1. Are freshmen required to live on campus?
Freshmen are encouraged to live on campus but not required. Approximately 92 percent live on campus and 38 percent of the student body as a whole lives on campus. Housing is guaranteed for first-year students who contract with the Office of Housing and Residence Life prior to May 1. Students who contract after May 1 are housed first come, first-serve on a space available basis. Housing & Residence Life Web site

2. Are residence halls on campus safe?
UNCW maintains its own university police force, which patrols the campus on foot, by bike and by car 24 hours a day. They offer self-defense training, emergency call boxes, and an escort service here on campus. Desk receptionists monitor traffic in residence halls 24 hours a day as well. Housing staff and the university police department make regular rounds through each of the residence halls.

3. What type of meal plans and food services does UNCW offer?
UNCW offers a variety of meal plans and dining location options. Please visit our Campus Dining Web site for more information. 

4. What is there to do here on weekends?
A recent survey found that most students spend 10 or more weekends in Wilmington each semester. Most activities are planned by students and are free or low cost through campus activities and the Association for Campus Entertainment. Events, programs and activities provide for cultural, social, leadership, and recreational opportunities. Events on campus include movies each Friday night, concerts, intramurals, outdoor programs, and sports clubs. The gazebo recreation area offers students tennis, basketball, volleyball courts and softball fields.

5. Can I choose my roommate?
Once the Office of Housing and Residence Life receives both your contract and payment, they will provide you with a contract receipt date. Students can then go online through SeaPort and fill out residence hall preferences, as well as roommate preferences. Please know that in filling out these preferences, you are not guaranteed your choice of placement or roommate. These are just requests and will be dealt with according to contract receipt date. An early housing contract receipt date is considered January or February.

6. Are there freshmen residence halls?
While no residence hall is specifically designed as a “freshman” residence hall, the majority of freshmen live in the traditional residence halls. Upperclassmen live primarily in the university suites, campus apartments, Seahawk Village, Seahawk Landing and Seahawk Crossing.

7. Are the residence halls coed?
All the residence halls are coed, except for Belk, which is all female. However, cohabitation is not permitted in any residence hall facility, and as such each individual room is single sex.

8. What are the residence hall visitation policies?
At the beginning of the semester, all residential facilities (except the University Apartments, the University Suites and International House) begin with visitation hours that are set at 11a.m. to 11p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 11a.m. to 2a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Within the first two weeks of the fall semester, residence hall students will vote on the visitation option that they prefer for the full academic year.

They will have two options to select from:

• The first option would allow for visitation from 11a.m. to 11p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 11a.m. to 2a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Additionally, students can vote to extend these hours to a maximum of 10a.m. to midnight on Sunday through Thursday and 24-hour visitation on Friday and Saturday.
• The second option would have the same stipulations for the weekdays, Sunday through Thursday nights (including extending the hours). On Friday and Saturday nights, option II would allow for open visitation. Students are expected to recognize roommate rights and follow the state’s co-habitation law. Each option has percentage requirements (based upon total residence hall occupancy) that must be met.

9. If I don’t have a car, how can I get around?
Many students bring bicycles, in-line skates, and skateboards with them to UNCW. Please visit our Parking & Transportation Web site for additional information. In addition, Wilmington Transit Authority (WTA) offers a shuttle service to surrounding areas of the campus and brings students to the University Center parking lot. All UNCW students may ride any WTA bus for free with a UNCW One Card. The Wilmington airport is served by a number of airlines, and the Union offers a riders/rides needed board.

10. What types of programs are offered for new freshmen?
We have several programs available to help freshmen become better acquainted with UNCW. They include freshman orientation, freshmen parents’ weekend, student academic support programs, student development counselors, career services center, and resident assistants.

11. What is UNCW’s drug/alcohol policy?
The illegal use, possession, sale, delivery, and/or manufacture of drugs/alcohol will not be tolerated and may be grounds for immediate dismissal of students, faculty members, administrative officers, and university employees. In the residence halls, only students who are 21 years of age and older may consume alcohol in the privacy of their room.

12. How much spending money will I need at UNCW?
The financial aid office at UNCW estimates that a student will need $2,116 per year for miscellaneous expenses that include groceries, furniture, gasoline/transit costs, automobile expenses, auto payments, auto insurance, medical expenses, recreation and entertainment.

13. What is the Career Services Center?
Career Services helps students prepare for academics as well as careers. Special services for freshmen and sophomores include career interest assessment, values clarification, and occupational data to assist students in making informed decisions about academic majors. Career Services also encourages students to participate in internship opportunities for learning outside the classroom and personal career exploration. In addition, Career Services will help graduating seniors translate their academic achievements into successful job campaigns or graduate school applications.  Career Services Web site

14. What is the Wellness Promotion Center?
The Wellness Promotion Center is the campus resource for health education programs, which addresses a wide range of topics. These include nutrition, relationships, cancer prevention, sexuality, HIV/Aids, and smoking cessation. Students can have their blood pressure checked, stop by the “self care cold center”, get free condoms, or even get information on a health issue for a class assignment. The Center hires students to work as peer educators to teach other students about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The peer educators also plan campus-wide health promotion events.

15. What services does the Student Development Center provide?
The Student Development Center provides confidential individual and group counseling for personal, social or educational concerns. As part of the university substance abuse education and prevention program, the Center also provides substance abuse assessment, referral, and treatment for students. The Office of Disability Services assists in providing academic accommodations appropriate to the specific needs of students with disabilities. Areas of service include tutoring, extended-time testing, note-takers, taped texts, and registration assistance. The office is also available for consultation and advocacy. The National Testing Program administers tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, PRAXIS, MAT, CLEP and correspondence testing.