# List of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni

This is a list of notable alumni of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

## Academia
### University leaders

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Edwin Alderman | 1882 | | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tulane University and University of Virginia |
| William Brantley Aycock | Grad. | Law | Former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| M. Katherine Banks | 1985 | Environmental Engineering | 26th president of Texas A&M University |
| Kemp P. Battle | 1848 | | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Erskine Bowles | 1967 | Business administration | Former president of the University of North Carolina; former U.S. Senate candidate; former White House Chief of Staff; co-chair president of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform |
| Mary Sue Coleman | Grad. | Biochemistry | Former president of the University of Michigan |
| Margaret Mordecai Jones Cruikshank | 1904 | Education | Former president of St. Mary's Junior College |
| James Danieley | Grad. | Organic chemistry | Former president of Elon University |
| B.B. Dougherty | 1899 | Philosophy | Co-founder and first president of Appalachian State University |
| Adam Falk | 1987 | Physics | President of Williams College |
| Elson S. Floyd | 1978 / Grad. | Higher and adult education | Former president of Washington State University |
| Porter Lee Fortune Jr. | 1941 / Grad. | History | Former chancellor of the University of Mississippi |
| Julius Isaac Foust | 1890 | Philosophy | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
| William C. Friday | Grad. | Law | Former president of the University of North Carolina |
| Carol Garrison | 1974 / Grad. | Epidemiology | Former president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| R. Barbara Gitenstein | Grad. | English | Current president of The College of New Jersey |
| Edward Kidder Graham | 1898 | | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Frank Porter Graham | 1909 | | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and United States Senator from North Carolina |
| Gordon Gray | 1930 | | Former president of the University of North Carolina, Secretary of the Army, and National Security Advisor |
| Michael Hooker | 1969 | Philosophy | Former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Charles Duncan McIver | 1881 | | Founder of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
| Heather Monroe-Blum | Grad. | Epidemiology | Former principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University |
| Robert Hall Morrison | 1818 | | First president of Davidson College |
| Joseph S. Murphy | Grad. | | Former president of Queens College and of Bennington College, and chancellor of the City University of New York |
| J. Michael Ortiz | Grad. | Education | Former president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) |
| William L. Pollard | Grad. | Social work | Former president of Medgar Evers College and the University of the District of Columbia |
| Thomas Ross | Grad. | Law | Former president of the University of North Carolina, former president of Davidson College |
| Terry Sanford | 1939 / Grad. | Law | Former president of Duke University; Senator from and Governor of North Carolina |
| Albert Micajah Shipp | 1840 | | Former president of Wofford College and Greensboro College |
| J. Carlyle Sitterson | 1931 / Grad. | History | Former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Holden Thorp | 1986 | Chemistry | Former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Tony Waldrop | 1974 / Grad. | Political science / physiology | President of the University of South Alabama; gold medalist, 1975 Pan American Games |
| George T. Winston | | | Former president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |

### Professors

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Dan Ariely | Grad. | Cognitive Psychology | Professor of behavioral economics at Duke University |
| Valerie Ashby | Grad. | Chemistry | Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University |
| Beth Allison Barr | 2004 | History | Professor of history at Baylor University |
| Donald H. Baucom | 1971 / Grad. | Psychology | Professor of psychology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Volker Berghahn | Grad. | History | Professor of history at Columbia University |
| Lewis Binford | 1954 | Arts & sciences | Archaeologist |
| Sherilynn Black | | Psychology | Assistant professor of the Practice of Medical Education at Duke University |
| Andrew C. Boynton | Grad. | Business | Dean of Carroll School of Management at Boston College |
| Li Cai | Grad. | Statistics & Quantitative Psychology | Professor of education and psychology at UCLA and director of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing |
| Dan T. Carter | Grad. | History | Professor of history at the University of South Carolina |
| Meredith Clark | 2014 | Media Studies | Professor of media studies at the University of Virginia |
| W. H. Clatworthy | Grad. | Statistics | Professor of mathematics at the University at Buffalo |
| Albert Coates | 1918 | Arts & Sciences | Founder and director of the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| David R. Colburn | | History | Professor of history at UNC, East Carolina University, and the University of Florida |
| Robert Digges Wimberly Connor | 1899 | Philosophy | UNC professor, historian, and Archivist of the United States |
| Frederick A. de Armas | Grad. | Comparative literature | Professor in Spanish and comparative literature at the University of Chicago |
| Scott DeRue | 1999 | Business administration | Current dean of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan |
| David L. Downie | Grad. | Political science | Professor of politics and environment policy at Fairfield University |
| Carol Fowler Durham | Grad. | Nursing | Professor of nursing and medical simulation leader at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Charles Engel | 1977 | Economics and Political Science | Professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin |
| Christine Blasey Ford | 1988 | Psychology | Professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, also known for testifying against Brett Kavanaugh at his Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing |
| Glenda Gilmore | Grad. | History | Professor of history at Yale University |
| Bud Goodall | Grad. | Speech | Professor of communication at Arizona State University |
| William A. Graham | 1966 | | Former dean of Harvard Divinity School |
| James Haar | Grad. | Musicology | W.R. Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Joseph A. Helpern | Grad. | Neuroscience and Radiology | Professor Emeritus at the Medical University of South Carolina |
| Peter Blair Henry | 1991 | Economics | Dean of New York University Stern School of Business |
| Robert Hobbs | Grad. | Art history | Professor of art at Virginia Commonwealth University |
| C. Hugh Holman | Grad. | English | Professor of English and Provost at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| E. Philip Howrey | Grad. | Economics | Professor of economics at University of Michigan |
| Rafat Hussain | Grad. | Public health | Deputy head of the School of Rural Medicine at the University of New England |
| John D. Kasarda | 1971 | Sociology | Director, Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; developer of the aerotropolis concept |
| Jack Knight | 1974 / Grad. | English & religious studies / law | Professor at Duke University School of Law |
| E. Christian Kopff | Grad. | Classics | Director of the Center for Western Civilization, and associate director of the honors program at the University of Colorado Boulder |
| Christina Kramer | Grad. | Slavic languages and literature | Professor of Slavic and Balkan languages at University of Toronto |
| Leo Moser | Grad. | Mathematics | Professor of mathematics at University of Alberta |
| Charles Nam | Grad. | Sociology | Professor of sociology at Florida State University |
| Sharlotte Neely | Grad. | Anthropology | Professor Emerita of Anthropology at Northern Kentucky University |
| Kai Nielsen | 1949 | | Professor of philosophy at Concordia University |
| Kellis Parker | 1964 | Law | Professor at Columbia Law School |
| Arthur F. Raper | 1924 / Grad. | Sociology | Professor at Agnes Scott College |
| Dwijendra Kumar Ray-Chaudhuri | Grad. | Mathematics | Professor of mathematics at Ohio State University |
| D. W. Robertson Jr. | 1935 / Grad. | English | Professor of medieval English at Princeton University |
| Caryl Rusbult | Grad. | Psychology | Professor of psychology at Vrije Universiteit |
| Douglas A. Shackelford | 1980 | | Dean of the UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School |
| Scott Silliman | 1965 / Grad. | Philosophy / law | Professor of the practice of law at Duke Law School |
| Susanne Sreedhar | Grad. | Philosophy | Assistant professor of philosophy at Boston University |
| Carol Miller Swain | Grad. | Political science | Professor of law at Vanderbilt Law School |
| Valerie Tiberius | Grad. | Philosophy | Professor of philosophy at University of Minnesota |
| Greg Turk | Grad. | Computer science | Professor of computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Bruce Waller | Grad. | Philosophy | Professor of philosophy at Youngstown State University |
| Odd Arne Westad | Grad. | History | Professor of international history at the London School of Economics |
| Ross T. Whitaker | Grad. | Computer science | Director of the University of Utah School of Computing |
| Walter Lee Williams | Grad. | History | Professor of anthropology, history, and gender studies at the University of Southern California; former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive; arrested for sexual acts with underage boys and possession of erotic paraphernalias related to child pornography |
| C. Vann Woodward | Grad. | History | Sterling Professor of History at Yale and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, recipient of Pulitzer Prize for History |

## Arts and literature
### Artists

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Richard Adler | 1943 | Dramatic art | Composer and lyricist |
| Bill Bamberger | 1979 | American Studies | Documentary photographer |
| Richard Kern | 1977 | Art | Photographer |
| Howard Little | | | Artist |
| Ben Long | 1967 | Did not graduate | Artist |

### Playwrights

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Paul Green | 1921 | Dramatic art | Playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner |
| Kermit Hunter | Grad. | Dramatic art / English | Playwright |
| Amon Liner | 1965 | Dramatic art | Poet and playwright |

