University of North Carolina School of the Arts

09/02/2026

UNCSA ALERT- This is a test of the emergency notification system. This is only a test.

09/01/2026

Applications for 2027-28 are now open! 📝

At UNCSA, emerging artists train, create and perform in five conservatories: Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music.

Applying early gives you the widest selection of available audition and interview dates. Start your application today, then get to know UNCSA: meet with an admissions counselor, take a virtual tour or schedule an on-campus tour.

Start your application: https://bit.ly/4xzwhSd

08/31/2026

Pick up a fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin or upright bass this fall! 🎻🪕

The UNCSA Community Music School's Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program returns Sept. 8. And this year, adults can join in the music too, with the launch of Roots Appalachian Musicians (RAM)!

JAM gives young musicians the opportunity to play together, learn by ear, explore Appalachian music and dance traditions, and perform throughout the year. Beginners are welcome, and scholarship assistance is available.

🎶 Ages 8-11: Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
🎶 Ages 12-18: Tuesdays, 5-7 p.m.

And for the grown-ups: RAM brings the same spirit of community music-making to adult musicians, whether you've always wanted to learn an Appalachian string instrument or already play and are looking for people to make music with.

🎶 Adults: Tuesdays, 6:30-8 p.m.

Beginners are absolutely welcome in both programs.

Learn more and register: https://go.asapconnected.com/?org=5375 =65399

08/28/2026

Homecoming Weekend returns Sept. 25-27! Join us for a vibrant celebration bringing together families, alumni, students, faculty and staff from across the UNCSA community.

Weekend activities include a campus block party with food trucks and games, the Homecoming Parade, a Cabaret featuring alumni and current Drama students, the Alumni Beaux Arts Ball, an alumni panel, open classes, campus tours, an opera performance and more.

Check out the full schedule and register here: https://bit.ly/4hTSllz. We can't wait to see you there! 💚

08/26/2026

We are so excited to welcome 27 new faculty members for the 2026-27 school year! Nine full-time faculty and 18 adjunct and visiting faculty are joining UNCSA this year, including seven alumni.

"Our newest faculty bring an extraordinary depth of artistic, scholarly and professional experience to UNCSA,” says Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Patrick Sims. "Their expertise will enrich our classrooms and studios while offering students new ways to think, create and engage with the ever-changing landscape of the arts. We are thrilled to welcome these talented educators to our community."

Meet the new faculty members ⤵️

UNCSA has added 27 new faculty members for the 2026–27 school year, including nine full-time and 18 adjunct and visiting faculty. Seven faculty members are alumni. Appointments have been made across the schools of Dance, Design and Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music, as well as in the Divisio...

08/24/2026

MovieMaker Magazine 2026 list of the 30 best film schools in the U.S. and Canada just dropped — and the UNCSA School of Filmmaking is on it! 🎬

“Technology changes. Storytelling does not,” Dean Deborah LaVine told MovieMaker. “Rather than trying to predict every disruption, we focus on what endures: story, critical thought, analysis, collaboration and the confidence to adapt.”

MovieMaker highlights the school’s range of filmmaking disciplines, three soundstages, student project funding, 3,600-square-foot “cube” for emerging media and technology, and Moving Image Archives — one of the largest film archives in the country. Plus, as the article notes, “the tuition is among the most affordable of all top institutions.”

Read the full list ⤵️

Here are the 30 best film schools in the U.S. and Canada, 2026 edition.

08/21/2026

Shoutout to the Move-In Day Pickle Squad for all their hard work this week! It was hot out there, and you crushed it. Thank you for making new student move-in a success 💚

08/20/2026

There's no day like Move-In Day. 💚

We're so excited to have our newest Fighting Pickles on campus! This year, 472 new students are joining us across our high school, undergraduate and graduate programs, representing 38 states and 10 countries.

Welcome to UNCSA, one and all! We can't wait to see what you create here.

08/19/2026

The wait is over: The full 2026-27 Performance Season is here, and single tickets are officially on sale! 🎟️

Choose from more than 100 performances across Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music. Experience the next generation of artists making their mark, see acclaimed faculty at work, and enjoy guest artists from across the country and around the world.

Get your tickets today at uncsa.edu/performances. We’ll see you in the audience!

08/15/2026

“Never. Ever. Turn down free food," is one lesson David Hoffman (H.S. Drama ’95) will never forget from his days as a drama student at UNCSA.

Since graduating, David's career has spanned improv and sketch comedy with The Groundlings, Super Bowl commercials, TV shows like "I Live with Models" and "Modern Family," and film. But these days, he's usually found with a very iconic emu.

In 2018, David landed the title role in Liberty Mutual's “Limu Emu & Doug” campaign, and everything changed. “One of my favorite things about this job is that I get to improvise and put my stamp on the character every time we shoot,” he says. "It’s a dream come true.”

And for those who are wondering: Yes, the emu is real.

Learn more about David Hoffman’s story ⤵️ https://www.uncsa.edu/drama/alumni/david-hoffman.aspx