East Carolina University

Students, family members, and volunteers unload suitcases, storage bins, and other belongings during move-in day at East Carolina University.

Live like a Pirate

Move-in day brings together family, friends and volunteers to help more than 5,200 students settle into their new home in Pirate Nation.

A student researcher wearing blue laboratory gloves holds a clear tank of zebrafish at eye level inside a research laboratory. The fish swim in front of the student's face while laboratory equipment fills the background.

Make your next move at ECU

A group of ballet dancers performs on stage during a theatrical production, wearing colorful costumes including tutus, flowing dresses and crowns. Several dancers smile and extend their arms in coordinated poses under purple stage lighting.

Find your passion

Still deciding on a major? Explore degrees offered at ECU.

A dental medicine student wearing a face mask, gloves and protective eyewear provides care to a patient in a clinical setting. Dental instruments and equipment are visible in the foreground.

Elite Research Institution

ECU is an R1 research institution, a designation given to the top research universities in the U.S.

Family, friends and volunteers assisted almost 5,200 on-campus students in settling in and feeling at home in Pirate Nation.

The university raised more than $78.7 million in fiscal year 2026.

A person wearing an East Carolina University T-shirt and purple ECU hat stands waist-deep in coastal water while holding a black utility sled containing research equipment, including buckets, a tablet and sampling gear, during fieldwork.

ECU biology researchers collaborate to protect shorelines, tourism and the economy.

Chancellor’s Scholars students Nick Tate, Alyssa Mayberry and Miquel Domínguez walk together along a tree-lined campus sidewalk, smiling and talking as they carry backpacks and a tote bag. Pink flowering azaleas line the path on a sunny day.

The NC state budget allocation will provide matching funds for each $31,250 gift, creating fully funded Chancellor’s Scholars endowments.

A smiling young woman raises her hand at a table with other young students.

The new class at the Brody School of Medicine, the largest incoming class ever, selected from an applicant pool of more than 2,500.

Explore ECU through the lenses of our university’s photographers.

ECU at a glance

Take a quick, by-the-numbers look at our university.

26,000+

students

425+

student organizations

R1

university

Aug

26

The Mall

11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Aug

28

12:00 am to 5:00 pm

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