### Poets

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Edgar Bowers | 1950 | | Poet |
| Hayden Carruth | 1943 | Journalism | Poet and winner of the National Book Award |
| Cid Corman | | | Poet and translator |
| Lawrence Ferlinghetti | 1941 | Journalism | Poet and publisher |
| Kerri French | 2003 | English | Poet |
| Donald Justice | Grad. | English | Poet |
| Amon Liner | 1965 | Dramatic art | Poet and playwright |
| William Matthews | Grad. | English | Poet |
| Michael McFee | 1976 / Grad. | English | Poet |
| Joanna Pearson | 2002 | English | Poet, novelist, and short-story writer |
| Michael Rothenberg | 1973 | English | Poet and editor |

### Writers

* Taylor Branch
* Gail Godwin
* Jenny Han
* Lydia Millet
* Mary Pope Osborne
* Thomas Wolfe
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Daphne Athas | 1943 | Arts & sciences | Writer |
| Russell Banks | 1967 | English | Novelist and poet |
| Doris Betts | | | Author |
| Brian Blanchfield | | | Essayist and poet |
| Will Blythe | 1979 | English | Writer and author |
| Taylor Branch | 1968 | | Author and historian |
| Poppy Z. Brite | | | Novelist |
| Don Brown | 1983 | Political science | Novelist and author |
| Blake Crouch | 2000 | English, Creative Writing | Novelist |
| Tracy Deonn | 2008 | | Novelist |
| Sarah Dessen | 1993 | English | Writer and author |
| Clyde Edgerton | 1966 / Grad. | English | Novelist |
| L. M. Elliott | Grad. | Journalism | Young adult novelist |
| Thomas Fleming | Grad. | Classics | Writer and founding editor of neo-confederate journal Southern Partisan |
| Shelby Foote | 1992 | Honorary | Historian and novelist |
| Ben Fountain | 1980 | English | Writer and author |
| Charles Frazier | 1973 | | Novelist |
| Kaye Gibbons | 1984 | | Novelist |
| Gail Godwin | 1960 | Journalism | Novelist |
| Jenny Han | 2002 | | Writer |
| Randall Kenan | 1985 | English | Writer |
| Mur Lafferty | | English | Novelist |
| Armistead Maupin | 1966 | English | Novelist |
| Richard McKenna | 1956 | Arts & sciences | Novelist |
| Lydia Millet | 1990 | Interdisciplinary studies | Novelist |
| Joseph Mitchell | | | Writer for The New Yorker |
| Mary Lambeth Moore | | | Writer and podcaster |
| Lawrence Naumoff | 1969 | Arts & sciences | Novelist |
| Thuc Doan Nguyen | | Public policy & Interdisciplinary studies | Essayist and screenwriter |
| Jenny Offill | | | Novelist |
| Mary Pope Osborne | 1971 | Religious studies | Author |
| Walker Percy | 1937 | Arts & sciences | Novelist |
| Charles F. Price | Grad. | Urban planning | Novelist |
| James Reston Jr. | 1963 | Philosophy | Writer and journalist |
| Robert Spencer | Grad. | Religious studies | Author and blogger, known for critiques of Islam and research of Islamic terrorism |
| Richard G. Stern | 1947 | | Novelist |
| Melanie Sumner | 1986 | Religious studies | Novelist |
| Bryan Tucker | 1993 | Journalism | Head writer for Saturday Night Live |
| Rysa Walker | Grad. | Political science | Novelist |
| Daniel Wallace | 2008 | English | Novelist and teacher |
| Brandon Wilson | 1973 | Theatre, radio, television & motion pictures | Author and explorer |
| Thomas Wolfe | 1920 | Arts & sciences | Novelist |
| C. Vann Woodward | Grad. | History | Author, historian, winner of Pulitzer Prize for History |

### Other

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Brent Glass | Grad. | History | Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History |
| Alexander Julian | 1969 | | Fashion designer |
| Paul R. Laird | Grad. | Music | Musicologist |
| Claude McKinney | 1951 | painting and design | Chief contributor to the design of Research Triangle Park |
| Anne-Imelda Radice | Ph.D. 1976 | Art History | Art historian and museum director |

## Business

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| John Allison | 1971 | Business administration | Former CEO and president of Cato Institute; former chairman of BB&T Corporation/Branch Banking & Trust Co |
| Robert J. Bach | 1984 | Economics | Business executive; former president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft |
| Eduardo Belmont Anderson | | Business administration | Peruvian billionaire, owner of Belcorp |
| Caleb Bradham | 1890 | | Pharmacist and inventor of Pepsi-Cola, president Pepsi-Cola Company |
| Michele Buck | 1987 | Business administration | President and CEO of The Hershey Company |
| Julian Carr | 1860s | | Industrialist; Carrboro, North Carolina named for him |
| Max C. Chapman | 1966 | Economics | Former president and CEO of Kidder, Peabody & Co |
| Ned Davis | | French | Founder of Ned Davis Research |
| Warren Grice Elliott | 1867 | | President of Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| David Gardner | 1988 | English | Co-founder of The Motley Fool |
| Peaches Golding | 1976 | Biology | High Sheriff of Bristol, England, 2010–11 |
| Peter Grauer | 1968 | English | Chairman of Bloomberg L.P. |
| Bowman Gray Sr. | 1890 | Did not graduate | Former president and chairman of R.J. Reynolds |
| J. Frank Harrison III | 1977 | Business administration | CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated |
| William B. Harrison Jr. | 1966 | Economics | Former CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase |
| George Watts Hill | 1922 / Grad. | Commerce / law | Banker and philanthropist |
| John Sprunt Hill | 1889 | Philosophy | Banker and philanthropist |
| Walter E. Hussman Jr. | 1969 | Journalism | Publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |
| Richard "Dick" Jenrette | 1951 | | Founder of the Wall Street firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and former chairman and CEO of The Equitable |
| William Johnson | Grad. | Law | President and CEO of Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Jason Kilar | 1993 | Journalism / business administration | Former CEO of WarnerMedia; former CEO of Hulu |
| Paul Kolton | 1944 | Journalism | Former chairman of the American Stock Exchange |
| Sallie Krawcheck | 1987 | Journalism | CEO and co-founder, Ellevest; former chairman and CEO of Citigroup Global Wealth Management; former CFO of Citigroup Inc. |
| Howard R. Levine | 1981 | Business administration | Former chairman of the board and CEO of Family Dollar |
| Scott Livengood | 1974 | Industrial relations | Owner and CEO of Dewey's Bakers; former CEO of Krispy Kreme |
| Tristan Louis | 1993 | Journalism / Political Science | CEO of Casebook PBC |
| John T. Lupton II | | Business administration | President of JTL Corporation, one-time largest Coca-Cola's bottler in U.S. |
| Frank J. Manheim | 1932 | History, French Literature | Partner, Lehman Brothers; influential in the global success of Hertz Corp.; director of 20 US corporations; author |
| Hugh McColl | 1957 | Business administration | Former CEO of Bank of America |
| John Medlin | 1956 | Business administration | Former CEO of Wachovia |
| Allen B. Morgan Jr. | 1965 | History | Founder and former CEO of Morgan Keegan & Company |
| Gary Parr | 1979 | Business administration | Vice chairman of Lazard |
| Mercer "Merce" Reynolds III | 1967 | Business administration | Finance chair of U.S. President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and a U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein |
| Chuck Robbins | 1987 | Mathematical sciences | CEO of Cisco Systems |
| Julian Robertson | 1955 | Business administration | Founded the investment firm Tiger Management Corp. |
| William H. Rogers Jr. | | Business administration | Chairman and CEO of SunTrust Banks |
| Bill Ruger | 1940 | Did not graduate | Founded firearms manufacturer Sturm, Ruger |
| Pete Rummell | 1967 | Chemistry / English literature | Former Chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Imagineering and St. Joe Company |
| John Skipper | 1978 | English literature | Executive chairman of Perform Group and former president of ESPN |
| Marcus G. Smith | Did not graduate | Journalism | CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. |
| Mitchell S. Steir | 1977 | Economics | Chairman and CEO of Studley, Inc. |
| Ken Thompson | 1973 | American studies | Former chairman and CEO of Wachovia |
| Thomas H. Weidemeyer | | | Senior vice president and COO of the United Parcel Service; director of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
| James M. Wells III | | | CEO of SunTrust Banks 2007–2011 |
| Alec Hudnut | | | Business executive and inventor; managing partner at Vici Partners |

