All-Funds Budget Narrative FY 2026

Through the FY26 All Funds Budgeting process, the University of North Carolina Wilmington will make meaningful investments that support system-wide strategic objectives along with priorities identified in UNCW’s strategic plan. The budget was further informed by an institutional commitment to providing students and taxpayers with an incredible value proposition, which matches accessibility and affordability with high-quality academic programs to ensure graduates are prepared to meet North Carolina’s workforce needs and realize long-term career success. Finally, the FY26 budget also reflects UNCW’s commitment to disciplined financial planning, which ensures the financial stability and sustainability of the University and each of its component units. A summary of how the FY26 budget supports the aforementioned objectives is outlined below.

Strategic Alignment

To support UNCW’s improvement with respect to UNC System performance metrics and progress towards objectives outlined in UNCW’s new strategic plan, the FY26 budget provides additional investments in a variety of programs and areas that are essential for attracting, serving, and retaining students, and helping to ensure their success post-graduation. These new investments include, but are not limited to:

• Academic Advising: Effective academic advising directly supports students in setting clear academic objectives, enrolling strategically in courses, and proactively addressing academic challenges. As a result, in FY26, UNCW will be investing an additional $651,000 to hire up to nine additional full-time academic advisors. This targeted investment will expand our advising capacity, ensuring all undergraduate students consistently receive personalized guidance from professional or faculty advisors, ultimately enhancing their ability to complete degrees on schedule and advancing UNCW’s performance on key UNC System metrics.
• High-ROI Academic Programs: Recognizing the UNC System’s emphasis on providing a strong return on investment (ROI) for students and taxpayers of North Carolina, UNCW is allocating over $4 million to support new faculty hires and instruction across a number of disciplines that exhibit strong demand and/or directly address the workforce needs of our state and region. Specific programs receiving support through this allocation include, but are not limited to: Accounting, Business Analytics, Coastal Engineering, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems, Nursing, and Supply Chain Management.
• Student Support Services: Recognizing the direct linkage between student support services and student outcomes, UNCW is making notable investments in critical student support service units. Specifically, the FY26 budget will invest approximately $270,000 to address staffing needs in the Disability Resource Center, which offers students tailored academic testing and accommodation solutions. In addition, $168,000 will be provided to the University Learning Center to expand tutoring and structured study sessions for students across various disciplines. Collectively, these initiatives help reduce drop, fail, and withdrawal incidents for students and maintain progress towards their respective degrees.

Access and Affordability

UNCW remains deeply committed to student access and affordability, demonstrated by continued progress on each of the UNC System performance metrics related to student debt. To build upon this progress, the FY26 budget includes targeted investments in key areas, including:

• Student Aid: An additional recurring investment of $760,000 will scale UNCW’s need-based financial aid to better meet the needs of our students. This enhanced support will reduce the amount resident students need to borrow, maintaining accessibility and affordability for students with demonstrated financial need.
• Student Employment: UNCW will expand on-campus student employment opportunities in critical areas, including tutors in the University Learning Center and Resident Assistant roles within Housing and Residence Life. Additionally, the Career Center which provides career counseling and facilitates off-campus work opportunities/paid internships, will receive additional funding to help scale applicable services and better support the needs of students. These opportunities not only reduce students’ reliance on loans but also provide valuable career experience beneficial after graduation.
• Maintaining Progress to Degree: To further reduce the cost burden on students, UNCW will invest over $400,000 to strengthen summer instruction offerings, particularly targeting courses with historically high DFW (Drop/Fail/Withdrawal) rates that can delay timely graduation. By facilitating smoother and quicker paths to degree completion, these investments help students avoid the added financial burdens and lost earning potential associated with extended enrollment periods.

Financial Sustainability

UNCW continues to employ internal review and reallocation processes to ensure financially sound and sustainable operations. This is evidenced by a major campuswide reallocation of more than $2 million in recurring funds implemented in FY24, achieved by rightsizing budgets in units experiencing declining enrollment, consolidating overlapping services, and realigning staff workloads.

This focus continued in the development of the FY26 budget, as the Provost, CFO, and applicable deans reviewed SCH production and workload ratios for each academic department and used this information to inform many of the strategic investments outlined in the previous sections. In addition, similar screening and review processes were employed for applicable trust and auxiliary operations and used to develop individual operating budgets for each unit for the upcoming fiscal year.

Conclusion

UNCW’s FY26 budget reflects a strong alignment between resources and results. It builds on the University’s momentum in improving student outcomes, invests in strategic academic priorities with proven workforce relevance, and reinforces the institution’s commitment to fiscal discipline and operational excellence. By aligning financial decisions with UNC System goals and the campus mission, UNCW is well-positioned to continue delivering strong value for students, families, and the citizens of North Carolina.