Explore@UNC Recently Updated

Explore@UNC is Carolina's one-week, on-campus pre-college program where high school students “test-drive” college life. Over five days, students explore two academic majors, learn from UNC faculty and students, tour labs and studios, and experience real classes. Along the way, they gain insight into majors, career paths, and their own interests—leaving with a clearer vision of college and beyond.

The goal of Explore@UNC is simple: to help students get closer to finding the intersection of what they love, what they’re good at, what the world needs, and where their work could take them. Explore@UNC is built to encourage movement both toward and away from an initial interest so students can make more confident choices about college majors and careers. Students choose from majors like biology, anthropology, music, political science, sports administration, archaeology, public policy, classics, and more— diving into each as a focused two-day track led by Carolina faculty and near-peer mentors. The result is a genuine taste of college life and learning at a top public research university.

The Explore@UNC program week is intentionally structured to show what studying a major really looks like. We kick off with a guided look at campus resources, from Academic Advising to Career Counseling, so you’ve got smart questions to ask and a game plan to make the most of your week. Early in the week (Tuesday–Wednesday), you immerse in your first academic track. Then, you switch into a second discipline, providing a new lens so you can compare, contrast, and notice what truly clicks. Along the way, students tour labs and studios, meet faculty, engage in real classes, and hear from alumni and practitioners who map career pathways and college journeys.

Whether they spend the week analyzing ancient art or reenacting the Cuban Missile Crisis, zooming out with aerial imaging or zooming in under a microscope, every student leaves with clearer interests and a firsthand look at what it means to study the major.