CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In the second term start of the spring, enrollment in the 14 degree programs supported by Project Kitty Hawk – called Flight Path programs – grew to 1,128 students. Enrollment has more than doubled since the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. Since the first program launched in October 2023, more than 1,500 students have started a Flight Path program because of Project Kitty Hawk.
Each of Project Kitty Hawk’s three university partners – North Carolina Central, Appalachian State, and East Carolina universities – saw substantial online enrollment growth this academic year. Most importantly, retention and persistence rates – which measure how many students continue their education each year – increased across all Flight Path programs. Each university partner met retention goals in the second spring term. Overall, 88 percent of adult learners that started a Flight Path program returned to enroll in the second spring term, which started in mid-March.
Flight Path programs are specifically designed to meet the needs of working adults. Programs feature five term starts a year—two in the fall, two in the spring, and one in the summer. Project Kitty Hawk projects that total enrollment will grow by an additional 100 students in the summer.
—
About Project Kitty Hawk
Project Kitty Hawk is a nonprofit affiliate of the UNC System that helps North Carolina’s public universities develop and launch online degree programs specifically designed for adults. The degree programs powered by Project Kitty Hawk, called ‘Flight Path’ programs, focus on in-demand fields like cybersecurity, nursing and accounting. There are 14 Flight Path programs live right now across three UNC System institutions. A full list of currently operating Flight Path programs is available below:
Appalachian State University: BS Health Care Management; BSBA: Supply Chain Management; BSBA Accounting; BS Criminal Justice; BS Organizational Leadership and Learning
East Carolina University: BA Psychology; BS Info & Cybersecurity Technology; BS Multidisciplinary Studies: Security Studies; BS Criminal Justice
North Carolina Central University: RN to BSN; BS Information Technology; Bachelors of Business Administration; BS Health Administration; BS Public Health Education