Strengths at UNC-Chapel Hill

The first public university in the nation to open its doors to students in 1795, UNC-Chapel Hill is now an institution with a strong commitment to academic excellence across undergraduate and graduate programs, public service to the people of North Carolina and beyond, and intensive research across a wide spectrum of disciplines. UNC-Chapel Hill is a recognized leader in supporting collaborative, innovative and often interdisciplinary research teams that are addressing the major problems of the world. Research funding and distinctions have established UNC-Chapel Hill as one of the top-ranked research universities in the country. This data is provided by the UNC Office of Institutional Research.

No. 1Pharmacy School in the US
3rdin Nation for Social Sciences Research
TwoNobel Laureates
$1.1 Bof Research Conducted Annually
No. 5University in the U.S. for Federal Research
1stin the Nation for Federally Funded Social and Behavioral Science Research and Development
21stMost Cited University in the World
150Faculty Members of the National Academies

Highlighted Areas of Innovation and Expertise

A leader in education and research, UNC-Chapel Hill is composed of our College of Arts & Sciences, five major health affairs schools (Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing), and numerous professional schools (Law, Education, Journalism and Media, Social Work, Government and Business). The University’s numerous and diverse schools, centers and institutes foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary culture that accelerates new discoveries, enriches teaching and strengthens service. Below are examples of emerging and established focus areas that reflect the innovation and expertise across our campus.

Access

The UNC Access programs assist unrepresented high school and college students across the state to pursue a post-secondary degree.

BeAM

BeAM is a network of makerspaces where any member of the UNC community can join in the design and creation of objects for education, research, entrepreneurship, and recreation.

Arts

Our diverse arts programs and courses connect members of the UNC-Chapel Hill community to one another and to the ever-changing local and global culture.

Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)

The AHEC office partners with the North Carolina AHEC system to provide continuing education offerings to Allied Health Practitioners throughout North Carolina.

Chancellor’s Science Scholars

The Chancellor's Science Scholars Program offers merit-based scholarships, training, mentorship, and other programming designed to pave the way for academic success and future achievement.

UNC HIV Cure Center

The HIV Cure Center research portfolio is focused on reactivation of the latent virus combined with clearance strategies to effectively purge the HIV reservoir to effect a cure for HIV.

Information and Library Science

SILS educates innovative and responsible thinkers who will lead the information professions to improve the quality of life for diverse local, national, and global communities.

Precision Medicine

The Program for Precision Medicine is a collaboration among multiple departments to bring together existing precision medicine treatments and support future endeavors in this field.

Southern Studies

The Center for the Study of the American South is an academic organization dedicated to the study of southern history, literature, and culture as well as ongoing social, political, and economic issues.

Autism Research

The UNC Autism Research Center is a pan university institute dedicated to interdisciplinary research on autism spectrum disorder.

Lead for North Carolina (LFNC)

Lead for North Carolina places promising young leaders in paid local government fellowships as a means of cultivating a new generation of public service leaders.

Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems (CoFiRES)

CoFiRES focuses on interdisciplinary research that leads to a better understanding and management of environmentally-related financial loss.