Basic Start Up and Verification
Before you start an application you need to:
- Decide which program you are applying to
- Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements
- Make sure you can complete the multiple application components
Each of these is listed on our Application Requirements page.
Account Log-in and Verification
- Complete the Account Registration page (Name, Email, Password and Applying-To fields)
- Both the applicant AND the parent must click a verification link sent to the email addresses entered.
- Once you click both verification emails, you can log-in.
- When you return to this page in the future, just login from the right hand Username and Password fields. Do not re-register.
Forgot Password? Email admissions@ncssm.edu.
Application Expiration All applications expire after January 15th. The January 15th deadline does not apply to SAT scores or teacher/counselor evaluations or transcripts--only the sections of the electronic application.
Check Marks and “X” The green check mark and X indicate whether a section of the application is complete or not. All categories must show a green check mark before you can submit the application.
Sequence. Each part of the application may be completed in any order.
General
This page provides us with your basic contact information; we will also use this information if you are admitted to the school.
Race is a required field. You may check multiple boxes to indicate multiple ethnicities.
Citizenship The citizenship status of the applicant, not the parent/guardian.
County The county of your permanent residence (home), not the county where your school is located.
Address List your permanent address. The contacts section will allow you to list other addresses, if needed. If you have already moved, list your most current address. If you move after you submit the application, contact the Admissions Office.
Current School
This page informs us about the current school you are attending.
I’m changing schools! List your current 10th grade school. If you change schools after you submit the application, contact the Office of Admissions.
School Type? This is used for informational/research purposes by NCSSM.
My school isn’t listed! The list contains public and private schools maintained by the state of North Carolina. Please check for alternate spellings “JH Smith High School” versus “John H Smith High School.” Schools opened in 2012 may not be listed. If you cannot find your school, please enter its information.
9th Grade School Please list if you attended a different school in 9th grade. If you’ve changed schools multiple times, list the school you attended the longest amount of time.
Courses This section is for informational/research purposes only. It is not used by the Admissions Selection Committee for evaluation.
Evaluations
Please obtain your teachers' and counselor's approval prior to listing them in the application. Teachers and counselors will be contacted in LATE JANUARY by NCSSM with instructions for completing your evaluations.
Check Mark Means…. A green check mark in this section only indicates you provided us the contact information for your teachers/counselor. It doesn’t indicate that we have received the evaluations.
No Typos! Make sure you carefully type the email address of each teacher or counselor. An invalid email address can result in an incomplete application.
Lots of Help! If you need help determining who to choose or want to know more about the evaluations, see our Help Center page on Evaluations.
Awards Interest Essay (Residential Program)
This essay section will be used by the Admissions Selection Committee to better understand your abilities, potential, and interests. You can include involvement in activities from 7th grade to the present.
Visibility Only students applying to the RESIDENTIAL program will see this section.
Write Elsewhere We recommend you work on your responses in another format (Google Docs, for example) and paste your answers into the system.
Format You are permitted to write in paragraph form or use bulleted lists.
Paragraphs You are allowed to break your responses into paragraphs to help the Selection Committee read your response.
Word Limit You may only type 1500 characters, including spaces, for each question.
Student Profile (Online Program)
This essay section will be used by the Admissions Selection Committee (for students applying to the online program) to better understand your abilities, potential, and interests. You can include involvement in activities from 7th grade to the present.
If you apply to both programs, this information is only used for the Online Program's admissions decisions. The Residential Program's Selection Committee uses the Award/Interest/Essay section.
Visibility Only students applying to the ONLINE program will see this section.
Word Limit You may only type 1500 characters including spaces for each question.
Write Elsewhere We recommend you work on your responses in another format (Google Docs, for example) and paste your answers into the system.
Format You are permitted to write in paragraph form or use bulleted lists.
Paragraphs You are allowed to break your response up into paragraphs to help the selection committee read your response.
Safety
As a campus of the UNC system, we are required to ask safety questions. Answering “yes” to any question does not automatically make you ineligible for admission. The Office of Admissions and the Admissions Selection Committee both, review all application information--including safety questions--as part of the admissions process.
Parents: Contacts
The parent/guardian must complete this section. This information ensures that all parent/guardians of the applicant are entered into the system. If admitted, parents/guardians will have an additional opportunity to provide NCSSM extensive details on a student’s history and family background.
Will I get Text Messages About Admissions? At this time, no. This information is used by NCSSM’s emergency alert system if the applicant is admitted and enrolled.
Parents/Legal Guardians: Residency
We are required by law to ensure that applicants' parents/legal guardians are legal residents of the State of North Carolina.
Requirement Under North Carolina law, only bona fide legal residents (domiciliaries) of North Carolina are eligible to attend the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Non-residents are ineligible for admission. You may contact the Office of Admissions for additional details.
Supplemental Residency Form? This is only required for non-U.S. Citizens.
Additional Information. NCSSM reserves the right to request additional information, if needed, to verify residency.
Armed Services Form? Under North Carolina General Statutes § 116-143.3, certain members of the Armed Services and their dependent relatives may be charged the in-state tuition rate [the state pays the full tuition of a NCSSM student] whether or not they qualify as residents for tuition purposes under G.S. 116-143.1. Contact the Office of Admissions for additional information.
Required for both programs? We currently have all applicants fill out the residency form whether applying to the online or residential program.
Status
Status reflects all completed or received items. Monitor this section through April to ensure your application includes all required items. When all components are received by the Office of Admissions, this menu will be automatically marked complete.
Admissions Status Your current status (and any changes and the date of the change) are shown at the top. New applicants should show "Applicant" as their first status. This will show different status to your application during the process, including the admissions decisions announced in mid-April.
Expiration Applications expire after January 15th. There are no exceptions.
Discovery Day If a complete application is submitted, your Discovery Day date appears here. See the Application Help Center Requirements for more details on Discovery Day.
Log In To see your status, you need to log-in from the application start page. Then click Status on the left menu.
Mailed By You These forms (printed from the Parent Residency page) are only required for parents/guardians that are in the military. Allow two weeks time for processing. All forms are due by January 15th, there are no exceptions.
SATs It can take up to a month for NCSSM to receive your SAT scores. Once received, we have to manually match them to your application, which adds processing time.
Transcripts Electronic CFNC transcripts and paper transcripts have to be processed; they are not automatically connected to your student application. Allow at least two weeks for NCSSM to process your transcript.
Evaluations Teachers and counselors will be contacted about evaluations in late January. Once evaluations are completed and received by the Office of Admissions, "Yes" will appear beside the evaluation in your application account . Be proactive to remind a teacher/counselor to complete the form if it has not been completed, by the first week of March.