(The Center Square) – Carolina will physically expand the nation’s oldest public university.
Just what taxpayers have to provide and the exact contents within Carolina North in the largest expansion in 232 years remains to be decided. Wednesday, a committee from the trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill approved $8 million for planning in hopes of a 2027 groundbreaking.
“As North Carolina continues to be one of the fastest growing states in America, the demand from qualified North Carolina students is only going to increase,” said Chancellor Lee Roberts. “If we do not create the physical capacity to serve more of them at the same level of excellence, we will either have to turn away thousands of our own citizens or diminish the quality of the education we provide.
“Neither is acceptable for the state’s flagship university.”
Cost of attending – meaning tuition, fees, housing, food via meal plans – is estimated in 2026-27 at $27,000 to $28,000 for in-state residents and $60,000 to $63,000 for those from out of state. North Carolina families earning less than $80,000 annually attend with full undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees waived.
The campus enrollment is about 21,000 undergraduate and more than 11,000 graduate students.
Chartered in 1789 and welcoming its first students in 1795, Carolina says its last major expansion was laying the cornerstone of Old East building in 1793. The university has 230 acres on and around the former site of the Horace Williams Airport for expansion of academics, research, residential, and mixed-use retail.
And perhaps, speculation persists, a new arena for the storied national brand men’s basketball team.
Carolina’s main campus primarily borders Franklin and Columbia streets, with Franklin the home of many celebrations. Roughly 1.6 miles away, bordering MLK and Estes drives, is what the institution calls Carolina North.
A price tag for taxpayers is unknown but expected to be included. University trust funds, debt, private contributions and third-party investment are all in play. Connection to UNC Health will also be part of the plans, as well the town of Chapel Hill’s public transportation plans.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics will certainly be in the academics and research end, along with artificial intelligence. Biomedical engineering is specifically named in the university’s tease of the project.
As for athletics, it’s also got a mention. And there’s split feelings on whether the Tar Heels teams need to stay in a significantly upgraded now 40-year-old Smith Center on the south end of campus or relocate into newer digs.
Malcolm Turner, chairman of the trustees, said in a statement, “By creating a place where education, research and industry intersect, the university is strengthening its role as a driver of innovation, entrepreneurship and investment across the state. This kind of forward-looking development benefits our students, fuels job creation, attracts new partners and reinforces Carolina’s competitiveness for decades to come.”
