University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill)

UNC-Chapel Hill is at the heart of what’s next, preparing talented students from different perspectives and life experiences to become creators, explorers, entrepreneurs and leaders. Tar Heels develop a voice for critical thought and the courage to op a voice for critical thought and the courage to guide change. Carolina’s nationally recognized teaching, groundbreaking research and dedication to public service continue a legacy that began when the University was chartered in 1789 and opened to students four years later. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC-Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, making it the oldest public university in the United States. The university offers degrees in over 70 courses of study and is administratively divided into 13 separate professional schools and a primary unit, the College of Arts & Sciences. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). The National Science Foundation ranked UNC–Chapel Hill ninth among American universities for research and development expenditures in 2023 with $1.5 billion. The campus covers 760 acres (310 ha), encompassing the Morehead Planetarium and the many stores and shops located on Franklin Street. Students can participate in over 550 officially recognized student organizations. UNC-Chapel Hill is a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was founded on June 14, 1953. The university's athletic teams compete in 28 intercollegiate sports and are known as the Tar Heels. They have won 51 NCAA team championships in eight different sports which ranks eighth all time, and 52 individual national championships. UNC-Chapel Hill is one of three corners of North Carolina's Research Triangle. The other two corners are North Carolina State University in Raleigh and Duke University in Durham. The University of North Carolina was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly on December 11, 1789; its cornerstone was laid on October 12, 1793, at Chapel Hill, chosen because of its central location within the state. It is one of three universities that claims to be the oldest public university in the United States, and the only such institution to confer degrees in the eighteenth century as a public institution. During the Civil War, North Carolina Governor David Lowry Swain persuaded Confederate President Jefferson Davis to exempt some students from the draft, so the university was one of the few in the Confederacy that managed to stay open. However, Chapel Hill suffered the loss of more of its population during the war than any village in the South, and when student numbers did not recover, the university was forced to close during Reconstruction from December 1, 1870, until September 6, 1875. Following the reopening, enrollment was slow to increase and university administrators offered free tuition for the sons of teachers and ministers, as well as loans for those who could not afford attendance. Following the Civil War, the university began to modernize its programs and onboard faculty with prestigious degrees. The creation of a new gymnasium, funding for a new Chemistry laboratory, and organization of the Graduate Department were accomplishments touted by UNC president Francis Venable at the 1905 "University Day" celebration. Despite initial skepticism from university President Frank Porter Graham, on March 27, 1931, legislation was passed to group the University of North Carolina with the State College of Agriculture and Engineering and Woman's College of the University of North Carolina to form the Consolidated University of North Carolina. In 1963, the consolidated university was made fully coeducational, although most women still attended Woman's College for their first two years, transferring to Chapel Hill as juniors, since freshmen were required to live on campus and there was only one women's residence hall. As a result, Woman's College was renamed the "University of North Carolina at Greensboro", and the University of North Carolina became the "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill". During World War II, UNC was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. In 1951, a court ordered the university to admit the first Black students to the schools of law and medicine. The first students were Harvey Beech, James Lassiter, J. Kenneth Lee, Floyd McKissick, and James Robert Walker in law and Oscar Diggs in medicine. In 1955 after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed all forms of segregation in the public schools, federal courts ordered the admission of black undergraduates to the university. The first three—Leroy Frasier, John Lewis Brandon and Ralph Frasier—were from Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina. Black enrollment remained low for many years. There were four black freshmen in 1960 and only eighteen in 1963. ...view more