CHAPEL HILL (March 17, 2021) – North Carolina not only has a constitutional guarantee of low university tuition – it also has a moral obligation, says UNC System President Peter Hans.

“I’m really proud of North Carolina’s commitment to affordability because of its impact on student access and student success,” Hans says in the accompanying video.

He notes that in the state’s constitution, “Affordability is really enshrined. And the UNC System has lived up to that constitutional commitment, but (also) what I would consider a moral obligation to the people of North Carolina, making higher education available to all.

“We have some of the lowest tuition rates in the entire country,” he says.

Hans outlines the state’s guarantee of four years of fixed tuition for public university students, as well as NC Promise, which offers in-state tuition of $500 a semester at Elizabeth City State University, UNC-Pembroke and Western Carolina University.

“Our Board of Governors has kept tuition flat now for five years in a row,” Hans says. “And that has meant so much to the people of North Carolina, to maintain that affordability that has such an incredible impact on student access and student success.”