About The Graduate School

The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides leadership to envision, shape and support the highest-quality education for a diverse community of graduate students whose contributions will have global impact.

Through research, teaching and public service, graduate education generates knowledge and innovative solutions that address critical societal needs. Graduate students and alumni improve lives through their leadership, professional expertise, and civic engagement in our state and beyond. Founded in 1903, it oversees the administration of more than 160 degrees that span 80+ programs.

Established in 1793 as the first state university in the nation, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the leading graduate research universities.

Welcome message from Dean Beth Mayer-Davis

Beth Mayer-DavisGraduate students—and prospective students—greetings from The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We strive to provide excellence in graduate education as our talented students become the next generation of leaders, researchers, and public servants.

As the nation’s first public university, graduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill builds on our University’s storied history and its vision for the future. Our graduate students are emblematic of innovation made fundamental. They are capable and prepared to address humanity’s greatest challenges, and they lend talents to research and scholarship that shape the future of democracy and the workforce. Graduate students encompass nearly all areas of campus, reflecting a wide range of inquisitiveness necessary for learning that is collaborative and future focused.

Pursuing a graduate education can be a challenge—designed to grow your mind and shape the future of knowledge. We offer graduate students a range of resources, including our academic, funding and fellowships, and student affairs teams and mental health and well-being tools, to make your time at Carolina a success.

Learn more about what makes graduate education at Carolina exceptional. We’re here to help you navigate your graduate career and strive to support you so that you may reach your academic and professional goals.

—Dean Beth Mayer-Davis

Our Mission

The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supports excellence in graduate education and fosters civic engagement and economic growth in North Carolina and beyond. We advocate, collaborate, and convene to serve the nation's first public university, and to promote inclusive educational and professional development experiences for a diverse community of graduate students.

Our Vision

Graduate education enables the generation of new knowledge and promotes student success through intellectual leadership and support of world-class research and innovation.

Our Strategic Plan

To ensure The Graduate School is well-positioned to respond to the changing nature of graduate education and is structurally aligned with the University's strategic plan, our team went through a highly collaborative and iterative process to develop our 2023 Strategic Plan: Building on Excellence.

Building on Excellence is a three-year plan comprised of three pragmatic, strategic initiatives designed to further the mission of The Graduate School—with suggested key activities designed to implement each initiative.

These initiatives are grounded in The Graduate School's mission to advocate, collaborate, and convene on behalf of graduate and professional students.

Learn more about our Strategic Initiatives.

The Graduate School

Graduate students and professional students make up about 37 percent of Carolina's total number of enrolled students. More than 13 percent of our graduate students come from underrepresented groups: African-American, Hispanic, and American Indian. Another 14 percent are international students.
More Graduate School Statistics and Data

The Graduate School provides graduate students with fellowships, tuition support, travel awards, and research supplements. Many of our fellowships are interdisciplinary in focus.

The Graduate School supports graduate students in every program across the Carolina campus, serving students from admission through graduation. We provide services to graduate students including seminars and classes in pedagogy, leadership, communication, grant writing, and other professional development.

Accreditation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist, and doctorate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).