This is a column by James Orr, senior vice provost for student success at UNC Chapel Hill. He leads strategies from enrollment through graduate and beyond.
Only 47% of people say the cost of getting a four-year college degree is worth it, even without having to take out loans, while the proportion of high school graduates going straight into college has been dropping.
As colleges nationwide face declining enrollment and rising skepticism about the value of a degree, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is proving that excellence doesn’t have to come at a premium. Carolina’s model offers a blueprint for how public institutions can uphold value.
UNC Chapel Hill has been named the best value in public higher education by U.S. News & World Report for the 21st consecutive year. The recognition is representative of a deeply foundational dedication as the nation’s first public university to offer a high-quality, academically rigorous experience that’s within reach.
Affordability is a cornerstone of Carolina’s mission. Remarkably, more than 70% of our undergraduate students graduate without any student loan debt. We do an exceptional job thinking about the entire spectrum of financial need and support.
Our Carolina Covenant Program meets full financial need — allowing students to graduate completely debt free — through grants, scholarships, and Work-Study for families at or below 200% of the poverty guideline and meet additional economic criteria to qualify.
Our Blue Sky Scholarship Program supports middle-income families across North Carolina. Our Tar Heel Guarantee means Carolina will cover out-of-pocket costs for tuition and mandatory fees for North Carolina undergraduates whose families make less than $80,000 a year.
All three of these programs, and many more, are made possible through the generous support and engagement of our alumni and donors. But they also represent a deep commitment to meeting our students where they are at, and the support doesn’t just come in dollar amounts. Both the Carolina Covenant and Blue Sky Scholarship recipients become scholars who are integrated into a dense network of academic, career and well-being support.
Beyond our scholarship programs, we receive a significant amount in state support. North Carolina has never wavered from setting higher education as a priority. Our policymakers, taxpayers and citizens contribute greatly to our ability to remain affordable, and in return, we take very seriously our commitment to serve the people of North Carolina.
But cost is only part of the equation when solving for value.
What really sets us apart is the combination of that affordability with the experience students get once they arrive on campus.
We are consistently ranked a top public institution. Our students learn from expert faculty and participate in groundbreaking research. We’ve aimed to regularly adapt to the rapidly changing world, offering academic programming that aligns with workforce demand and student interest. But navigating college is hard, especially for first-year students. Student success happens inside and outside the classroom.
Carolina is in the top five for public universities in our four-year graduation rates, bolstering the affordability and application of the degree, but we’ve also recognized that student financial success goes well beyond financial aid. Our Financial Well-being Center takes a robust approach to student financial wellness and teaches our students how to make short- and long-term thoughtful decisions for their financial health.
Our College Thriving course provides our students with tools that support their ability to study systematically, engage in deep learning and monitor their own well-being. The 1- credit-hour course is designed to empower students to participate fully in the opportunities of a powerhouse research university and teaches them to navigate resources that support their educational and personal goals.
Preparing for a career is a main driver for students. Carolina recently launched a campuswide platform that enables students to access career advising, jobs and resources. Employers can also recruit and engage students, and the campus community is able to easily find and promote career events and services across multiple career offices and support areas. The Career Hub immediately met a need for our students, with more than 5,000 visitors in its first year.
We are focused on holistic, wrap-around services that will set our students up for success well beyond their time on our campus. With more than two decades as the best public value in higher education, we’ve obviously been successful at student support.
But that doesn’t mean we haven’t changed. Many of the examples presented here are recent initiatives, representing a university-wide commitment to continuous improvement for affordability and student experience.
Carolina’s success is not just a point of pride — it’s a call to action. We must evolve to meet students where they are, and where they’re going. If public universities want to remain relevant and accessible, they must follow Carolina’s lead. The future of higher education and the students we serve depend on it.
Before joining UNC in July, Orr worked at Ohio State, most recently as vice provost for academic affairs and strategic enrollment. He also has been an assistant vice provost at Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech University. He’s a first-generation college student who earned a doctorate in philosophy, public policy and administration from Mississippi State University,
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