page_title: University of North Carolina Wilmington
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: University of North Carolina Wilmington / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Iconic arches on the campus of University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) in Wilmington, North Carolina
context_page_description: The University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 16,747 undergraduate and graduate students each year.
context_section_description: UNCW opened its doors on September 4, 1947 as Wilmington College. At the time the school operated as a junior college, offering freshman-level courses to 238 students during the first school year, 75% of whom were veterans returning from military service following World War II. Under the control of the New Hanover County Board of Education, Wilmington College earned accreditation from the North Carolina College Conference in 1948 and became a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. Further accreditation came in 1952 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  In 1958, Wilmington College was placed under the Community College Act of North Carolina, passing control from the New Hanover County Board of Education to a board of trustees as a state-supported college under the supervision of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education.
  Wilmington College became a four-year liberal arts college on July 1, 1963, when the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation allowing the school to award bachelor's degrees. Six years later, July 1, 1969, the school was elevated to university status under its present name, becoming the fifth campus of the University of North Carolina system. On August 22, 1977, UNCW was authorized to offer its first graduate programs at the master's level.
  The school offers 55 bachelor's degrees, 35 master's degrees and four doctoral degrees: Ed.D. Educational Leadership; Ph.D. Marine Biology and Psychology and a  Doctorate in Nursing Practice.
caption: Arches next to Leutze Hall on the campus of UNCW
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