<p>Well I don’t think there are quotas and caps but the data I’ve seen indicates to me that you do have an advantage coming from a rural area. And UNC’s admission policy isn’t exactly crystal clear. Look at this statement from 1997 (I think?):</p>
<pre><code>Minorities. What about quotas for racial minorities? Although there are no actual quotas, there are some hazily defined admissions principles that result in special consideration for minority and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. Undergraduate admission s Associate Director Herbert Davis explained: "The entire UNC admissions process is based on affirmative action-an approach that makes our campus truly representative of the state’s population. If we weren’t interested in diversity, we would do as many schools do, and simply admit students with the highest SAT scores and grade point averages.
"But we think diversity is desirable. So we may choose an outstanding white student from a rural mountain community even though his or her scores may be less impressive than those recorded by a student from a metropolitan area.
“In the same way, we strive to admit promising young people from all walks of life even though their SATs may not be competitive. These days, minority applicants from middle-class backgrounds seldom need special consideration-they can compete on thei r own. But we do take a special look at applications from disadvantaged minority students who are promising in ways other than SAT scores and grades. However, we do not admit minority students who are not qualified for UNC over majority students who are qualified.”
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