Be Eligible to Apply
10th Grade! Applicants must currently be in the 10th grade. There is not an age requirement.
North Carolina Only Applicants’ parents/legal guardians must be permanent residents of North Carolina by December 1st of the applicant's 10th grade year.
Residency Verification Parents/guardians must complete residency information on the application to confirm that a family meets either program’s North Carolina residency requirements.
Public or Private? The program is open to all students (public, private, home schooled) that meet the other criteria.
Moving? If you have just moved into North Carolina or may move out of state, please contact the admissions office for guidance.
Military? The electronic application will collect information for military families that meet special requirements for in-state residency. Non-NC citizens stationed in North Carolina, as well as NC citizens stationed outside of North Carolina may be eligible. You can contact the admissions office for assistance.
Cost?
There is no cost to apply. Students selected for either program (via a complete application) also pay no cost to attend. A security deposit is required if selected.
Complete an Electronic Application
The NCSSM Application can be completed by electronic means only. There are no exceptions. In order to apply, students must have an application account.
When can I start? The NCSSM electronic application will be available online in mid-October. The application deadline is January 15th.
When must I finish? An application must be finished 21 days after you open your application account OR by January 15th, whichever comes first. There are no exceptions to the January deadline.
Do I need my parents/guardians? Yes. You cannot start an account without your parent's email address. Your parents must activate a link emailed to them. Parents/guardians must complete the residency page and parent/guardian contact page.
Do parents/guardians fill out everything? No, we expect students to complete all parts of the application asking questions about the student.
I need help with an application question! See our Application Question Helper page.
Take the SAT
You must take the SAT as a sophomore as part of the application process. Only score reports from tests administered on the following dates will be accepted:
- October 1, 2011
- November 5, 2011
- December 3, 2011
- January 28, 2012
Test site cancellations due to inclement weather often occur during January, so plan accordingly.
Do I have to take the SAT First? You can start your electronic application prior to taking the SAT.
Get my scores to NCSSM!
- Paper Form? On a hard copy of the SAT registration form enter the NCSSM special code 2241 in Block 11A.
- Registering Online? Select North Carolina School of Science and Math from the list of schools, to send the score report.
How do you use my score?
The Admissions Selection Committee compares your SAT score against the average score for your high school or county as published by the state of North Carolina. There is no minimum score requirement.
Can I send multiple test scores? If you take the SAT more than once from the dates listed above and send the scores, we will automatically use the highest SAT score from each section of all the dates you have tested.
Do you accept my older SAT scores? No. We only accept SAT scores from the listed test dates during your sophomore year.
Do you accept PSAT or ACT scores? No. We only accept SAT scores from the listed test dates.
Obtain Teacher and Counselor Evaluations
Applicants must secure electronic evaluations from a:
- 9th or 10th grade Science Teacher
- 9th or 10th grade Mathematics Teacher
- 9th or 10th grade English Teacher
- Current guidance counselor
Who asks the teacher/counselor? Before you submit your electronic application, you need to choose and ask the teachers and counselor whether they are willing to complete an evaluation.
How do they fill out an evaluation? NCSSM will contact teachers and counselors with information on how to submit an evaluation, via email at the end of January.
How can I help? Easy. Type an accurate teacher/counselor email address (official school email address) into your application when asked. Typos can cause your evaluations to be delayed. You are responsible for entering a correct email address.
More questions? See our teacher/counselor evaluation help center page.
Attend a Discovery Day
Discovery Days have numerous sessions for both you and your family to showcase NCSSM’s academics and student life. On Discovery Day, applicants will take a timed NCSSM math test.
Who Attends? All residential program applicants and at least one parent/guardian are required to attend an assigned Discovery Day on the campus. Applicants applying only to the online program are not required to attend.
When Are They? Dates are assigned by county. Tentative Discovery Day dates are listed on the Admissions Timeline page at www.ncssm.edu/drupal/admissions/admissions-timeline and will also appear on your electronic application after January 15. There is a morning session and an afternoon session. Specific details will be sent to you a few weeks prior to your Discovery Day.
A Test! Yes, a timed NCSSM Math test is given at Discovery Day. The test is used by the Admissions Selection Committee as part of the evaluation of your application. The math test covers Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II concepts (no calculators are permitted).
- Applicants applying only to the online program do not take the Math test (or attend a Discovery Day).
- Information concerning testing accomodations during Discovery Day will be emailed to applicants after January 15th.
Submit a Transcript
The NCSSM Office of Admissions will accept transcripts from early February until March 9, 2012. The transcript must show completed 9th and first semester 10th grade grades.
All Public Schools Except Charlotte-Mecklenburg In early February, you will submit an electronic transcript through CFNC (College Foundation of North Carolina). See our Help Center Page on Transcripts for more details.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg and All Private Schools In early February, you will request that a sealed, official copy of your transcript be sent to NCSSM by your high school guidance department. See our Help Center Page on Transcripts for more details.
More Transcript Questions? See our Help Center Page on Transcripts for details.