Carolina University

Carolina University is located in the growing city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Although our history and heritage date back over a hundred years – John Wesley University, a constituent college, had its origins in 1903 – CU is very much a modern American university.

In its current form, the university is rapidly gaining recognition for innovative partnerships with professional organizations and businesses, and pioneering the delivery of affordable but excellent degree programs. Amidst national concern about college affordability, Carolina University is prioritizing the creation of degree programs focused on the future of jobs. Our goal is to educate professionals who will be in high demand even as the use of automation and artificial intelligence becomes pervasive in many occupations currently reliant on humans.

We put the student first – giving them exceptional classroom teaching delivered by highly capable faculty, and opportunities for experiential learning in real workplace contexts. Outside the classroom, we prioritize the development of the whole person – by creating opportunities to experience the breadth and depth of college life in a variety of extra-curricular and sporting contexts.

Carolina University is a Christ-centered University committed to educating aspiring leaders worldwide through exceptional teaching, scholarly research, creative innovation, and professional collaboration.

Carolina University is home to a vibrant, diverse, multicultural, and exciting campus life. No matter what your interests are, you will find a group of people who are likely to share your passions and become life-long friends. Through social clubs, events, and campus activities, you will be able to enjoy the rich array of co-curricular options that will make your educational journey memorable throughout your lives.

Our intimate and caring environment fosters cooperation rather than competition, and gives the educational experience a deeper meaning. Students and faculty work collaboratively and respectfully as they seek to solve old and new problems, develop new knowledge, and learn together. This makes learning fun and rewarding.

Outside the classroom, CU athletics is at the heart of campus life. Whether it is our basketball team coached by a former NBA All-Star or other sporting activities, there is plenty to excite both the recreational sports enthusiast and the die-hard competitor. And if campus sports are insufficient, there is plenty of other collegiate and professional sports action within the city and beyond.

CU's location in the growing city of Winston-Salem also gives students the best of all worlds — a medium sized city's many attractions, proximity to larger cities (Washington DC is just under 5 hours drive), and a vibrant arts and entertainment scene. With the bustling Winston-Salem downtown a short walk from campus, students are sure to find plenty of events and places to visit on the weekends. Additionally, there are several airports – both domestic and international – within easy reach. Beaches, national parks, hiking opportunities, and more are all within driving range of the campus.

Finally, living here is extremely affordable - meaning that students have access to what the city has to offer whether it is fine dining or the theatre. We also offer students a range of housing options with various room configurations to suit their needs.

Many have sensed the renewed energy and excitement emanating from a number of recent high profile developments at Carolina University such as the completion of key mergers, the addition of world class talent to the administration, faculty and staff, the launch of new degrees in business, criminal justice, interdisciplinary studies, and Bible exposition, the acquiring of a hotel and entire city block, the expansion to nine scholarship athletic programs, the translation of degrees into other languages, strong improvements in net worth, etc. Carolina University’s Strategic Plan is designed to keep this momentum growing while ensuring that the CU vision remains fresh and relevant.

Through several mergers Carolina University has become a 115-year-old family of schools, and a maritime cliché has emerged to describe how several challenged colleges came together to form one strong Christian University – “From Many Battered Boats, One Beautiful Ship.” This Strategic Plan for the good ship Carolina University is designed not only to navigate the challenging currents of the ever-shifting and disruptive tides of higher education, but to chart a course for a compelling destination where Carolina University grows to international influence, becomes a model for student and alumni success, sets the standards for competence based higher education, is recognized for innovative excellence and world class research, attracts outstanding talent from across the country and around the world, develops mutually beneficial collaborative relationships across many spectrums, obtains substantial resources for a sustainable future, acquires recognition from additional professional and accrediting bodies, and sets the example of what it means to be a truly Christian university in the 21st century.