## Entertainment and broadcasting
### Actors

* Lewis Black
* Louise Fletcher
* Andy Griffith
* Ken Jeong
* Sharon Lawrence
* Jim Rash
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Whit Bissell | 1932 | Arts & sciences | Actor |
| Lewis Black | 1970 | Dramatic Art | Actor and stand-up comedian |
| Wyatt Cenac | 1994 | Did not graduate | Comedian, actor producer, and writer |
| Kelen Coleman | 2006 | Communications | Actress |
| Dan Cortese | 1990 | Radio, television and motion picture | Actor and TV personality |
| Billy Crudup | 1990 | Speech | Actor |
| Michael Cumpsty | 1982 / Grad. | English / dramatic art | Actor |
| Melissa Claire Egan | 2003 | Dramatic art | Soap opera actress |
| Louise Fletcher | 1957 | Dramatic art | Academy Award-winning actress |
| John Forsythe | 1948 | | Actor |
| Rick Fox | 1994 | Radio, television and motion picture | Actor; former professional basketball player |
| Ed Grady | | Theater / English | Actor |
| Andy Griffith | 1949 | Dramatic art | Actor, comedian, writer, and producer |
| George Grizzard | 1949 | Radio, television and motion picture | Actor |
| Anne Haney | 1956 | Radio, television and motion picture | Actress |
| Mamrie Hart | | Dramatic art | Comedian, actress, writer, and performer |
| Liza Huber | | | Soap opera actress; daughter of Susan Lucci |
| Ken Jeong | Grad. | Medicine | Actor and comedian |
| Ben Jones | | | Actor; former U.S. Representative from Georgia |
| Darwin Joston | 1960 | Dramatic art | Actor |
| Kay Kyser | 1928 | Economics | Bandleader, radio personality, and movie actor |
| Sharon Lawrence | 1983 | Journalism | Emmy Award-nominated actress |
| Michael Louden | 1986 | Did not graduate | Actor |
| Jane McNeill | | Journalism | Actress |
| Nolan North | 1992 | Journalism | Actor, voice actor |
| Jack Palance | | Did not graduate | Actor |
| Jim Rash | 1994 | Radio, television and motion picture | Actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter |
| Adam Reed | 1992 | | Voice actor, writer, and producer |
| Jeff Richards | 1998 | Communications | Actor and comedian |
| Randolph Scott | | Did not graduate | Actor |
| Nick Searcy | | English | Actor |
| Lionel Stander | | Did not graduate | Actor |
| Christine White | | English | Actress |

### Broadcasters

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Andrew Ballen | 1995 | Political science | TV personality, producer, A&R executive in Mainland China |
| Howie Carr | 1973 | Journalism | Radio personality |
| Rick Dees | 1972 | Radio, television and motion picture | Radio personality and composer of novelty song "Disco Duck" |
| Barry Farber | 1952 | Journalism | Conservative radio talk show host |
| Ashlan Gorse | 2002 | Journalism | E! television network personality |
| Kit Hoover | 1992 | Speech | Television personality |
| Bomani Jones | Grad. | Economics | Radio and television personality |
| Chris Matthews | Grad. | Did not graduate | Television personality and speechwriter for President Carter |
| Elyse Ribbons | 2003 | Asian Studies | Actress, writer and popular radio host on CRI |
| Rick Sebak | 1975 | English | WQED personality |
| David Venable | 1987 | Radio, television and motion picture | Host on QVC and cookbook author |
| Eboni K. Williams | | Communications & African-American studies | television host, Lawyer |

### Musicians

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Richard Adler | 1943 | | Composer, lyricist, writer and producer (Broadway, TV); Songwriters Hall of Fame; UNC Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Emanuel Ayvas | 2005 | | Lead singer and guitarist for Emanuel and the Fear |
| Laura Ballance | 1990 | Anthropology | Bassist in the rock band Superchunk and co-founder of Merge Records |
| David Burris | 1987 | Political Science | Guitarist in the rock bands Jolene and The Veldt |
| Meg Christian | 1968 | Music | Singer and founder of lesbian record company Olivia |
| Anoop Desai | 2008 | Political science / American studies | American Idol 6th place finalist, singer |
| Don Dixon | | | Musician, songwriter, member of Arrogance, and producer of bands such as R.E.M. |
| Lisa Furukawa | 1999 | Music / Asian studies | Pianist, singer, and songwriter |
| George Hamilton | | | Country music singer |
| Wayne Handy | 1962 | Business administration | Rockabilly singer |
| Brendan James | 2002 | Communications | Singer and songwriter |
| Kay Kyser | 1928 | Economics | Bandleader, radio personality, and movie actor |
| Lachi | 2005 | Economics, management and society | Alternative rock artist, author |
| Tift Merritt | 2000 | | Singer |
| Oliver | 1967 | Radio, television and motion picture | Pop singer |
| David Olney | | Did not graduate | Musician |
| Chase Rice | 2009 | | Country music singer and songwriter |
| Scott Routenberg | 2001 | Music and communications | Composer |
| Rick Seibold | 2005 | | Singer, songwriter, and producer |
| Bud Shank | 1947 | | Musician |

### Writers, producers, directors

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| John Altschuler | 1985 | Economics and Anthropology | TV and film writer and producer, co-writer of Blades of Glory, five-time Emmy-nominated for writing and producing Silicon Valley and King of the Hill |
| David Burris | 1987 | Political Science | TV and film producer, writer, director; executive producer of Survivor; director of The World Made Straight; writer of Good vs. Evil |
| Norwood Cheek | 1990 | French | Director of music videos and documentaries |
| Grady Cooper | 1987 | English | Emmy-nominated film editor |
| Andy Griffith | 1949 | Dramatic art | Actor, comedian, writer, and producer |
| Brian Hargrove | 1977 | Dramatic art | TV writer and producer |
| Jeffrey Hayden | 1948? | | Stage and TV director and writer; director of Omnibus and episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, Route 66, and Mannix |
| Rachael Horovitz | 1984 | | Film and television producer, Moneyball, Grey Gardens, and Patrick Melrose |
| Robert Klane | 1963 | | Screenwriter, Where's Poppa? and Weekend at Bernie's |
| Dave Krinsky | 1985 | Economics | TV and film writer and producer, co-writer of Blades of Glory, five-time Emmy-nominated for writing and producing Silicon Valley and King of the Hill |
| Josh Pate | 1992 | English | Screenwriter, director and producer |
| Larry Peerce | 1951 | | Film and television director |
| Michael Piller | 1970 | Radio, television and motion picture | Writer and co-creator of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager |
| Peyton Reed | 1986 | Radio, television and motion picture | Director of Bring It On, The Break-Up, Down With Love, and Ant-Man |
| Scott Sanders | 1991 | Radio, television and motion picture | Screenwriter and director; director of Black Dynamite, Thick as Thieves |
| John Schultz | 1985 | Business | Film director of Drive Me Crazy, Like Mike, Aliens in the Attic |
| Hughes Winborne | 1975 | History | Academy Award-winning film editor |

### Other

| Name | Class | Major | |
| James D. Bissell | Grad. | Theater | Academy Award-nominated production designer |
| Jeff MacNelly | `1970 | Did not graduate | Three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for political cartooning; creator of Shoe and Pluggers comic strips |
| Caleb Pressley | 2014 | Communications | Blogger and podcaster at Barstool Sports |

