The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also known as UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC, or simply Carolina, is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina system. The first public institution of higher education in North Carolina, the school opened its doors to students on February 12, 1795. More than 220 years later, UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the nation’s leading research universities and consistently ranks among the top 30 schools by various measures. The university offers a wide range of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
UNC-Chapel Hill is located in the heart of North Carolina’s Research Triangle region (RT), home to more than 50 companies that have been created from university research and more than 200 startups. The region provides many opportunities for collaborative research and commercialization between UNC-Chapel Hill and industry partners. In addition to its strong commitment to academic excellence, UNC-Chapel Hill is also dedicated to service and outreach. The university has a long history of working with communities across North Carolina and around the world to address pressing issues such as poverty, illiteracy, disease prevention, and environmental sustainability.
As one of the eight original Public Ivies—a group of publicly funded universities considered comparable to Ivy League institutions—UNC-Chapel Hill is consistently ranked highly by various measures. In 2019 alone it was ranked #5 by U.S News & World Report for “Best National Universities”; #9 by Kiplinger for “Best Value Colleges”; #13 by Forbes for “Top Public Colleges”;
“#2 Best Global University” according