UNC graduation Countdown

America's first public university

Carolina was the only public university in the United States to award degrees in the 18th century — its first graduating class, in 1798, was just seven students. Its very first student, Hinton James, famously arrived on foot in 1795 after walking from the Wilmington area. More than two centuries on, Chapel Hill is known for one of the nation's leading public health schools, the Kenan-Flagler business school, a storied journalism program, and a basketball tradition stitched into campus life.

Commencement in Kenan Stadium

Spring Commencement fills Kenan Memorial Stadium with thousands of graduates in Carolina-blue gowns — a truer shade introduced in 2011, when fashion designer and alumnus Alexander Julian ('69) redesigned the regalia in recycled-bottle polyester. Members of the 50th-reunion class march in to music from their own era, and in 2024 Carolina moved the ceremony to a Saturday under the lights for the first time, capping it with fireworks. The Class of 2026 alone numbered 7,183 new alumni.

Graduates, class by class

The Class of 1818 sent James K. Polk toward the White House; the Class of 1920 gave American letters Thomas Wolfe. Andy Griffith earned his degree in 1949 before Mayberry made him famous, and Charles Kuralt, Class of 1955, went on the road for CBS. Michael Jordan left for the Bulls in 1984 but returned to finish his geography degree in 1986, a year before Stuart Scott, Class of 1987, headed toward SportsCenter. The Class of 1994 included soccer legend Mia Hamm.

Planning your graduation weekend

Chapel Hill is a small town with a big graduation: hotels along Franklin Street and around campus sell out months ahead, and commencement traditionally lands on Mother's Day weekend, so families often stay in Durham or Raleigh and drive in. Kenan Stadium holds tens of thousands, but check the current guest and parking guidance on the official commencement site before you travel. Graduating this year? Share this countdown with your class and count down to the big day together.

Quick facts

• Chartered in 1789 — the only U.S. public university to award degrees in the 18th century
• Its first student, Hinton James, walked to Chapel Hill from the Wilmington area in 1795
• About 32,400 students, including roughly 20,900 undergraduates
• More than 367,000 living alumni across all 50 states and 151 countries
• Spring Commencement is held in Kenan Memorial Stadium, which seats about 50,500
• Since 2011, the Carolina-blue gowns have been made from recycled plastic bottles