UNC institutions may finance campus projects under specified funding rules

UNC institutions may finance six listed campus projects using specified funds and bonds. The projects are at North Carolina Central, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, and UNC-Wilmington. The listed funding sources do not include tuition or state appropriations unless another law has already authorized their use. The Director of the Budget must approve special obligation bonds and may approve project cost or funding changes at the Board of Governors’ request. This authority takes effect when the law becomes effective.

The School of Science and Mathematics applies stated residency rules to applicants and seeks balanced representation across congressional districts. These provisions concern applicants to and students enrolled at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. A student relying on the military-family rule must live in North Carolina with a parent serving on active duty there when applying. The school must seek equal numbers from each district when practicable without jeopardizing admission standards. Differences in offers may not exceed 2.5 percentage points from the average per district. These rules apply beginning with applications for the 2027–2028 school year.

The state education aid authority awards tuition grants to eligible graduates for undergraduate study at UNC institutions, within available funds. Eligible graduates are from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics or the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; grants cover undergraduate tuition at UNC institutions. Applicants must be North Carolina residents for tuition purposes, enroll full time in the next academic year after graduation, and submit a FAFSA. The authority may allow a delay of up to one academic year for specified hardships. Continued grants require full-time enrollment, though the authority may waive that rule for specified hardships. Grants are limited by available funds and tuition costs, and other aid may reduce the award. These grant provisions apply beginning with awards for the 2026–2027 academic year.

State agencies, including UNC institutions, may not use appropriated state funds for specified projects linked to a public-private partnership without express legislative approval. The restriction covers State agencies, including UNC institutions. The restriction applies when an agency uses state funds with or for the benefit of a public-private partnership for a capital or self-financing project that is not itself part of that partnership. The rule does not apply to the entity created under G.S. 116-350.5 or to the Department of Transportation. This provision takes effect when the law becomes effective.

The UNC Board of Governors makes final decisions on capital project spending and scope and reports project costs and contract awards each year. These provisions concern capital improvement projects at UNC and its constituent institutions. The annual report goes to the State Building Commission and includes covered projects, estimated and actual costs, contract awardees, and whether awardees meet the stated minority-business definition. The Board provisions take effect when the law becomes effective; the report is annual.