## Journalism

* Brooke Baldwin
* David Brinkley
* Heather Childers
* Helene Cooper
* Ami Vitale
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Dan Ashley | 1985 | English and Speech Communication | Television news anchor, columnist, commentator |
| Brooke Baldwin | 2001 | Journalism and Spanish | Television journalist and anchor for CNN |
| Jack Betts | 1968 | Journalism | Editor and columnist for the Charlotte Observer |
| Furman Bisher | 1938 | Journalism | Sportswriter and editor |
| Marty Brennaman | 1965 | Radio, television and motion picture | Sportscaster |
| David Brinkley | – | Did not graduate | Television journalist |
| Joel Brinkley | | | Journalist with The New York Times |
| Pamela Brown | 2006 | Journalism | Television journalist, CNN |
| Frank Bruni | 1986 | English | Restaurant critic and op-ed columnist for The New York Times |
| Heather Childers | 1991 | English | On-air personality for Fox News Channel |
| Helene Cooper | 1987 | Journalism | New York Times correspondent |
| Laurie Dhue | 1990 | Political science | TV news anchor, reporter |
| Woody Durham | 1963 | Radio, television and motion picture | Sportscaster and voice of the Tar Heels |
| Joseph Egemonye | 1970 | Journalism | Journalist; co-founder of the Winston-Salem Chronicle |
| Samuel T. Francis | Grad. | History | Syndicated conservative columnist |
| Molly Sullivan French | 2002 | Communications | Team reporter for the Las Vegas Raiders |
| Peter Gammons | 1967 | | Sportswriter and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
| Maddie Gardner | | Journalism | News anchor and reporter for WFMY-TV |
| Gail Gregg | 1975 | Journalism | Artist, photographer and journalist |
| Carl Kasell | 1956 | | NPR newscaster |
| Chavi Khanna Koneru | 2006 | Journalism | Journalist, lawyer, and executive director and co-founder of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) |
| Charles Kuralt | 1965 | Radio, television and motion picture | Journalist, won 13 Emmys and three Peabody Awards for broadcast journalism |
| Jim Lampley | 1971 | English | Sportscaster |
| Tristan Louis | 1993 | Journalism | Author, journalist, and entrepreneur |
| Monica Malpass | 1983 | Journalism | News anchor and reporter for WPVI |
| John Manuel | | | Author; editor-in-chief of Baseball America |
| Philip Meyer | Grad. | Political science | Journalist and professor of journalism |
| Mick Mixon | 1980 | Radio, television and motion picture | Sportscaster and voice of the Carolina Panthers |
| Roger Mudd | Grad. | History | Journalist and broadcaster |
| Rob Nelson | 2000 | Journalism | Television journalist |
| Karen L. Parker | 1965 | Journalism | First African-American female undergraduate; journalist for the Winston-Salem Journal |
| Sophie Pyle | 2009 | Journalism | New media entrepreneur |
| Don Robertson | 1950 | Communication | Sportscaster |
| Robert Ruark | 1935 | Journalism | Syndicated columnist and author |
| Reed Sarratt | 1937 | Journalism | Executive Director of the Southern Education Reporting Service and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association |
| Stuart Scott | 1987 | Radio, television and motion picture | Sportscaster |
| Lloyd Shearer | 1936 | English | Author of "Walter Scott's Personality Parade" column in Parade |
| James Surowiecki | 1988 | History | Journalist for The New Yorker; author of The Wisdom of Crowds |
| David Swerdlick | Grad. | Law | Journalist for Washington Post |
| Kayla Tausche | 2008 | Journalism | Reporter for CNBC |
| Ami Vitale | 1994 | International studies | Photographer and journalist |
| Tom Wicker | 1948 | Journalism | Author and New York Times journalist |
| Cleve Wootson | 2005 | Journalism | Washington Post journalist |
| Perry Deane Young | 1993 | Journalism | Journalist and author |

### Pulitzer Prize winners

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Joel Brinkley | 1975 | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting |
| W. Horace Carter | 1949 | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize winner for public service, owner and publisher of the Tabor City Tribune |
| Lenoir Chambers | 1914 | | Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing; editor of The Virginian-Pilot |
| Sarah Cohen | 1979 | Economics | Pulitzer Prize winner for investigative reporting |
| Nikole Hannah-Jones | Grad. | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary |
| Jeff MacNelly | | | Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial cartoons |
| Gene Roberts | 1954 | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize–winning author; former executive editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer; former managing editor of The New York Times; professor of journalism at the University of Maryland |
| Vermont C. Royster | 1935 | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing; former editor of The Wall Street Journal |
| Emily Steel | 2005 | Journalism | Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter |
| Jim Yardley | 1986 | History | Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter |
| Jonathan Yardley | 1961 | English | Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic for The Washington Post |
| Edwin Yoder | 1956 | English | Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing |

## Politics and public life
### President of the United States

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| James K. Polk | 1818 / Grad. | | 11th President of the United States |

### Vice President of the United States

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| William R. King | 1803 | | 13th Vice President of the United States |

### Governors and lieutenant governors

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Charles B. Aycock | 1880 | Oratory and essay writing | Former governor of North Carolina and leader of the 1898 Wilmington Coup |
| John Branch | 1801 | Arts & sciences | Former governor of and U.S. Senator from North Carolina, Secretary of the Navy |
| Aaron V. Brown | 1814 | | Former governor of and U.S. Representative from Tennessee; Postmaster General |
| Tod Robinson Caldwell | 1840 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Gaston Caperton | 1963 | Business administration | Former governor of West Virginia |
| Elias Carr | 1859 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Henry Toole Clark | 1826 / Grad. | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Roy Cooper | 1979 / Grad. | Psychology and political science / law | Current Governor of North Carolina and former North Carolina Attorney General |
| Steve Cowper | 1960 / Grad. | History / law | Former governor of Alaska |
| Locke Craig | 1880 | | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Walter H. Dalton | 1971 / Grad. | Law | Former Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina |
| Mike Easley | 1972 | Political science | Former governor of North Carolina |
| John C. B. Ehringhaus | 1902 | | Former governor of North Carolina |
| John Willis Ellis | 1841 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Oliver Max Gardner | Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| William Alexander Graham | 1824 / Grad. | | 19th-century US Senator and governor of North Carolina; Secretary of the Navy; Vice-Presidential Candidate; CSA Senator |
| Luther H. Hodges | 1919 | | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Clyde R. Hoey | Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| James Holshouser | Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Thomas Michael Holt | | Did not graduate | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Jim Hunt | Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| William Walton Kitchin | Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Charles Manly | 1814 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Angus Wilton McLean | 1892 / Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina |
| William Miller | | Did not graduate | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Dan K. Moore | 1927 / Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina, former justice of N.C. Supreme Court |
| John Motley Morehead | 1817 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| William Dunn Moseley | 1818 | Arts & sciences | First governor of the State of Florida |
| John Owen | | Did not graduate | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Daniel Lindsay Russell | | Did not graduate | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Terry Sanford | 1939 / Grad. | Law | Former senator from and governor of North Carolina; president of Duke University |
| Alfred Moore Scales | | Did not graduate | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. | 1815 | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina, governor of Florida, and U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| David Lowry Swain | | Did not graduate | 19th-century governor of North Carolina |
| John Swainson | Grad. | Law | Former governor of Michigan |
| William B. Umstead | 1916 | | Former governor of North Carolina, U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Zebulon Baird Vance | | | Former governor of North Carolina |
| Warren Winslow | | | 19th-century governor of North Carolina; U.S. representative from North Carolina |

### U.S. Senators

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Thomas Hart Benton | – | Did not graduate/Expelled | Former senator from Missouri |
| John Branch | 1801 | | Former governor of and U.S. senator from North Carolina; Secretary of the Navy |
| Thomas Lanier Clingman | 1832 | | Former U.S. senator and U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John Eaton | Grad. | | Senator from Tennessee and Secretary of War |
| John Edwards | Grad. | Law | Former U.S. Senator from North Carolina; 2004 Democratic candidate for vice president; 2004 and 2008 Democratic primary candidate for presidential nomination |
| Samuel James Ervin Jr. | 1917 | | Former senator from North Carolina |
| William Alexander Graham | 1824 / Grad. | | 19th-century US senator and governor of North Carolina; Secretary of the Navy; vice-presidential candidate, and CSA Senator |
| William Henry Haywood Jr. | 1819 / Grad. | | Former senator from North Carolina |
| Willie Person Mangum | 1815 / Grad. | | Former senator from North Carolina |
| Alfred O. P. Nicholson | 1827 | | Former senator from Tennessee |
| John Pool | 1847 | | Former senator from North Carolina |
| Terry Sanford | 1939 / Grad. | Law | Former senator from and governor of North Carolina; president of Duke University |
| William R. Webb | 1867 / Grad. | | Former senator from Tennessee |
| Paul Wellstone | 1965 / Grad. | Political science | Former senator from Minnesota |

