After a record number of first-deadline applications in the fall, 6,948 early action students were offered admission to UNC.

The pool of 19,842 was 16 percent larger than last year, marking the fourth consecutive year that Carolina has set a record for the number of early-action applicants.

Regular admission applicants find out in March whether or not they have been accepted to UNC, but early-action applicants found out late January.

For the 11th consecutive year, UNC has broken their record for first-year admission applications, with a total of 35,821 students. That number is up 12 percent from last year.

The university expects 4,000 new first-year students to enroll in August.

Eighty-four percent of all admitted students whose schools reported class rank are ranked in the top 10 percent of their class. Nearly half are ranked in the top 10 students of their high school class.

The first student to enroll this year was Athens Drive senior Brian Fay.

“Having visited my brother, who is a senior at UNC, over the past four years, I’m familiar with the caliber of the academic programs and the great atmosphere of the campus,” he said. “The proximity to home and the fact that Carolina is consistently ranked as a top value for higher education also made this my first choice. I can’t wait to start at Chapel Hill.”