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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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Where Students Shape the Future of Brain Health Research

UNCW’s Brain Health Resilience Research Hub is giving students hands-on opportunities to advance brain health research, from concussion prevention and stroke recovery to addiction treatment and dementia studies.

Explore Brain Research
Holden Krueger a sophomore in Computer Science, puts together hardware as part of his job for UNCW’s Brain Health Resilience Research Hub.

At the Center of Ancient Roman Pottery

UNCW archaeologist reconstructs everyday life in the ancient Roman world while offering insights into human behavior.

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Nicholas Hudson reconstructs pottery

Where Research Supports Community Solutions

UNCW research is driving real-world change, connecting innovation, partnership and community impact from the coast to communities beyond.

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drone image of coastal North Carolina

Wellbeing Tools for Every Seahawk

Thrive as a Seahawk with easy access to counseling, wellbeing programs, self-help tools and mental health support resources. 

Explore Resources
UNCW campus in the spring

Built for Discovery

With the arrival of the state-of-the-art R/V Osprey, UNCW is charting a new course for discovery, education and marine research.

Welcome Aboard
UNCW Research Vessel Osprey

Nursing Enrollment Surges Through Community Partnership

UNCW and CFCC are educating more future nurses through a collaborative workforce initiative that has increased nursing enrollment capacity by 77.5%.

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Nursing students in a lab

Community‑Driven Medical School Advances

UNCW is accelerating a long‑awaited vision, taking its first major step toward establishing a new public medical school.

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Veteran Hall on the UNCW campus

A New Season of Live Experiences Begins

Get ready for an unforgettable season with Kenan Auditorium Presents, featuring inspiring music, captivating stories, vibrant cultures, and extraordinary live performances from around the world.

Purchase Tickets
Graphic with dancers and actors with the words 2026-27 Season and Kenan Auditorium Presents

UNCW Magazine

The latest UNCW Magazine digs into smart farm solutions using AI and robotics, real-world business consultancy projects and sparking joy in the classroom.

Discover More
Robot collects soil data

Network of Partners. A World of Opportunity.

Cameron School of Business students apply their skills in real‑world consulting projects, delivering research‑driven, actionable solutions that organizations often implement.

Experience Applied Learning
Student presenting research in front of a group

116

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

Chancellor’s Corner

Chancellor Volety

UNCW is moving into this academic year with remarkable momentum, reflected in the many ways the university continues to grow and thrive. In our 79th year, UNCW welcomed the largest enrollment in university history, with more than 20,500 students choosing UNCW for their educational journey. They are selecting a university that US News & World Report has again recognized among the nation's top public institutions.

Read the Chancellor’s message

panoramic view of Veterans Hall

Explore Our Campus. Take the UNCW Virtual Tour

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

Alumni Association honors graduating seahawks by hosting the Senior Toast

UNCW Alumni Association welcomes Class of 2026!

Now a network with more than 114,000 graduates, the Alumni Association offers alumni the opportunity to create impact, build connections and soar beyond campus. 

Learn How Alumni SOAR

OUR COMMITMENT TO

Educational Excellence
Outreach & Engagement
Global Connections
Our Alumni & Friends
Hand holding a rolled diploma in the air

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
Group of people at a building site

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
Group of students in front of mountains

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
Students counting sea turtle eggs

UN ‘Sea’ W

Advancing Turtle Conservation, Education and Outreach

Sea turtles are more than charismatic marine creatures — they’re vital barometers of ocean health. By studying their movements and physiology, graduate researchers Caroline VanDuzer and Jamie Clark are uncovering how rising temperatures are reshaping marine ecosystems.  Read the Full Feature Story
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

UNCW’s Research Hubs program advances innovation in two key areas: maritime cybersecurity and brain health. The Maritime Cybersecurity Applied Research, Technology and Education Center (MCARTEC) strengthens the cyber resilience of the nation’s maritime transportation system, while the Brain Health Resilience Hub tackles complex brain health challenges through collaborative, interdisciplinary research.

Read the Full Feature Story

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. 

READ THE FULL NEWS STORY

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.

Read the full story

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.

Read the Full News Story

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