Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City State University is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System. Founded in 1891, the university offers undergraduate and select graduate programs across disciplines such as education, business, aviation science, mathematics, and the natural and social sciences. Known for its teacher education roots and growing aviation program, the university serves a diverse student body, including many first-generation and in-state students. Its campus is located near the Pasquotank River in northeastern North Carolina, providing a small-campus environment with a focus on access, community engagement, and regional workforce development.

Elizabeth City State University was founded on March 3, 1891, when the North Carolina General Assembly established the State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City to train African American teachers for public schools. Under its first leader, Peter Weddick Moore, the institution expanded enrollment and academic offerings in its early decades. In 1937, it transitioned from a two-year normal school to a four-year teachers college and became Elizabeth City State Teachers College, awarding its first bachelor’s degrees in 1939. The institution was renamed Elizabeth City State College in the 1960s and officially became Elizabeth City State University in 1969 as graduate programs were introduced. Over time, Elizabeth City State University broadened its academic scope beyond teacher education, adding programs in business, aviation, and the sciences, and became part of the University of North Carolina System, shaping its modern role as a public HBCU in northeastern North Carolina.