### U.S. Representatives

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Charles Laban Abernethy | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Hugh Quincy Alexander | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Sydenham Benoni Alexander | 1860 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Ike Franklin Andrews | 1950 / Grad. | Business / law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Thomas Samuel Ashe | 1832 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Cass Ballenger | 1948 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Michael D. Barnes | 1965 | | U.S. representative from Maryland |
| Daniel Moreau Barringer | 1826 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| J. Daniel Bishop | 1990 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| James Jefferson Britt | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Robin Britt | 1963 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Aaron V. Brown | 1814 | | Former U.S. representative from and governor of Tennessee; Postmaster General |
| Jim Broyhill | 1950 | Business administration | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Alfred L. Bulwinkle | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Frank Ertel Carlyle | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Henry Selby Clark | 1828 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| J. Bayard Clark | | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Thomas Lanier Clingman | 1832 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Howard Coble | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Jim Cooper | 1975 | History & economics | U.S. representative from Tennessee |
| Francis Burton Craige | 1829 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| William C. Cramer | 1946 | | U.S. representative from Florida |
| William T. Crawford | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John Reeves Jones Daniel | 1821 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Susan Davis | Grad. | Social work | U.S. representative from California |
| James C. Dobbin | 1832 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina and Secretary of the Navy |
| Richard Spaight Donnell | 1839 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Joseph Wilson Ervin | 1921 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Samuel James Ervin Jr. | 1917 | | U.S. representative and senator from North Carolina |
| Alonzo Dillard Folger | 1912 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John Hamlin Folger | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Daniel Munroe Forney | 1808 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Lawrence H. Fountain | 1934 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Virginia Foxx | 1968 / Grad. | English / education | U.S. representative from North Carolina elected in 2004 |
| Hannibal Lafayette Godwin | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Gwen Graham | 1984 | | U.S. representative from Florida |
| James Graham | 1814 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| V. Lamar Gudger | 1940 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| William C. Hammer | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Micajah Thomas Hawkins | 1807 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| David N. Henderson | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John S. Henderson | 1865 | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John Hill | 1816 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Jeff Jackson | 2009 | Law (JD) | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Charles R. Jonas | 1925 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Ben Jones | | Did not graduate | Former U.S. representative from Georgia and actor |
| Hamilton C. Jones | 1906 | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| William Carter Love | 1806 | | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Allard Lowenstein | 1949 | | Former U.S. representative from New York |
| Willie Person Mangum | 1815 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| John Y. Mason | 1816 | | Former U.S. representative from Virginia; United States Attorney General; Secretary of the Navy |
| Mike McIntyre | 1978 / Grad. | Political science / law | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Alex McMillan | 1954 | History | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Brad Miller | 1975 | | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Anderson Mitchell | 1821 / Grad. | | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| James Turner Morehead | 1819 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Mick Mulvaney | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from South Carolina |
| William H. Murfree | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| David Outlaw | 1824 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Ebenezer Pettigrew | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| David Price | 1961 | Arts & sciences | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| George M. Pritchard | 1907 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Abraham Rencher | 1822 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Sion Hart Rogers | 1846 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Charlie Rose | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Thomas Hart Ruffin | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Romulus Mitchell Saunders | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Samuel Tredwell Sawyer | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Charles Biddle Shepard | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| William Crawford Sherrod | | | U.S. representative from Alabama |
| Francis Edwin Shober | 1851 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Charles Manly Stedman | 1861 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Walter Leak Steele | 1844 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| William B. Umstead | 1916 | | Former governor of North Carolina; U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Tim Valentine | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Alfred Moore Waddell | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Hallett Sydney Ward | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Lindsay Carter Warren | 1906 / Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Mel Watt | 1967 | Business Administration | Former U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Zebulon Weaver | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Edwin Y. Webb | Grad. | Law | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Lewis Williams | 1808 / Grad. | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Warren Winslow | 1827 | | 19th-century governor of and U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Bartlett Yancey | | | U.S. representative from North Carolina |

### U.S. cabinet members and other executive officers

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Claude Allen | 1982 | Political science | Director of the Domestic Policy Council for the George W. Bush administration |
| Melody Barnes | 1986 | History | Director of the Domestic Policy Council for the Obama administration |
| James Crawford Biggs | 1893 / Grad. | Philosophy / law | Former Solicitor General of the United States |
| John Branch | 1801 | | Former governor of and U.S. Senator from North Carolina; Secretary of the Navy |
| Duke Buchan | 1985 | Economics and Spanish | Former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra |
| Jonathan W. Daniels | 1921 / Grad. | | Former White House Press Secretary |
| James C. Dobbin | 1832 | | U.S. representative from North Carolina and Secretary of the Navy |
| John Eaton | Grad. | | Senator from Tennessee and Secretary of War |
| William Alexander Graham | 1824 / Grad. | | 19th-century US senator and governor of North Carolina; Secretary of the Navy; vice-presidential candidate, and CSA Senator |
| C. Boyden Gray | Grad. | Law | Former White House counsel; former ambassador to the EU |
| Gordon Gray | 1930 | | Secretary of the Army; National Security Advisor; president of the University of North Carolina |
| Patricia Horoho | 1982 | Nursing | Surgeon General of the United States Army |
| Karl Inderfurth | 1968 | Political science | Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; former U.S. representative for special political affairs to the United Nations |
| Thomas Krajeski | Grad. | Russian literature | U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain; former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen |
| Kevin Martin | 1989 | Political Science | Former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission |
| John Y. Mason | 1816 | | Former United States Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy |
| H. R. McMaster | Grad. | History | National Security Advisor in the Trump administration |
| Colin R. McMillan | 1957 | Geology | Former assistant Secretary of the Navy; nominee for Secretary of Defense |
| Mary J. Miller | Grad. | City and regional planning | Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets |
| Otto Reich | 1966 | International studies | Former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela |
| Kenneth Claiborne Royall | 1914 | | Former Secretary of War and Secretary of the Army |
| Jacob Thompson | 1831 | | Secretary of the Interior, U.S. representative from Mississippi |
| Shari Villarosa | 1972 | International studies | Current ambassador to Mauritius and to the Seychelles |
| Daniel Werfel | Grad. | Law | Current Commissioner of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service |

### Federal judges

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Lance Africk | 1973 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana |
| James A. Beaty Jr. | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina |
| J. Spencer Bell | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit |
| Frank William Bullock Jr. | 1961 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina |
| Algernon Lee Butler | | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| Eric L. Clay | 1969 | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit |
| Robert Hardy Cleland | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan |
| Max O. Cogburn Jr. | 1973 | Political science | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Robert P. Dick | 1843 / Grad. | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Franklin Taylor Dupree Jr. | 1933 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| James Carroll Fox | 1950 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| Donnell Gilliam | 1909 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| Leo M. Gordon | 1973 | | Judge of the United States Court of International Trade |
| Peter W. Hall | 1971 / Grad. | English / education | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit |
| David Ezekiel Henderson | 1904 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Karen L. Henderson | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |
| Truman McGill Hobbs | 1942 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama |
| Algenon L. Marbley | 1976 | Political science | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio |
| John Young Mason | 1816 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia |
| Harold Brent McKnight | 1974 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| James Bryan McMillan | 1937 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| James Ward Morris | 1912 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
| Richard E. Myers II | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| William Lindsay Osteen Jr. | 1983 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina |
| William Lindsay Osteen Sr. | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina |
| John J. Parker | 1907 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit |
| James Dickson Phillips Jr. | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit |
| S. Jay Plager | 1952 | | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit |
| Martin Karl Reidinger | 1981 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| David B. Sentelle | 1965 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |
| Thomas Settle | 1850 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida |
| William Bostwick Sheppard | 1881 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida |
| Lacy Thornburg | 1952 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Richard Lesley Voorhees | Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Wilson Warlick | 1911 / Grad. | Law | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| David Dortch Warriner | 1951 | | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia |
| Frank DeArmon Whitney | Grad. | Law / business | Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| James A. Wynn Jr. | 1975 | Journalism | Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit |

### Law

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Thomas Samuel Ashe | 1832 | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| M. V. Barnhill | Grad. | law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| William Horn Battle | | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| William H. Bobbitt | | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Peter Carlisle | 1974 | Psychology | Mayor of Honolulu; former Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu |
| J. Phil Carlton | Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Walter Clark | 1864 | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Joseph J. Davis | Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; U.S. representative from North Carolina |
| Walter E. Dellinger III | 1963 | Political science | Former United States Solicitor General |
| William A. Devin | Grad. | Law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Robert P. Dick | 1843 | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Robert H. Edmunds Jr. | Grad. | Law | Current justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Elizabeth Edwards | 1971 / Grad. | English / Law | Attorney, author and wife of John Edwards |
| James G. Exum | 1957 | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Stormie Forte | 1993 / Grad. | sociology, psychology | Lawyer, First black woman and first openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the Raleigh City Council |
| Franklin Freeman | Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Henry E. Frye | Grad. | Law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; first African American chief justice |
| Robin E. Hudson | Grad. | Law | Current justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Robert N. Hunter Jr. | 1969 / Grad. | History / law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| J. Frank Huskins | 1930 / Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Barbara Jackson | 1984 / Grad. | Interdisciplinary studies / law | Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| James F. Lawrence Jr. | 1941 | | First Marine Corps lawyer to be promoted to brigadier general, Navy Cross recipient |
| Matthias Evans Manly | 1824 | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| John H. Manning | 1913 / Grad. | Law | Former Adjutant General of North Carolina and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina |
| Steve Marshall | 1987 | American studies | Current Attorney General of Alabama |
| Mark Martin | Grad. | Law | Current chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| John Y. Mason | 1816 | | Former United States Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy |
| Jesse McClure | 1994 | | Current Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals |
| Burley Mitchell | Grad. | Law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Bartholomew F. Moore | 1820 | | Former North Carolina Attorney General |
| Dan K. Moore | 1927 / Grad. | Law | Former governor of North Carolina, former justice of N.C. Supreme Court |
| Paul Martin Newby | Grad. | Law | Current justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Mike Nifong | 1978 | Law | District attorney for Durham County, North Carolina; disbarred for his handling of the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case |
| Robert F. Orr | 1968 / Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Susan Owens | Grad. | Law | Current justice of the Washington Supreme Court |
| Sarah Parker | Grad. | Law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| William B. Rodman | 1836 | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Aaron A. F. Seawell | 1884 | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Susie Sharp | Grad. | Law | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, first female chief justice |
| James E. Shepherd | | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Reggie Shuford | 1991 | Law | Executive Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania |
| Clive Stafford Smith | | | Lawyer; founder of Reprieve |
| Walter P. Stacy | 1908 | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Patricia Timmons-Goodson | 1976 / Grad. | Speech / law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Earl W. Vaughn | 1950 / Grad. | Law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, former chief justice of the North Carolina Court of Appeals |
| John Webb | | | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Willis Whichard | 1962 / Grad. | History / law | Former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |
| J. Wallace Winborne | | | Former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court |

