Educating More Nurses for North Carolina

Nursing is the most trusted profession in the nation.  However, professional burnout and an aging patient population have contributed to a projected shortage of 12,500 nurses in North Carolina over the next decade.

In response, the legislature has asked our public universities to increase nursing degree completions by 50%. Through generous state funding and the hard work of our nursing schools, the UNC System is on track to increase prelicensure graduations by 60% as of 2030.

A medical training scenario showing a healthcare professional in green scrubs using a stethoscope on a medical mannequin lying in a hospital bed.

The UNC System is a key producer of our state’s nursing workforce.

Nursing is a highly competitive field where student demand outpaces program capacity. Core infrastructure must be expanded to meet that demand. That includes faculty to teach in the classroom and oversee students in a nearby hospital; sufficient lab space for students to complete required clinical training; and tutors to help students stay on track and graduate on time. Without these resources, our nursing programs cannot enroll and graduate more students.

Twelve of the UNC System’s sixteen public universities offer nursing degrees:

Appalachian State University

East Carolina University

Fayetteville State University

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

North Carolina Central University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

University of North Carolina Pembroke

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Western Carolina University

Winston-Salem State University

A blue map of North Carolina with yellow and white stars denoting the location of UNC System institutions. The yellow stars denote the locations of 12 UNC System nursing programs, identified by their logos: Appalachian State University, Winston-Salem State University, UNC Greensboro, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC Central University, East Carolina University, UNC Wilmington, UNC Pembroke, Fayetteville State University, UNC Charlotte, and Western Carolina University.
A medical training session with a group of students in yellow scrubs seated around a table with laptops, listening to an instructor in a white lab coat. Medical equipment and hospital beds are visible in the background, indicating a clinical learning environment.

ElevatING Our Nursing Programs’ Success

With a $40 million appropriation from the 2023 State Budget Act, the UNC System Office has allocated $29 million across all UNC System prelicensure nursing programs through a competitive grant process to graduate more nurses across the state.

These one-time grant awards are being used to address the major obstacles that limit nursing program growth:

  • Faculty recruitment and retention
  • Securing more clinical training partners and mentor support
  • Simulation labs
  • Academic and financial support for students

Momentum with accountability

All UNC System nursing programs are collectively on track to expand their prelicensure nursing graduates by 60% within five years.

To make sure this work delivers real results, the UNC System is partnering with the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and nursing leaders across its universities to study what is working. This groundbreaking five-year effort will help identify the most effective ways to expand programs in a way that lasts. It will also give us a clearer picture of where graduates are working and how long they are staying in the field.

Growth in Action

Three female UNC Pembroke nurses in black scrubs use stethoscopes to examine a patient in a hospital bed.

University of North Carolina Pembroke is using $2.35 million to recruit and retain faculty, provide extra support and tutoring for nursing students, and expand clinical experiences for students through its mobile medical unit.

A female UNC Greensboro nurse in yellow scrubs interacting with a baby held by an older woman seated on an examination table.

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is using $2.42 million to fund seven new faculty positions with the goal of expanding its nursing enrollment cap from 300 to 880 students.

A female Western Carolina University nurse using a computer while attending to a patient lying in a hospital bed.

Western Carolina University is using $2.47 million to hire additional faculty and staff, and to upgrade simulation supplies and equipment to provide state-of-the-art training facilities, helping the school to double its enrollment.