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SEAHAWKS IN ACTION

Enjoy a powerful academic experience that stimulates creative inquiry, critical thinking and thoughtful expression.

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UNCW Magazine Has Arrived!

Welcome to UNCW Magazine—your inside look at the people, places, and stories that make our coastal campus so special.

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UNCW Prepares for an Active Hurricane Season

UNCW urges hurricane preparedness and communication awareness ahead of an above-average season.

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Seahawk FAM

UNCW Kenan Auditorium is delighted to share a series of programs for families called SEAHAWK Family Arts Matinees, or SEAHAWK FAM for short. You can catch these special one-hour shows on Thursday mornings throughout July and August, all in UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium.

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Beyond the Tassel

Explore the special 2025 Spring Commencement page for inspiring student profiles, alumni resources and photo galleries that capture unforgettable moments of our graduates' big day!

Join the Celebration!
Graduate celebrating commencement

Researcher Leads Efforts to Understand PFAS Effects

North Carolina’s water systems are threatened by PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” due to their persistence. In response, the state has established the NC PFAS Testing Network at UNCW's Center for Marine Science.

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Hai Pan, a research specialist in Ralph Mead's research lab, works with students collecting sampling data at the Center for Marine Science.

UNCW Drives $3.2 Billion Economic Growth in NC

UNC Wilmington's economic impact study reveals a $3.2 billion contribution to the state's economy, highlighting the university's pivotal role in driving regional growth and prosperity. Key findings include significant job support, alumni income contributions, and a robust influence on the eight-county Cape Fear Region.

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Rivera located in downtown Wilmington

Undergraduates Step into Physics Research

UNCW undergraduates have the unique chance to engage in cutting-edge nuclear physics research at Jefferson Lab, thanks to Professor Liping Gan and the university’s Medium Energy Physics group. This decades-long collaboration provides students with hands-on experience using advanced equipment and contributes to significant scientific publications.

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The Hall D detector at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia, provides an applied learning and research opportunity for students. From left: Liping Gan (UNCW physics professor); undergraduate students Olivia Nippe-Jeakins (George Washington University), Shane Whaley (UNCW), Ben Simpson (UNCW); Alexander “Sasha” Somov (Jefferson Lab Hall D staff scientist); and Laveen Puthiya Veetil (UNCW postdoctoral scholar).

107

Among Public National Universities, U.S. News & World Report

8 Years

Featured in the Fiske Guide to Colleges

12th

Nationally, Best Online Bachelor's Programs, U.S. News & World Report

Celebrate Graduates!

This year, we’re turning the tassel on tradition. Follow along on our commencement highlight page for real-time stories, powerful photos and unforgettable moments.

Explore Highlights
SEAHAWK Fam

Seahawk Family Arts Matinees

Special one-hour shows Thursday mornings throughout July and August.

Read more
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SEAHAWK STORIES

As a Seahawk, your flight is your own. We each launch from communities that have shaped us, and we build new communities as we go—some right here on the UNCW campus. Hear from the fierce and generous individuals who are making our community stronger, more diverse, more unique.

Meet more Seahawks

Sammy C. Hawk rides a surf simulator at a campus event

Seahawks Give

Goal achieved! More than 1,875 Seahawks created a tidal wave of $4,165,586 in support!

View the Results

Chancellor’s Corner

Portrait of Chancellor Volety

A Message from the Chancellor

Congratulations to UNCW’s most recent graduates! More than 3,100 students celebrated receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees this spring, including the first student to earn a doctoral degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from UNCW.
More from the Chancellor
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Explore Our Campus. Take the UNCW Virtual Tour

OUR COMMITMENT TO

Educational Excellence
Outreach & Engagement
Global Connections
Our Alumni & Friends
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Educational Excellence

UNCW stands out among the best universities in the UNC System, ranking near the Top 100 Public Universities in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The UNCW experience integrates teaching and mentoring with research and service, preparing students to soar after graduation.
Top 20 Nationally
See where we rank
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Outreach & Engagement

Whether it's teaching a child to read, pounding nails to build a new house or planting vegetables at a community farm, find a multitude of opportunities to connect to our community and support a thriving future for southeastern North Carolina, our surrounding region, the nation and the world.
Opportunities Await
Connections & Belonging
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Global Connections

International education is integral to global citizenship. At UNCW we offer education abroad programs for undergraduate and graduate students, nurture faculty and staff international professional development, host international students studying at UNCW and support on-campus extracurricular international programming.
Go Global
Get Connected
Group of alumni at an event

Alumni & Friends

You’ve earned your degree, spread your wings, taken flight and are soaring. And we all know that once a Seahawk, always a Seahawk! No matter where you are or what you’re doing, we’re here to connect and involve you – our alumni, students and friends – in the promotion and advancement of this great university.
Connect
Get Involved
A group of middle school students snorkel in an ocean cove with guides

Supporting Global Ocean Education

I AM WATER

I AM WATER and UNCW researchers are empowering youth to protect the ocean through hands-on conservation and immersive marine education.
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Research vessel on the ocean

Research Hubs Dive Deep

Focus on Maritime Cybersecurity and Brain Health

The UNCW’s Research Hubs program supports interdisciplinary research collaborations with $100,000 annually for up to three years, focusing on maritime cybersecurity and brain health. The Maritime Cybersecurity Applied Research, Technology and Education Center (MCARTEC) aims to enhance the cyber resilience of the maritime transportation system, while the Brain Health Resilience Hub addresses brain health issues through innovative research and collaboration.

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aerial view of the Battleship North Carolina in downtown Wilmington

Creating a Living Laboratory

Finding Solutions. Protecting Resources.

A project aimed at mitigating floodwater issues at the Battleship North Carolina site involves monitoring the challenging marsh environment. UNCW's Coastal and Estuarine Studies Lab is tracking physical and biological changes to address significant increases in flooding at the historic site. 

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a man kayaking on a river

Discovering New Knowledge

Excavating Evidence of Early Agricultural Engineering

With the use of a side-scan sonar and positioning systems, researchers are searching for archaeological evidence of the rice fields once situated along the lower Cape Fear and Brunswick rivers’ banks.

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researchers working with equipment on a research vessel

Collaborative Research

Understanding Frying Pan Shoals Ecology

UNCW researchers and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are studying Frying Pan Shoals as a possible offshore sand source. The university will receive $2 million in funding for the four-year collaborative research project.

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01

  • 1st

    Wilmington declared the first World War II Heritage City in the U.S.

  • 2nd

    Best Places in U.S. to Live & Work

  • 322

    Miles of Pristine Shoreline in NC