Academic Rigor

Academic rigor is all about the challenging and demanding aspects of learning. It’s about setting high expectations for yourself, pushing to develop a deep understanding of subjects, and honing your critical thinking skills. We’re looking for students who consistently excel, earning mostly A’s in their most challenging courses.

Community Involvement and Interaction

Community Involvement and Interaction refers to an individual’s active and meaningful participation within various group settings, demonstrating their capacity to contribute, collaborate, and positively influence their environment. This engagement extends beyond individual pursuits and showcases a commitment to groups and causes larger than oneself. Some examples of community involvement include extracurricular activities, organized sports, volunteer work, and religious organizations.

Critical Reading/Writing Ability

Critical reading and writing ability is a fundamental academic and intellectual skill that extends beyond simply understanding or reproducing information. It involves a sophisticated engagement with texts and the thoughtful construction of one’s own ideas. This can be demonstrated through your essay responses.

Enthusiasm for STEM

Enthusiasm for STEM is all about having a real passion and curiosity for how the world works and how we can make it better. Essentially, enthusiasm for STEM means you’re genuinely excited to explore, understand, and shape the future through scientific inquiry, technological innovation, engineering design, and mathematical reasoning. This can be demonstrated through your application, essays, and academic record.

Grades

For evaluation purposes, we will only consider grades from high school courses you completed during your ninth- and 10th-grade academic years. This means any high school-level courses taken in middle school, such as in seventh or eighth grade, will not be factored into this specific assessment of your academic profile. We are looking for students who have earned mostly A’s in challenging courses.

Need for NCSSM/Enthusiasm for Learning 

This isn’t about whether you can get a good education at your current school. It’s about whether NCSSM offers something unique and essential that your current school, no matter how good, might not be able to provide. We want to understand if you genuinely need the specific environment and opportunities that NCSSM offers to reach your full potential. Essentially, “Need for NCSSM” means you’ve reached a point where your intellectual curiosity and academic ambition are pushing beyond what your current environment can fully support, and NCSSM offers the next crucial step in your educational journey. This can be demonstrated through your application, essays, and academic record.

Work Ethic and Initiative 

When we talk about “Work Ethic and Initiative,” we’re describing two powerful qualities that show how committed and proactive you are in your academic journey and beyond. These aren’t just about being smart; they’re about how you approach challenges and opportunities. Your Work Ethic is essentially your commitment to doing a good job, consistently and diligently. It’s about how much effort, dedication, and responsibility you put into your tasks. In short, a strong work ethic means you are a dedicated, responsible, and persistent learner who consistently puts in the effort required to succeed and excel. This can be demonstrated through your application, essays, and academic record.

Math Assessment

The NCSSM Mathematics Admissions Assessment is a 30-question, 40-minute assessment and is taken without the use of a calculator. The questions are designed to measure a student’s ability in pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry topics. The material on this assessment is usually taught in seventh grade, eighth grade, Math 1, and Algebra 1 courses across North Carolina.

Counselor, English, and STEM Evaluations

For NCSSM applications, evaluations from counselors, English teachers, and STEM teachers are not submitted as traditional letters. Instead, applicants provide the contact information for their evaluators. NCSSM then sends a direct link to these individuals, allowing them to complete a structured online form. This streamlined process ensures efficiency and standardization in the evaluation of all applicants. Students will not be penalized if an evaluation is submitted after the initial contact information has been provided.

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. Copies of the applicable law and of implementing School regulations are available for inspection in the NCSSM Admissions Office. The controlling North Carolina statute, G.S. 116-235(b)(1), requires:

The school shall admit students in accordance with criteria, standards, and procedures established by the Board of Trustees. To be eligible to be considered for admission, an applicant must be a legal resident of the state, as defined by G.S. 116-143.1 (a)(1), or a student whose parent is an active duty member of the armed services, as defined by G. S. 116-143.3(2), who is abiding in this State incident to active military duty at the time the application is submitted, provided that the student shares the abode of the parent; eligibility to remain enrolled in the School shall terminate at the end of any school year during which a student becomes a nonresident of the State.

Policy set by the Board of Trustees requires that the school “enroll only students whose custodial parent or legal guardian has established permanent legal residency in North Carolina by December 1 of the school year in which the student applies for admissions and who otherwise meet the admissions criteria of the School.” To be classified as a resident for admissions and attendance purposes, you must furnish such evidence as the School may require to enable it to make such classification.

Who Needs to Complete the RDS process?

All candidates who apply to NCSSM-Durham, NCSSM-Morganton, NCSSM Online, or any combination of these programs are required to complete the Residency Determination Service (RDS) process. Without an RDS number, students will be unable to complete their NCSSM application on CFNC.org.

Candidates who apply to Summer Ventures ONLY, do not need to complete the RDS process.

Please visit https://www.ncssm.edu/admissions/residency-requirement or www.ncresidency.org, “What to Know,” “FAQ,” and “Resources” tabs for more information and help with the RDS process.