### Religious leaders

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Clifton Daniel III | 1969 | Education | Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania; former bishop of the Diocese of East Carolina |
| Thomas F. Davis | 1822 | | Episcopal bishop of South Carolina |
| Sam Dixon | 1971 | Political science | Head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief |
| William Mercer Green | 1818 | | Episcopal bishop of Mississippi |
| Reid Larkin Neilson | Grad. | Religious history | Managing director church history the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
| James Hervey Otey | 1820 / Grad. | | First Episcopal bishop of Tennessee |
| Lon Solomon | 1971 | Chemistry | Megachurch evangelist; former member of President's Committee on Intellectual Disabilities |
| John Shelby Spong | 1952 | Arts & sciences | Episcopal bishop and progressive theologian |
| Ruth Carter Stapleton | | | Evangelist, sister of Jimmy Carter |
| G. Porter Taylor | 1972 | English | Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina |
| Charles G. vonRosenberg | 1969 | | Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee |
| Ben Witherington III | 1974 | English | United Methodist Church minister and New Testament scholar |

### Other

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Nina Albert | | MBA, MCRP | Acting deputy mayor of Washington, D.C. for planning and economic development (2023–present) |
| Garry Conille | Grad. | Public health | Former Prime Minister of Haiti |
| Charles Dean | 1972 | | Executed in Laos |
| Bob Eaves | 1958 | Accounting | Second Gentleman of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009 and First Gentleman of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013 |
| Thad A. Eure | 1921 | Law | North Carolina Secretary of State |
| Patricia Hollingsworth Holshouser | | Nursing | First Lady of North Carolina; Chairwoman of the North Carolina Commission on Citizen Participation; Member of the U.S. National Council on Economic Opportunity |
| Jonathan Howes | Grad. | City & regional planning | Former Mayor of Chapel Hill; Former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
| Carolyn Leonard Hunt | | Education | First Lady of North Carolina |
| Rashad Hussain | 1999 | Philosophy / political science | United States special envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference |
| Perrin Jones | | | Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives (2019–present) |
| Jim Jordan | Grad. | Law | Political consultant |
| Moushira Khattab | Grad. | International relations | Egyptian politician and diplomat |
| Howard Nathaniel Lee | Grad. | Social work | Chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education |
| Tim Longest | 2013 | Economics/Philosophy | Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives |
| Jack McLean | Grad. | African Studies | Second African-American mayor of Tallahassee |
| Jeanne Milliken Bonds | 1985 | Economics | Mayor of Knightdale, North Carolina, Regional Manager of Community Development for North and South Carolina for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and Deputy Director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts |
| Michael R. Nelson | 1989 | Political Science | Mayor of Carrboro, North Carolina, Commissioner of Orange County; first openly gay mayor in North Carolina |
| Paul V. Nolan | Grad. | Two year medical program | Member of Tennessee General Assembly, 1969–1970 |
| Erica Payne | 1991 | Radio, television and motion picture | Founder of the Agenda Project |
| Thomas J. Pearsall | 1927 | Law | Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1947 |
| Sidney Powell | Grad / 1978 | BA / law | Former federal prosecutor; conspiracy theorist who attempted to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election |
| Ken Russell | | | Member of the Miami City Commission |
| Margaret Rose Knight Sanford | 1941 | English | First Lady of North Carolina |
| Matt Sherman | 1994 / Grad. | History/Law | Longest serving U.S. government official to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars |
| Robert Sprague | Grad. | Business | Member of the Ohio House of Representatives |
| Anna Harris Stein | | | First Lady of North Carolina and legal advisor to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services |
| Samuel Barron Stephens | 1832 | Law | Member of the Florida House of Representatives |
| Ivy Taylor | Grad. | City and regional planning | Mayor of San Antonio |
| Richard Vinroot | 1963 / Grad. | Business / law | Mayor of Charlotte |

## Sciences

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Eben Alexander III | 1975 | Chemistry | Neurosurgeon and author |
| Richard Bohannon | Grad. | Physical Therapy | Physiotherapist, author, and professor |
| Charles E. Brady Jr. | 1971 | Pre-medicine | Astronaut, flight surgeon |
| Zena Cardman | 2010 | Biology | Astronaut and research scientist |
| Chad M. Cary | 2001 | Environmental Science | Rear admiral in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps and Director, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (2024–present) |
| Francis Collins | Grad. | Medicine | Director of National Human Genome Project; director of National Institutes of Health (2009–present) |
| Kizzmekia Corbett | Grad. | Microbiology and Immunology | Viral immunologist at the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; key in developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine |
| Robert F. Furchgott | 1937 | Chemistry | Chemist; Nobel Prize winner in 1998 |
| Seymour Geisser | Grad. | Statistics | Statistician and DNA evidence expert |
| Ma Haide | 1932 | Pre-medicine | Doctor and public health official in China |
| Nancy Haigwood | Grad. | | HIV/AIDS researcher; director of the Oregon National Primate Research Center |
| Marc Levoy | 1989 | Computer Science | Computer graphics expert |
| Jerry M. Linenger | Grad. | Public health | Astronaut, captain in the United States Navy Medical Corps |
| Howard T. Odum | 1947 | Zoology | Ecosystem ecologist |
| Tamara Sher | Grad. | Psychology | NIH researcher and IIT professor |
| Kevin R. Stone | Grad. | Medicine | Orthopedic surgeon |
| Charles Tart | Grad. | Psychology | Psychologist |
| William E. Thornton | 1952 / Grad. | Physics / medicine | Astronaut and medical professor |
| Thomas A. Wadden | Grad. | Psychology | Clinical psychologist and educator |

## Sports
### Baseball

* Matt Harvey
* Kyle Seager
* Andrew Miller
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Dustin Ackley | | | Professional baseball player |
| Russ Adams | | | Professional baseball player |
| Daniel Bard | 2006 | | Professional baseball player |
| Skye Bolt | | | baseball player for the San Francisco Giants |
| Kent Emanuel | | | Professional baseball player |
| Mike Fox | 1978 | Physical education | College baseball coach |
| Zac Gallen | | | Professional baseball player |
| Moonlight Graham | | | Professional baseball player |
| Adam Greenberg | | | Professional baseball player |
| Matt Harvey | | | Professional baseball player |
| Gary Hill | | | Professional baseball player |
| Chris Iannetta | | | Professional baseball player |
| Michael Jordan | 1986 | Geography | Former professional baseball and basketball player; member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Mark Kingston | 1995 | Communications | Professional baseball player, college baseball coach |
| Andrew Miller | | | Professional baseball player |
| Colin Moran | | | professional baseball player |
| Mike Morin | | | Professional baseball player |
| R. C. Orlan | | | Professional baseball player |
| Brian Roberts | | Transferred to USC | Professional baseball player |
| Kyle Seager | | | Professional baseball player |
| Paul Shuey | | | Professional baseball player |
| Kyle Snyder | | | Professional baseball player |
| B.J. Surhoff | | | Former professional baseball player |
| Trent Thornton | | | Professional baseball player |
| Walt Weiss | | | Former professional baseball player |
| Brad Woodall | | | Professional baseball player |

