The University of North Carolina at Greensboro was first chartered back on Feb. 18, 1891, as the State Normal and Industrial School. It was the first state-supported school for the higher education of women in North Carolina. Founded by Charles Duncan McIver, it became co-educational in 1963. Today, in its 119th year of existance, the campus covers 210 acres in downtown Greensboro and has an enrollment that exceeded 18,000 for the first time ever this year. UNCG’s total enrollment for fall 2009 is 18,502 (14,664 undergraduates and 3,838 graduate students), a figure that includes 967 distance learners.

Founded in 1891, UNCG is a diverse, student-centered research university, linking the Triad and North Carolina to the world through learning, discovery and service. The university is organized into a College of Arts & Sciences and six professional schools, with more than 1,000 faculty members teaching in programs that offer 86 undergraduate, 56 master’s and 25 doctoral degrees. Among its high-impact projects are the Gateway University Research Park and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, which are being created in partnership with North Carolina A&T.

UNCG’s School of Nursing, which was established in 1966, is the third-largest in North Carolina. It has three departments – Adult Health, Parent-Child and Community Practice – and is recognized for the excellence of its programs and the success of its graduates. The master’s program in nurse anesthesia was ranked eighth nationally by U.S. News and World Report. In addition, UNCG is the first institution in the UNC system to offer a combined Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration in health management.

Despite record numbers for enrollment, UNCG still enjoys a student-faculty ratio of 17:1 with a faculty totalling 1,080. More than 2,000 bachelor’s degrees and nearly 1,000 master’s and doctoral diplomas are awarded annually. Over the last several years, 75 percent of freshmen have returned the following year.

UNCG has long had a reputation for academic excellence and student-athletes at UNCG are not an exception to the rule. At the end of each of the last four academic years, more than 40 percent of UNCG student-athletes held a GPA of 3.0 or better, including 49 percent of them last year. In spring 2009, UNCG’s 248 student-athletes had a combined GPA of 2.93, marking the sixth-straight semester they combined for a 2.9 GPA or better.

The School of Music, which was established in 1921, is rated as one of the top 20 in the country and combines rigorous theory, history and performance training with a broad liberal arts education. The university opened a $25.7 million state-of-the-art music facility in 1999. The school offers the only comprehensive slate of performance and music education degrees from the baccalaureate through the doctorate in North Carolina. 

The UNCG Vision and Mission Statement

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will redefine the public research university for the 21st century as an inclusive, collaborative, and responsive institution making a difference in the lives of students and the communities it serves. 

UNCG is ...

• A learner-centered, accessible, and inclusive community fostering intellectual inquiry to prepare students for meaningful lives and engaged citizenship;

• An institution offering classes on campus, off campus, and online for degree-seeking students and life-long learners;

• A research university where collaborative scholarship and creative activity enhance quality of life across the life-span;

• A source of innovation and leadership meeting social, economic, and environmental challenges in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, and beyond; and

• A global university integrating intercultural and international experiences and perspectives into learning, discovery, and service.