At Wingate University, students are encouraged to explore their interests, ignite their passions and find their calling. Wingate’s liberal arts foundation ensures that discovery is encouraged, but with a focus on practical careers in business, education, and the sciences.

Growing and evolving: Founded in 1896 as a private elementary and secondary school, Wingate has evolved over the years to meet the demands and needs of the area, becoming a junior college in 1923, a four-year college in 1977, and a university in 1995. Wingate is now considered a national university, offering 60 degree pathways, including five doctoral degrees, eight master’s degrees, 10 pre-professionals tracks and five dual-degree programs, 37 majors and 42 minors to its 3,600+ students. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education, and the School of Sport Sciences.

Move up the ladder: At Wingate, we consider ourselves a Lab of Difference-Making, where students come to discover their passions and better their lot in life. Over the years, the University has become something of a success story when it comes to social mobility. Wingate is No. 5 in North Carolina in return on investment for low-income students, as ranked by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, behind only Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and N.C. State. Wingate also annually ranks in the top tier of the higher-education researcher Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index. In 2024, Wingate was the only private university in North Carolina ranked in Tier 1.

An economic engine in Greater Charlotte: Only 30 minutes from Uptown Charlotte, Wingate is the private university of choice for students from the region, educating more students from Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, Gaston and Lincoln counties than any other independent university in the state. The vast majority of those students forge careers in the area.

Educating the healers: Wingate has become one of the premier health-sciences educators in North Carolina, offering a master’s in physician assistant studies and doctoral degrees in pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and medical science. Biology and chemistry have become much more popular majors for undergraduate Wingate students intending to ultimately earn a graduate degree in a health science field. Pathway programs – which guarantee Wingate students interviews for seats in graduate health sciences programs, provided they meet certain criteria – have become popular.

Champions on the field: Wingate balances out its strong academics with a robust athletics program. Not only have the Bulldogs won the award for having the top overall athletics program in the South Atlantic Conference the past 17 times it has been awarded, but the University placed second in the national version of that award, the Learfield Directors’ Cup, in 2025, its highest finish ever. In the past nine years, Wingate has won national championships in men’s soccer, baseball, men’s cross country and women’s triathlon.

Go to wingate.edu to learn more or to schedule a visit.