### Basketball players

* Harrison Barnes
* Billy Cunningham
* Vince Carter
* Tyler Hansbrough
* Antawn Jamison
* Michael Jordan
* Bob McAdoo
* Sam Perkins
* Charlie Scott
* Jerry Stackhouse
* Kenny Smith
* James Worthy
* Rasheed Wallace
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Armando Bacot | 2023 | Exercise & Sport Science | Professional basketball player |
| Cole Anthony | | | Professional basketball player |
| Harrison Barnes | | Business Administration | Professional basketball player |
| Joel Berry | 2018 | Exercise & Sport Science | professional basketball player |
| Dudley Bradley | 1979 | Recreation administration | Professional basketball player |
| Tony Bradley | | | Professional basketball player |
| Pete Brennan | 1958 | Industrial relations | Professional basketball player |
| Nate Britt | 2017 | Management & Society | Professional basketball player |
| Larry Brown | 1963 | History | College and professional basketball coach; member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Steve Bucknall | 1989 | Radio, television and motion picture | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Reggie Bullock | | | Professional basketball player |
| Vince Carter | 2001 | African-American studies | Professional basketball player |
| Pete Chilcutt | 1991 | Industrial relations / psychology | Professional basketball player |
| Ed Cota | | | Professional basketball player |
| Sylvia Crawley | 1994 | Radio, television and motion picture | Professional basketball player |
| Billy Cunningham | 1971 | History | Professional basketball player and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Brad Daugherty | 1986 | Radio, television and motion picture | Former professional basketball player and sportscaster |
| Ed Davis | | | Professional basketball player |
| Hubert Davis | 1992 | Criminal justice | Professional basketball player |
| Walter Davis | 1988 | Recreation administration | Professional basketball player |
| John Dillon | 1948 | | Professional basketball player |
| Wayne Ellington | | | Professional basketball player |
| Darrell Elston | 1974 | History | Professional basketball player |
| Cecil Exum | 1984 | | Professional basketball player |
| Jalek Felton | | Attended; Later withdrew | Professional basketball player |
| Raymond Felton | | | Professional basketball player |
| Phil Ford | 1978 | Business administration | Professional basketball player |
| Joseph Forte | | | Professional basketball player |
| Rick Fox | 1994 | Radio, television and motion picture | Professional basketball player and actor |
| Marcus Ginyard | 2010 | Communication studies & sociology | Professional basketball player |
| George Glamack | | | Professional basketball player |
| Danny Green | 2009 | Communications | Professional basketball player |
| PJ Hairston | | Communication Studies | Professional basketball player |
| Tyler Hansbrough | 2009 | Communications | Professional basketball player |
| Brendan Haywood | 2001 | Communications | Professional basketball player |
| John Henson | | | Professional basketball player |
| Isaiah Hicks | 2017 | Exercise & sport science | Professional basketball player |
| Justin Jackson | | | Professional basketball player |
| Joel James | 2016 | History | Professional basketball player |
| Antawn Jamison | | | Professional basketball player |
| Brice Johnson | 2016 | Exercise & Sport Science | Professional basketball player |
| Cameron Johnson | Grad. | Sports Administration | Professional basketball player |
| Bobby Jones | 1974 | Psychology | Professional basketball player |
| Marion Jones | | | Professional basketball player; former track and field athlete |
| Michael Jordan | 1986 | Geography | Former professional baseball and basketball player; member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| George Karl | 1973 | | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Tommy Kearns | 1958 | History | Professional basketball player |
| Justin Knox | 2011 | Business Administration | Professional basketball player |
| Mitch Kupchak | 1976 | Political science / psychology | Professional basketball player and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets |
| York Larese | 1961 | Sociology | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Ivory Latta | 2007 | Exercise / sports science | Professional basketball player |
| Ty Lawson | | | Professional basketball player |
| Nassir Little | | | Professional basketball player |
| George Lynch | 1993 | African studies | Professional basketball player |
| Kendall Marshall | | | Professional basketball player |
| Sean May | 2009 | African-American studies | Professional basketball player |
| Luke Maye | 2019 | Business Administration | Professional basketball player |
| Bob McAdoo | | | Professional basketball player and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| James Michael McAdoo | | | Professional basketball player |
| Rashad McCants | | | Professional basketball player |
| Rashanda McCants | 2009 | | Professional basketball player |
| Leslie McDonald | | | Professional basketball player |
| Jeff McInnis | | | Professional basketball player |
| Horace McKinney | 1948 | | Professional basketball player and coach, college coach |
| Kennedy Meeks | 2017 | Communication studies | Professional basketball player |
| Orlando Melendez | 2002 | | former professional basketball player |
| Larry Miller | 1968 | Business administration | Professional basketball player |
| Doug Moe | | | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Eric Montross | 1994 | | Professional basketball player |
| David Noel | 2006 | African-American studies | Professional basketball player |
| Mike O'Koren | 1980 | | Professional basketball player |
| Ademola Okulaja | 1999 | International studies | Professional basketball player |
| Marcus Paige | 2016 | Journalism/History | Professional basketball player |
| Sam Perkins | 1984 | Radio, television and motion picture | Professional basketball player |
| Theo Pinson | 2018 | communication studies | Professional basketball player |
| Dave Popson | 1987 | Geography | Professional basketball player |
| J.R. Reid | 1992 | Radio, television and motion picture | Professional basketball player |
| Henrik Rödl | 1993 | Biology | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Lennie Rosenbluth | 1957 | | Professional basketball player |
| Clifford Rozier | | | Professional basketball player |
| Tierra Ruffin-Pratt | | | Professional basketball player |
| Charlie Scott | | | Professional basketball player |
| Lee Shaffer | 1960 | Business administration | Professional basketball player |
| Day'Ron Sharpe | | | Professional basketball player |
| Charlotte Smith | 1999 | Sociology | Professional basketball player |
| Kenny Smith | | | Professional basketball player and basketball analyst |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 1999 | African-American studies | Professional basketball player |
| Dexter Strickland | | | Professional basketball player |
| J.P. Tokoto | | | Professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League |
| Rasheed Wallace | | | Professional basketball player |
| Stephanie Watts | 2019 | Public Policy | Professional basketball player |
| Coby White | | | Professional basketball player |
| Kenny Williams | 2019 | exercise & sport science | Professional basketball player |
| Marvin Williams | 2014 | African-American studies | Professional basketball player |
| Seventh Woods | | | Professional basketball player |
| Scott Williams | | | Professional basketball player |
| Shammond Williams | | | Professional basketball player |
| Joe Wolf | 1987 | Industrial relations | Professional basketball player |
| Al Wood | 1988 | Recreation administration | Professional basketball player |
| James Worthy | 1985 | Recreation administration | Professional basketball player and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Brandan Wright | | | Professional basketball player |
| Tyler Zeller | 2012 | Business administration | Professional basketball player |

### Basketball coaches

* George Karl
* Roy Williams
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Larry Brown | 1963 | History | College and professional basketball coach; member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Jason Capel | 2002 | Communications | College basketball coach |
| Scott Cherry | 1993 | Business administration | College basketball coach |
| Billy Cunningham | 1971 | History | Professional basketball coach and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Hubert Davis | 1992 | Criminal justice | Professional basketball player and current UNC men's head coach since 2021 |
| Matt Doherty | 1984 | Business administration | College basketball coach, UNC men's head coach 2000–2003 |
| Eddie Fogler | 1970 / Grad. | Mathematics / physical education | College basketball coach |
| George Karl | 1973 | Professional basketball player and coach |
| John Kuester | 1977 | Health | Professional and college coach |
| Jeff Lebo | 1990 | Business administration | College basketball coach |
| Monk McDonald | 1923 / Grad. | Medicine | College basketball player and coach |
| Wes Miller | 2007 | Political science | College basketball coach |
| Doug Moe | | | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Mike O'Koren | 1980 | Recreation administration | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Buzz Peterson | 1986 | Geography | College basketball coach |
| King Rice | 1992 | Radio, television and motion picture | College basketball coach |
| Henrik Rödl | 1993 | Biology | Professional basketball player and coach |
| Tony Shaver | 1976 / Grad. | Business administration / education | College basketball coach |
| Roy Williams | 1972 / Grad. | Education | College basketball coach; member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; UNC men's head coach 2003–2021 |

### Football players

* Giovani Bernard
* Hakeem Nicks
* Julius Peppers
* Jeff Saturday
* Lawrence Taylor
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Sam Aiken | | | Professional football player |
| Ethan Albright | | | Professional football player |
| Frank Aschenbrenner | | | Professional football player |
| Matthew Baker | | | Professional football player |
| Connor Barth | 2007 | Communications studies | Professional football player |
| Harris Barton | | Finance | Professional football player |
| Giovani Bernard | | | Professional football player |
| Dré Bly | | | Professional football player |
| Brian Bollinger | | | Professional football player |
| Omar Brown | | | Professional football player |
| Jonathan Cooper | | | Professional football player |
| Quinton Coples | | | Professional football player |
| Alge Crumpler | | | Professional football player |
| Ronald Curry | | | Professional football player |
| Paul Davis | | | Professional football player |
| Dave Drechsler | | | Professional football player |
| Darian Durant | | | Professional football player |
| Greg Ellis | | | Professional football player |
| Brooks Foster | 2008 | Management & society | Professional football player |
| Jeff Hayes | | | Professional football player |
| William Henderson | | | Professional football player |
| Nate Hobgood-Chittick | | | Professional football player |
| Jesse Holley | | | Professional football player |
| Mack Hollins | | | Professional football player |
| James Hurst | | | Professional football player |
| Charlie Justice | | | Professional football player and member of the College Football Hall of Fame |
| Kivuusama Mays | | | Professional football player |
| Don McCauley | | | Professional football player and member of the College Football Hall of Fame |
| Tom McCauley | | | Professional football player |
| Natrone Means | | | Professional football player |
| Hakeem Nicks | | | Professional football player, New York Giants |
| Willie Parker | | | Professional football player |
| Julius Peppers | | | Professional football player |
| Jeff Reed | | | Professional football player |
| Dexter Reid | | | Professional football player |
| Jeff Saturday | | | Professional football player |
| Brian Simmons | | | Professional football player |
| Dave Simmons | | | Professional football player |
| Lawrence Taylor | | | Professional football player and member of the Football Hall of Fame |
| David Thornton | | | Professional football player |
| Mitchell Trubisky | | | professional football player |
| Art Weiner | | | College Football Hall of Fame |
| Brennan Williams | | | Professional football player |
| T. J. Yates | | | Professional football player |

