About
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was founded in 1793 as the first public state university in the young United States. Since then, it has grown into one of the most renowned teaching and research universities in the country and internationally, and ranks highly on a global scale. Chapel Hill is a small college town with roughly 60,000 residents, of which 18,500 are undergraduate students and 10,000 are graduate students. The area boasts rich cultural, historic, dining, and sports opportunities that allow students to experience college and community life in the United States.
Location
Although Chapel Hill itself is small, Raleigh, the capital city of North Carolina is only 30 minutes away, and Washington DC can be reached in around 4 hours. The university is also within close driving distance to the beach and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rolling hills, gentle winters, and picturesque dairy farms all add to the lovely setting of Chapel Hill, which is known as the Southern Part of Heaven.
Learn more about the The City of Chapel Hill, Downtown Chapel Hill, and what there is to do around Chapel Hill.
Level of competitiveness
Competitive *
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Academic Calendar
The academic calendar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can be viewed here.
Courses
UNC courses can be viewed in their course catalogue.
Exchange students can take courses in any department within the College of Arts and Sciences, which includes more than 40 academic departments and interdisciplinary curricula.
Enrollment will be subject to availability and will be dependent upon students having met any course pre- requisites.
Note: It is unlikely that students may take a full course load within a single department. For Economics and Psychology courses, it is challenging to enroll in courses in those departments.
Restrictions
Exchange students cannot take courses certain departments or the professional schools unless their home university has a specific agreement with that school. These include:
- Eshelman School of Pharmacy
- Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Kenan-Flagler Business School
- Law School
- Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computer Science School of Dentistry
- School of Education
- School of Government
- School of Information & Library Science
- Hussman School of Journalism and Media School of Medicine
- School of Nursing
- School of Social Work
Credits
Students should enrol on 4 modules per semester (12-18 credits in total per semester).
Find out more about credit transfer and grade conversions.
Accommodation
On-Campus Housing: International students can select from the 31 campus residence halls. Double occupancy rooms are the only option. Apartment style housing is limited. Learn more about the residence halls and rates here.
Off-Campus Housing: International students can also reside off-campus. Students who choose to live off- campus are responsible for finding their own housing. Find out mote here.
Meals
Students are not required to purchase a campus meal plan, but it is recommended. Several meal plan options are available that can meet a student’s dining habits. You can find out more about meal plan options and rates here.
Transportation
Chapel Hill Transit provides fare-free bus service between UNC, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. For more information about transit options, visit the transport website.
Cost of Living
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Chapel Hill here.
Health Insurance
All students are required to have health insurance coverage. International students can enroll in the university insurance program, Student Blue. Exchange students can waive the Student Blue insurance and substitute it for a preferred insurance policy. Preferred policies must meet the following requirements:
- Minimum total benefit/coverage of $100,000 (USD) per accident or illness Plan deductible of no more than $500 (USD)
- Minimum of $50,000 (USD) for medical evacuation Minimum of $25,000 (USD) for repatriation
- Policy must be active for the entire duration of the academic semester
Students cannot start the process of waiving out of the mandatory insurance until after acceptance to the exchange program. More details about the specific waiver process will be provided post-acceptance.
Social Media
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:
- Instagram: @uncchapelhill
Resources
Study Abroad Fact Sheet
