Quick Facts

Founded

Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the North Carolina School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem in 1965 as America’s first public arts conservatory. The school became part of the University of North Carolina System in 1972. In 2008, the school changed its name to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Mission

UNCSA is the state’s unique professional school for the performing, visual, and moving image arts, training students at the high school, undergraduate, and master’s levels for professional careers in the arts.

Status

Public, coeducational, one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina System.

Campus

78 acres in Winston-Salem, N.C., near Old Salem Museums & Gardens—a national tourist attraction. Accessible by interstates 40, 85 and 77. Twenty minutes from Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. 

Accreditation

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) to award bachelor's and master's degrees as well as credentials including certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels.

The UNCSA High School Academic Program is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancEd) to award the high school diploma with concentrations in dance, drama, music, and the visual arts.

Calendar

Two terms (fall and spring), August to May. Also a Summer Session.

Schools

Five—Dance, Design & Production (includes a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking and Music—plus a High School Academic Program and Division of Liberal Arts.

Enrollment (Fall 2024)

1,367 students — including 253 high school, 948 undergraduate, 166 graduate.

In graduate school, the largest classes are in Music (71) and Design & Production (54). Among undergraduates, the largest classes are in Filmmaking (340) and Design & Production (230). In High School, the largest classes are those in Dance (105) and in Music (91).

Faculty Profile (2024-25)

149 full-time, resident faculty plus 76 adjunct.

Student/Faculty Ratio (2024)

8:1 (includes high school) 

Tuition (2024-25)

Fees, ranging from Health & Wellness to Educational & Technology, vary by level and arts school. Housing and meal plan are additional. For a complete listing of tuition, fees and other charges, see the Tuition & Fees portion of the website.

Housing

A new residence hall, called Artist Village, provides suite-style housing for approximately 450 predominantly first- and second-year undergraduate students. UNCSA also offers an off-campus student apartment complex, called Center Stage, adjacent to campus and within walking distance. It is reserved for third- and fourth-year college students, graduate students, non-traditional-aged students and international students. Two residence halls, named Moore and Sanford, are for high-school-only students and are joined by a central Connector Building.

Facilities

Eleven performance and screening spaces comparable to the best in the industry. These include the 368-seat Gerald Freedman Theatre, the 200-seat Catawba Arena Theatre and the 100-seat Patrons Theatre in the Alex C. Ewing Performance Place; 177-seat Agnes de Mille Theatre in the Workplace; the 300-seat Bill & Judy Watson Chamber Music Hall in the School of Music Complex; the 590-seat Crawford Hall and the 60-seat Hood Recital Hall in Gray Building; the ACE Exhibition Complex in the School of Filmmaking, feature the 300-seat Main Theatre and the 100-seat Babcock and Gold theatres; and the university’s largest performing arts venue/learning laboratory, the Stevens Center downtown, which is currently undergoing renovation.

State-Authorized Appropriation (2024-25)

$40.9 million, representing approximately 1% of the entire UNC System budget

Endowment (June 30, 2024)

$135.6 million

Degrees, Diplomas Awarded (2024-25)