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Seahawks Soar Together

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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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Memorial Day Message

As our nation observes Memorial Day, we pause to honor the service members who gave their lives in defense of our freedoms. Their sacrifice sustains the ideals at the heart of the American experiment, now, 250 years strong, and it calls each of us to reflect on the meaning of service, courage and community. At UNCW, this day carries particular significance. With more than 2,300 military‑affiliated students, faculty and staff, our campus understands the weight of this remembrance and the personal stories behind it.

Read the Memorial Day message
American flags planted in front of Seahawk Sculpture

Congratulations Class of 2026!

Relive scenes from spring commencement ceremonies on the special feature page.

Check out highlights!
Celebrating graduates look at Seahawk sculpture

SEAHAWK FAM at Kenan Auditorium

Catch the magic of summer at UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium with SEAHAWK Family Arts Matinees. SEAHAWK FAM features shows crafted to spark creativity and unforgettable fun.

Join the Fun
Image of a dinosaur egg and dinosuars in the background

The Coast Is Calling

The latest UNCW Magazine explores the university's coastal identity through people, programs, places and partnerships.

Discover More
Students on a beach

CIE and OIC Drive Change Through Innovation and Collaboration

UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Office of Innovation and Commercialization are transforming ideas into impact through innovation, commercialization and strategic partnerships.

Explore Innovation
People participating in a mentor program for entrepreneurs

Research Starts Here: UNCW Engineering's Undergraduate Edge

UNCW’s undergraduate engineering students are actively engaged in high-impact, faculty-mentored research across coastal, intelligent system and software engineering, gaining hands-on experience that shapes their academic and career trajectories.

Learn More
Engineering students worked in teams to build boats with the provided materials at the first annual UNCW Coastal Engineering Wave Flume Boat Race.

Researcher Leads Effort to Eliminate Malaria in Uganda

Associate Professor Michelle Cathorall’s Malaria Mastery Prevention Program empowers Ugandan communities through education, rapid testing, and student-driven research to break the cycle of infection and build sustainable public health solutions.

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Michelle Cathorall with a mosquito net

Kenan Auditorium Presents 2025-26 Season

Kenan Auditorium’s new season dazzles with world-class talent, festive flair, and local artistry. Grab your tickets today!

Learn More
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109

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
Ariel image of Veteran Hall on the UNCW campus

UNCW Moves Forward with Vision for a Community-Driven Medical School

UNCW has been authorized to begin formal planning for a medical school. The university will now enter the UNC System’s academic planning process, exploring the creation of an accredited four-year medical degree program,

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Chancellor’s Corner

Chancellor Volety

With the last day of spring semester classes behind us and exams about to begin, it’s a good time to pause and recognize the many ways our Seahawk community shines. This spring has been full of meaningful milestones that reflect the energy and dedication found across UNCW.

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.

Learn More
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.

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