Three UNC students sit in cushioned chairs around a wooden circular table talking and laughing.

UNC Global Affairs

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UNC Global Affairs opens Carolina’s doors to the world.    

By supporting the Global Guarantee — Carolina’s promise that a global education is available to every student — you help us keep global opportunities accessible and affordable for all Carolina students.  

With your help, we have made great strides. Study abroad participation is now at an all-time high, and your support of the Chancellor’s Global Education Fund has helped us create and sustain high-impact opportunities for global learning that thousands of students and faculty take part in each year, including the Diplomacy Initiative, a policy brief competition, COIL courses, Washington Week, global partnership awards and more.   

Initiatives

Ambassador Katherine Tai speaks at a UNC Global Affairs Diplomacy Initiative event behind a clear podium.

Diplomacy Initiative  

The Diplomacy Initiative expands opportunities for students and faculty to learn and teach about the role of diplomacy in solving global challenges.  

“So much of what we as students need to succeed in the professional world isn’t taught in classrooms — it’s learned through conversations with alumni, Q&A with industry experts and networking with students of similar academic interests.” – Diplomacy Initiative Student  

Two male students holding drinks stop at a table containing information about UNC Global Affairs programs.

Collaborative Online International Learning

COIL courses bring Carolina students together with students from around the world to complete projects and learn together in the classroom, virtually.  

I have been able to feel connected on an interpersonal level to a region that I have studied academically for much longer. I feel myself much more aware now of the human effects of situations and political, social, cultural, economic developments that felt abstract before.” – COIL Student  

UNC Vice Provost for Global Affairs Barbara Stephenson and Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama in Japan with the UNC seal.

Global Partnership and Research Support

Global partnerships advance Carolina’s core mission of research and teaching by providing opportunities for faculty and students across campus to engage in exchanges and joint research to pursue solutions to shared global challenges.   

“Japan is tackling many of the same challenges as we are in North Carolina — increasing aging populations, pandemic preparedness, rural economic development, sustainability. By working together, we all stand to benefit from the exchange of knowledge, discovery and practice.” Associate Provost for Global Affairs Heather Ward