Our Mission 

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is dedicated to the integration of teaching, mentoring, research and service. Widely acknowledged for its superb faculty and staff and consistently recognized at a national level for scholarly excellence and affordability, UNCW offers a powerful academic experience that stimulates creative inquiry and critical thinking. 

UNCW, a public institution with nearly 16,000 students, offers an array of high-quality programs at the baccalaureate and graduate levels as well as doctoral programs in educational leadership, marine biology, nursing practice and psychology. UNCW also offers a number of distance learning options, including clinical research, an accelerated R.N.-to-B.S.N. program and an Executive MBA program, taught exclusively online and specifically structured for working professionals. The university operates extension sites in several regional counties.

UNCW is recognized nationally as a military-friendly university and works closely with Coastal Carolina Community College, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River to offer programs designed for military personnel and their families. UNCW is committed to providing resources to military-affiliated students transitioning into the university. The Office of Military Affairs coordinates a comprehensive program of support services for military-affiliated students and advocates for student veterans, active-duty personnel and dependents.

The university takes a leadership role in the long-term growth of the region. UNCW actively supports economic development through advanced biotech research at its CREST Research Park and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which works to identify and nurture high-growth, low-impact companies in southeastern North Carolina.

Learn more about UNCW at www.uncw.edu.

Student Profile

Total enrollment 15,740
*2016 fall semester reporting as of October  2016

Undergraduate 13,914       

Graduate 1,826

UNCW is dedicated to offering a community rich in diversity and inclusion, global perspectives and enriching the quality of life through scholarly community engagement. The university has formed numerous partnerships that provide students with internships, volunteer opportunities and research experiences.

As a long-time member of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and recipient of the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, UNCW is deeply committed to civic engagement. The university offers service-learning courses and philanthropic opportunities to faculty, staff and students.

Faculty Profile

UNCW employs 1,041 faculty (2016 fall semester reporting as of October 2016) in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the Cameron School of Business, the Center for Marine Science, the Graduate School, Randall Library and the Watson College of Education. A majority of faculty hold doctoral or other terminal degrees. 

Learn more at www.uncw.edu/oira/data.html.

UNCW Earns Top Rankings

The Princeton Review
The University of North Carolina Wilmington is a featured school on The Princeton Review’s list of “Best Southeastern Colleges 2017.”

U.S. News & World Report
UNCW has consistently had a prominent presence on the U.S. News list. The university is ranked 6th among public universities and 16th overall in the publication’s list of “Best Regional Universities in the South for 2017.”

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
UNCW has been named a “Best College Value for 2017” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, ranking in the top 100 public universities.

Fiske Guide to Colleges
UNCW was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2017, which highlights the nation’s “best and most interesting” colleges and universities.

Military Times
UNCW ranks 58th on a national list of “Best for Vets: Colleges 2017” by Military Times, an independent publication for members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. Among North Carolina colleges and universities, UNCW placed 3^rd amid veteran-friendly colleges and universities.

More information is available at www.uncw.edu/rankings.

Diversity and Inclusion

In the pursuit of excellence, the University of North Carolina Wilmington actively fosters, encourages and promotes inclusiveness, mutual respect, acceptance and open-mindedness among students, faculty, staff and the broader community. Diversity is an educational benefit that enhances the academic experience and fosters a free exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives.

UNCW has been recognized for impressive gains in graduation rates nationally among four-year public universities from The Education Trust, having significantly improved six-year graduation rates among underrepresented minorities and reduced the gap between white and minority students over the past decade. That progress occurred even as average graduation rates improved for all students. 

More information on our university-wide diversity efforts and support can be found at www.uncw.edu/diversity.

Employment

UNCW is committed to and will provide equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sex (such as marital status or pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, political affiliation, veteran status or relationship to other university constituents, except where sex, age or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for state-funded employee benefit programs.

For more information, visit www.uncw.edu/hr.