<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.northcarolina.edu </Td> </Tr> <P> The University of North Carolina is a multi-campus public university system composed of all 16 of North Carolina's public universities, as well as the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students . Commonly referred to as the University of North Carolina system or the UNC system to differentiate it from the original campus in Chapel Hill, the university has a total enrollment of over 183,001 students and confers over 75% of all baccalaureate degrees in North Carolina in 2008 . UNC campuses conferred 43,686 degrees for 2008--2009, the bulk of which were Bachelor's level with 31,055 degrees awarded . </P> <P> Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of three schools to claim the title of oldest public university in the United States . It closed from 1871 to 1875, faced with serious financial and enrollment problems during the Reconstruction era . In 1877, the State of North Carolina began sponsoring additional higher education institutions . Over time the state added a women's college (now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), a land - grant university (North Carolina State University), five historically black institutions (North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Winston - Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and Elizabeth City State University) and one to educate American Indians (the University of North Carolina at Pembroke). Others were created to prepare teachers for public education and to instruct performing artists . </P> <P> During the Depression, the North Carolina General Assembly searched for cost savings within state government . Towards this effort in 1931, it redefined the University of North Carolina, which at the time referred exclusively to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the new Consolidated University of North Carolina was created to include the existing campuses of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro . The three campuses came under the leadership of just one board and one president . By 1969, three additional campuses had joined the Consolidated University through legislative action: the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington . </P>

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