Transfer student application deadlines:

You must complete all application steps by February 15, 2026. You will be notified of an admissions decision by mid-April.

Review Process

Admissions decisions are made by the HOLD faculty on the basis of review of each applicant’s particular profile of strengths in relation to the program’s needs and capacity. Admitted students have different profiles. Some, for example, have extremely high grade point averages, whereas others have strong service and professional interests related to HOLD, or strong potential for leading organizations, businesses, and communities.

Upon Admission

Students who are accepted, must accept their offer of admission in ConnectCarolina in order to officially declare the HOLD major. Students have until August of the admission year to accept their offer of admissions. We encourage students to accept or deny admissions with 14 days of notification. Early acceptance allows you to enroll in courses that are reserved for HOLD majors only.

Note: Only potential applicants with three or more semesters remaining before their anticipated graduation date are considered.