UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC School of the Arts announce new partnership
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNCSA today announced a new strategic partnership that will bring together the strengths of two of the nation’s leading public institutions to expand opportunities for students and faculty, enhance artistic and academic collaboration and explore more efficient ways to deliver support.
The partnership will connect the breadth of a leading public research university with the specialized expertise and professional arts training of the nation’s first and only public arts conservatory. UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC School of the Arts share a commitment to putting students at the center of their work by expanding access to learning, supporting student success and affordability, and using public resources responsibly to prepare the next generation for success.
UNC-Chapel Hill and UNCSA will remain distinct universities with their own governance, leadership, academic programs, faculty, cultures, identities, degree-granting authority and admissions processes while exploring opportunities to complement both institutions and better serve North Carolina.
“These are two of our state’s great centers of art and culture, and I’m thrilled to see them collaborating more closely,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “We’re blessed to have a public university system with a world-class arts conservatory in Winston-Salem and a world-renowned research university in Chapel Hill. It’s an inspired idea for them to build on their complementary strengths to deliver a richer experience for students.”
The partnership will build on existing collaboration between the two institutions, which already includes student health services, digital accessibility compliance and efforts to increase arts exposure in both communities. Teams from UNC-Chapel Hill and UNCSA will now begin a broader evaluation of opportunities in four primary areas: student pathways and expanded academic opportunities; academic collaboration; artistic collaboration; and shared operational infrastructure and institutional capacity.
“Partnership between two universities with a shared commitment to excellence and educating the artists, innovators and leaders of tomorrow is a win-win for students, employees and the state of North Carolina,” said UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole. “UNCSA has built a national reputation for excellence in arts training, and we are proud to explore how, while honoring our distinct identities, we can work with UNC-Chapel Hill to bring together the expertise of both institutions and expand what we can offer our students and employees. I am excited to dive into the possibilities and can’t wait to see what we are able to create together to enhance arts training, build audiences, strengthen our communities and make an even greater impact in North Carolina and beyond.”
The partnership also creates new possibilities for artistic collaboration. Areas under consideration include creating tighter connections between UNCSA’s School of Drama and PlayMakers Repertory Company and exploring opportunities for Carolina Performing Arts programming in Winston-Salem. Projects created through UNCSA could similarly be presented in Chapel Hill, creating new audiences and opportunities for artists in both communities.
“North Carolina is fortunate to have an extraordinary arts conservatory in the UNC School of the Arts. We see opportunities to learn from one another and give students on both campuses access to experiences they might not otherwise have,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “This partnership will allow us to explore those possibilities while preserving what makes each institution distinctive. As public universities, we share a responsibility to find new ways to serve the people of our state.”
The institutions will also explore ways students could gain greater access to learning experiences available on each campus, such as intercampus semester exchanges, international study-abroad programs, graduate assistantships, intercampus minors and guaranteed admission to UNC –Chapel Hill for qualified UNCSA high school graduates. Academic collaboration could include faculty exchanges, joint research and scholarship, and interdisciplinary work connecting the arts with traditionally STEM-related fields.
The universities will also evaluate whether shared expertise, technology, service contracts or other resources could improve quality, and increase efficiency. For UNCSA, the partnership could provide greater access to services and infrastructure made possible by UNC-Chapel Hill’s scale, allowing additional resources to be directed toward student support, academic programs, and critical operational and personnel needs.
The partnership comes as both institutions continue to invest in their respective assets. UNC-Chapel Hill is home to arts programs and organizations including PlayMakers Repertory Company, the Ackland Art Museum and Carolina Performing Arts, and recently announced the Thomas S. Kenan III Place for the Arts and Culture District. UNCSA operates five conservatories in dance, drama, design and production, filmmaking and music, along with a high school and Division of Liberal Arts, and serves approximately 1,400 students. UNCSA is also home to the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, which bolsters the university’s role as a leader in the arts by supporting artistic innovation, fostering collaboration, and connecting students, faculty and alumni with the broader creative community through regional and national partnerships.
Beginning immediately, on-campus subject matter experts comprised of faculty, staff and leadership from each campus will collaborate on pathways to move forward in the project components. A more complete scope of the project, task force structure, and an implementation roadmap will be available in early 2027.
About UNC-Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader. Carolina is committed to ensuring that every student who earns admission can come to Carolina and thrive. Addressing the greatest challenges of our time through innovative teaching, research and public service, Carolina is an engine of opportunity for the next generation of students, the economy and innovation in North Carolina and beyond. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina has ranked among the top 5 public universities for 25 consecutive years. Facts and figures can be found on this webpage.
About UNC School of Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a top-ranked arts conservatory and America’s first state-supported arts school. The nation’s only public university of five arts disciplines on one campus, UNCSA prepares emerging artists for careers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music at the undergraduate through post-graduate levels, as well as through a specialized high school with free tuition for in-state residents. UNCSA provides industry-leading instruction in an inclusive environment where students are encouraged to leverage the arts as a mechanism for change. Interdisciplinary opportunities arising from the unique arts ecosystem on campus at UNCSA prepare artists to enter an evolving global arts and entertainment industry. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina System when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.
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October 19, 2026