Temporary premium access, granted by the Varsity NC team and activated on your schedule.
A day pass gives you full premium subscriber access to Varsity NC for a limited time — without creating a paid subscription. Passes are typically granted to story subjects, interview guests, contest winners, or anyone our team wants to thank or preview the site for.
Day passes are granted by the Varsity NC team — you can't purchase one. If you're selected for a pass, we'll add it to your account using the email address we have on file. This works whether or not you already have a Varsity NC account:
The countdown does not start the moment we grant the pass — it starts when you choose to activate it. Here's how:
You can dismiss the banner to activate later, but your pass stays waiting until you use it or it's revoked.
While your pass is active, you get the same access as a paid subscriber:
Passes are granted in 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day lengths. The clock runs continuously once activated — it doesn't pause if you're away. When the pass expires, your account returns to free access automatically. No payment is ever required, and nothing is billed.
If you receive a new pass while an active one is still running, the new pass extendsyour access from your current expiration date — so you never lose time by activating early.