### Football coaches

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Charlie Baggett | | | College and professional football coach |
| Rod Broadway | | | College football coach |
| Bud Carson | 1951 | | College and professional football coach |
| Scot Dapp | Grad. | Physical education | College football coach |
| Arthur Smith | | | Professional football coach |
| Jim Tatum | 1939 | Business administration | College football coach |
| Kevin Wilson | 1984 / Grad. | Mathematics / physical education | College football coach |

### Golfers

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Donna Andrews | 1989 | Business administration | Professional golfer |
| Raymond Floyd | | | Professional golfer |
| Meaghan Francella | 2005 | Communications | Professional golfer |
| Casey Grice | | | Professional golfer |
| Cathy Johnston | | | Professional golfer |
| Davis Love III | | | Professional golfer |
| Ashley Prange | | | Professional golfer |
| Harvie Ward | 1951 | Economics | Amateur golfer |
| Mark Wilson | 1997 | Mathematics | Professional golfer |

### Soccer

* Mia Hamm
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Ryan Adeleye | 2008 | | Israeli-American professional soccer player |
| Yael Averbuch | 2008 | Psychology | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Gregg Berhalter | | | Professional soccer player |
| Rosalind Berhalter | | | UNC women's soccer player, wife of Gregg Berhalter and mother of Sebastian Berhalter |
| Lucy Bronze | | | England women's national team footballer |
| Chris Carrieri | | | Professional soccer player |
| Lori Chalupny | 2006 | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Matt Crawford | 2003 | Biology | Professional soccer player |
| Crystal Dunn | 2013 | Sociology | U.S Women's National Team soccer player |
| Whitney Engen | 2010 | | U.S Women's National Team soccer player |
| Lorrie Fair | | | U.S Women's National Team soccer player |
| Michael Farfan | | | Professional soccer player |
| Robyn Gayle | 2008 | | Canada Women's National Team soccer player |
| Jordan Graye | 2010 | | Professional soccer player |
| Mia Hamm | 1993 | Political science | U.S Women's National Team soccer player |
| Ashlyn Harris | 2009 | Communications | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Tobin Heath | 2010 | Communications | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| April Heinrichs | 1986 | Radio, television and motion picture | U.S Women's National Team soccer player |
| Meghan Klingenberg | 2011 | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Chris Leitch | | | Professional soccer player |
| Eric Lichaj | | | Professional soccer player |
| Kristine Lilly | 1992 | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Allie Long | 2009 | | U.S. Women's National Team Soccer player |
| Kealia Ohai | 2013 | | Professional soccer player |
| Heather O'Reilly | 2006 | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| Cindy Parlow Cone | | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player; soccer coach |
| Logan Pause | 2007 | Economics | Professional soccer player |
| Eddie Pope | | | Professional soccer player |
| Eddie Robinson | | | Professional soccer player |
| Alessia Russo | | | England women's national team footballer |
| David Stokes | 2009 | Communications | Professional soccer player |
| Carey Talley | | | Professional soccer player |
| Lindsay Tarpley | 2005 | | U.S. Women's National Team soccer player |
| David Testo | 2009 | Management & society | Professional soccer player |
| Nikki Washington | 2011 | Communications | Professional soccer player |
| Cat Whitehill | 2003 | | United States Women's National Team soccer player |
| Sarina Wiegman | | | Dutch women's national team footballer; manager to Dutch and England women's national team |
| Sheanon Williams | | | Professional soccer player |
| Lotte Wubben-Moy | | | England women's national team footballer |
| Kerry Zavagnin | 2000 | Exercise & sports science | Professional soccer player |

### Sports administrators

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| James Delany | 1970 / Grad. | Political science / law | Commissioner of the Big Ten |
| Rick Hart | 1994 | Physical education, health and sport science | Athletic director at Southern Methodist University |
| Mike Hill | 1990 | | Athletic director at UNC Charlotte |
| Mitch Kupchak | 1976 | Political science / psychology | Professional basketball player and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers |
| Ryan McDonough | 2002 | Journalism | General manager of the Phoenix Suns |
| Danny Morrison | Grad. | Education administration & supervision | President of the Carolina Panthers |
| John Swofford | 1971 | Psychology | Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Norwood Teague | 1988 | Political science | Former athletic director at the University of Minnesota |
| Malcolm Turner | | Business | Athletic director at Vanderbilt University |
| Travis Tygart | 1993 | Philosophy | CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency |
| Donnie Walsh | 1962 / Grad. | Political science / law | Former president of New York Knicks, former CEO of Indiana Pacers |

### Track and field

* Jim Beatty
* LaTasha Colander
* Vikas Gowda
* Allen Johnson
* Marion Jones
| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Jim Beatty | | | First person to run a four-minute mile indoors |
| Samuel Bryan | 2010 | | Steeplechase |
| LaTasha Colander | 1998 | Communications | Former track and field athlete |
| Dominic Demeritte | 1999 | Economics | Former track and field athlete |
| Vikas Gowda | 2006 | | Gold medalist 2014 Commonwealth Games in discus throw |
| Allen Johnson | | | Former track and field athlete |
| Marion Jones | | | Former track and field athlete and professional basketball player |
| Earl Owens | | | Professional runner and triathlete |
| Alice Schmidt | 2004 | | Middle-distance runner |
| Ola Sesay | 2001 | | Long jumper |
| Tony Waldrop | 1974 / Grad. | Political science / physiology | Gold medalist, 1975 Pan American Games in the 1500 meter; president of the University of South Alabama |

### Other sports

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Rachel Dawson | 2007 | | Field hockey |
| Katelyn Falgowski | 2011 | | Field hockey |
| Shalane Flanagan | 2004 | | Distance runner |
| John Friedberg | 1984 | | Olympic fencer; NCAA champion |
| Rinky Hijikata | | | Professional tennis player |
| Rob Koll | 1989 | Speech | College wrestling coach |
| Jamie Loeb | | Sports administration | NCAA singles champion; professional tennis player |
| Sanaz Marand | 2010 | Psychology | Professional tennis player |
| Richie Meade | 1976 / Grad. | | College lacrosse coach |
| Nick Monroe | | | Professional tennis player |
| Bill Roy | Grad. | | U.S. Olympic and world champion skeet shooter; professor of English at United States Air Force Academy |
| Vic Seixas | 1949 | | Tennis player, International Tennis Hall of Fame |
| Amy Swensen | 2002 | | Field hockey |
| Naya Tapper | 2016 | Exercise and Sport Science | Rugby player; U.S. Olympic sevens team |
| Peter Warfield | 1971 | | Rugby player; England national team |
| Cindy Werley | | | U.S. Olympic field hockey player |

## Miscellaneous

| Name | Class | Major | Notability |
| Robert D. Atkinson | Grad. | City and regional planning | President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation |
| Rye Barcott | 2001 | Peace, war, and defense | Founder of Carolina for Kibera |
| Christine Burckle | 1988 | Mathematics | Brigadier general, retired Assistant Adjutant General - Air - Utah Air National Guard |
| Eve Carson | 2008 | Biology and political science | Student body president; murdered in 2008 |
| Laura M. Dickey | 1990 | Law | US Coast Guard Rear Admiral |
| Julia Compton Moore | 1950 | | Wife of Hal Moore |
| Charles Moose | 1975 | History | Former police chief of Montgomery County, Maryland; investigated Beltway snipers in 2002 |
| Johnston Pettigrew | 1847 | Arts & sciences | Confederate general in the American Civil War who participated in Pickett's Charge |
| Jonathan Reckford | | Political science | CEO of Habitat for Humanity International |
| Hunter Scott | 2007 | Economics / physics | Researcher on history of USS Indianapolis |
| Joey Tynch | 1987 | Business Administration | Rear admiral of the United States Navy |
| George D. Webster | 1940 / Grad. | Arts & sciences | Brigadier general in the Marine Corps |