Christopher S. Tinsley

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina's urban research institution. The campus is located in the piedmont of North Carolina, just two hours from the mountains and three hours from the Atlantic Ocean. A large public university with a small college feel, more than 28,700 students consider UNC Charlotte’s 1,000-acre campus their home away from home.

As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. They attend the Academy for four years, graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees and then commissioning as Ensigns in the Navy or Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps.

Part of the UNC System, Western Carolina University has served North Carolina students for over 120 years. The main campus in Cullowhee is a nature lover’s dream, situated on the Tuckasegee River between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountain. Because of its location in the heart of Appalachia, WCU is dedicated to the study, appreciation, and preservation of local cultures. The Mountain Heritage Center and Cherokee Center provide exhibitions and educational opportunities, while the school’s Craft Revival project archives the region’s rich tradition of artisanship. But just as it is committed to preserving the past, Western Carolina University also looks toward the future. This is reflected by its academics, which includee programs in growing fields like technology, education, and healthcare. WCU prides itself on its project management and entrepreneurship programs, as well as a rare program forensic anthropology. On-campus studying is not always convenient, so Western Carolina also offers a variety of distance learning programs to meet all of its students’ needs. The school has online programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates and licensures. The off-site Bachelor’s in Engineering Technology program is ideal for the currently employed, and the Jamaica program offers a unique opportunity to study education in Kingston.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also known as UNC, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, or simply Carolina is a coeducational public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. North Carolina has been consistently ranked among the highest ranked universities in the United States and is one of the original eight Public Ivy schools that provide an Ivy League experience for a public schooling price. After being chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795, which allows it to be one of three schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States.