University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The first public university in the U.S., the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was established in 1795. Located in downtown Chapel Hill, the school, which is one of the top 30 in the nation, sits on 729 acres. Faculty member Professor Oliver Smithies won the Nobel Prize in 2007 for genetics and Professor Aziz Sancar won for chemistry in 2015. Notable alumni include Former U.S. President James K. Polk, basketball player Michael Jordan, actor Andy Griffith, soccer player Mia Hamm, writer Thomas Wolfe, comedians Lewis Black and Wyatt Cenac and journalist Brooke Baldwin. The school’s motto is “‎Lux libertas” or “Light and liberty.” The team mascot for the North Carolina Tar Heels is Rameses the ram, and the university colors are Carolina blue and white. It’s affiliated with sporting organizations NCAA Division I FBS and ACC, and the school has won 43 NCAA Division I national championships. The 28 varsity teams at UNC include football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s swimming and diving. Franklin Street, named after Benjamin Franklin, is a typical meeting place for students. It’s where up to 80,000 people gather for Halloween, and where students flock for bonfires when their sports teams beat their rivals, Duke University.

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