Over 74 percent of freshmen surveyed said UNCW was their first choice.
UNCW has one of the highest four-year graduation rates in the UNC System, second only to UNC Chapel Hill.

Over the past decade, UNCW has strengthened its undergraduate teaching and overall academic excellence to become one of the top 10 public universities in the South.

UNCW is recognized nationally for its marine biology program and offers a Ph.D. – in marine biology.

The film studies program benefits from the university's proximity to EUE Screen Gems studio. A door for "big screen" opportunities, the Wilmington area is frequently the backdrop for movies and TV shows, including the Dawson's Creek series. The creative writing program has received much student demand and external attention. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

UNCW is a popular choice for high school students seeking to continue their education. Since 1990, enrollment has risen steadily from nearly 7,000 students to an anticipated 11,911 for fall 2007. The average SAT score (critical reading and math, only) for freshmen was 1157, and their high school grade point average was 3.74.

To accommodate this growth, UNCW is continually adding award-winning faculty plus programs and facilities. With $108 million from the N.C. Higher Education Facilities Bond issue, UNCW undertook the largest construction effort ever in its 60-year history. Three new classroom facilities are completed. Eight existing structures are being or have been renovated. Construction is complete on the Computer Information Systems and the Cultural Arts buildings. The N.C. General Assembly in 2006 appropriated $27 million to build a facility to house the School of Nursing.

Other construction, not funded by the bond issue, includes the renovation and expansion of the University Union. The Fisher Student Center opened in 2006. The new Seahawk Landing opened this summer and offers apartment-style accommodations on campus for 603 students.

The university is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences, the Cameron School of Business, the School of Nursing, the Watson School of Education, and the Graduate School.

With 73 undergraduate degree programs and 32 graduate degrees, UNCW has a variety of academic programs designed to meet the diverse needs, abilities and interests of all students.

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of programs in the liberal arts leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative writing, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in marine science degrees.  To implement these programs, the college provides instruction, research, and creative opportunities in the fine arts and humanities as well as in the natural, physical, and social sciences. 

The 22 academic departments in the college provide courses of study in each of these areas, in addition to interdepartmental programs in African-American studies; American studies; Asian studies; classical studies; European studies; forensic science; gerontology; information technology; journalism; Latin American studies; leadership studies; Middle East studies; Native American studies; postcolonial studies; science, the humanities and society; and women’s studies.  Pre-professional programs in allied health, health-related careers, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry and veterinary medicine, and a 2+2 and 3+2 program in engineering are also offered in the college.  Additionally, the College of Arts and Sciences offers a certificate for professional writing and a certificate in geographic information science.

Of the nation's 1,200 business school programs, the Cameron School of Business is one of 340 to receive the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation which places it in the top one-third of business education programs in the country. There are approximately 1,730 students in the school and nearly 20 percent are considered nontraditional. An innovative dual degree program with the Centre d'Etudes Superieures Europeenes Management Mediterranee in Marseille, France, gives students a unique opportunity to learn how to operate effectively in the global market.

As one of only three UNC institutions producing more than 300 teachers each year, the UNCW Watson School of Education is doing its part to address the teacher shortage in North Carolina. Through its Professional Development System faculty work closely with 101 area schools and more than 1,300 public school teachers. The recipient of three national awards for partnerships, the Watson School of Education founded the first community college, business, university and K-12 partnership in the state. A new 80,000-square foot facility for the school of education opened in fall 2004.

The School of Nursing, fully accredited by the National League for Nursing and approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing, offers an undergraduate program that prepares students to practice family-centered professional nursing in a variety of current and emerging health care delivery systems, as well as a master's degree program for rural and urban family nurse practitioners.

Under the direction of the Information Technology Systems Division, UNCW is developing a "knowledge ecology" where all students will have access to computers and the vast network of information systems beyond the university's walls.

The Center for Marine Science at Myrtle Grove Sound fosters a multidisciplinary approach to questions in basic marine research. The mission of the center is to promote basic and applied research in the fields of oceanography, coastal and wetland studies, marine biomedical and environmental physiology, and marine biotechnology and aquaculture.

The Seahawks field 19 varsity athletic teams for men and women. UNCW student-athletes have consistently posted one of the highest GPAs in the UNC system. In the NCAA’s first Academic Progress Rate (APR) report, UNCW finished second only to William & Mary among CAA institutions and performed above average in 13 of 15 programs included in the comprehensive report. A grand opening was held in 2006 for the 18,000-square-foot sports medicine facility that accommodates the office, locker room and sports medicine needs of many UNCW sports and visiting programs.