MA GPA is 3.81. OMG, finally TvT.

A very strange time to receive a response

TBH I thought I did terrible during the interview but ig not. Also was really confused when they sent out interview invitations to begin with since they don’t mention it as part of the application process. LETS GOOOO.

Got accepted without funding in late March, and a few weeks later received a generous funding package.

1W/0A/2R. Undergrad GPA 3.9. MA GPA 4.0. Waitlisted then rejected, but I only know I was waitlisted because I emailed asking for an update in early April. No official notice of waitlist. When I reached out, they said that they were "accepting very few PhD students this year due to faculty retirements.” The rejection letter was the usual boiler plate. I went to this school, so it stings a little extra.

Extremely unprofessional. I had to email the Graduate School and English Graduate Coordinator no less than five times to get a response about my application which of course was a denial. The portal never updated nor did I receive a notification on their own behest. This is not the proper way to treat a good faith applicant. I expected more from them and would never reapply again.

Accepted off waitlist

Got off the waitlist at the very last minute. I still cannot believe it. The war is over.

I knew it was coming..

Accepted off the waitlist 4/13/26. GPA is Master's.

Like in past years, they released the decision at 1 AM Pacific Time/4 AM Eastern Time! Congrats to everybody who was accepted. I'm surprised they took so long to get back to us because their apps were due December 1, but I'm just glad to know now.

I initially emailed their department on March 5th, not seeing anywhere on the portal to check for updates. They gave a kind enough response: "I can tell you that while our list of admits is not finalized, we are very unlikely to offer you a spot." On March 27th, received an update to the portal: "On behalf of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I offer my sincere appreciation for your demonstrated interest in pursuing graduate studies at the University. Your application for admission has now been reviewed by the faculty of English and Comparative Literature. With regret, I must inform you that it will not be possible to offer you admission to the English and Comparative Literature program. The UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School receives a large number of high-quality applications each year, making admittance to The Graduate School an especially competitive process. Many factors inform our admission process, including scholastic performance, test scores, letters of recommendation, anticipated certifications, special aptitudes and coursework, background in the proposed area of study, and relevant experience. Faculty members also consider how well our program may fit the applicant's particular research objectives and professional interests. Please know that we very much appreciate the time and effort you put into the materials you submitted, as well as the opportunity you gave us to consider your application. I wish you much success in your future academic endeavors."

MFA/MA Dual Program

Applied for Creative Writing. Considered the wait rude. Easily moving on from this program.

5 rejections / 2 acceptance / 7 applied I had been waitlisted at the beginning of February and got good news on Thursday! Good luck to all of those still waiting to hear!