[7] The university experienced rapid enrollment growth in the late 2000s and early-mid 2010s when it was the fastest-growing institution in the UNC System.

The main campus sits on 1,000 wooded acres with approximately 85 buildings about 8 miles (13 km) from Uptown Charlotte.

In the late 1880s, the city bid for what would become North Carolina State University, but lost to Raleigh after a local farmer offered to donate land for the campus.

[13] The center held night classes at Central High School in present-day Uptown Charlotte.

[11] Also that year, Bernard resigned his position to resume his doctoral studies, and the center's mathematics teacher, Bonnie Ethel Cone, was named director.

[15] The Consolidated University determined that its three campuses could handle student demand, and it announced that it would close the remaining centers on July 1, 1949.

[16] On April 4, 1949, in response to local efforts led by Cone,[17] the North Carolina General Assembly created the Charlotte Community College System.

[27] In 1969, the school opened its first dormitory, housing approximately 600 students,[27] and also that year, the university began offering programs leading to master's degrees.

A North Carolina native, Colvard had served as president of Mississippi State University (MSU).

The Colvard building, completed on the main campus in 1979, is named in his honor and houses the Department of Psychology.

He oversaw the creation of the Graduate School, created more graduate degrees, integrated the library's card catalog into the Internet in 1983, created the groundwork for a major business incubator, helped to develop the university's surrounding neighborhood, and increased academic grants to over $6.1 million.

Woodward came to UNC Charlotte from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he served as dean of engineering and senior vice president of academic affairs.

He is currently Chancellor Emeritus and teaches in the university's William States Lee College of Engineering.

On April 30, 2019, a mass shooting occurred in the Woodford A. Kennedy Building on campus, killing two and leaving four others injured.

The architecture of the original central campus, particularly the oldest buildings, are precast concrete and utilitarian-looking because they were built with limited state funds in the 1960s and 1970s.

[36] Formerly located in the Mint Museum of Craft+Design, the Uptown campus moved into the $50.4 million Center City building at 320 East 9th Street, on August 22, 2011.

The scholarship includes tuition, fees, books, room, four summer experiences, and an $8,000 grant for community service initiatives.

The school's colors are green and white; gold and black are both featured in the logo and frequently used in the uniforms of several sports.

On September 18, 2008, Chancellor Dubois recommended adding a Division I FCS football program to UNC Charlotte.

On November 13, 2008, the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees voted 8–0 in favor of adding football to the university.

Baseball alums with Major League experience include Bryan Harvey (Angels), Jeff Johnson (Yankees), Chris Haney (Kansas City Royals), John Maine (New York Mets), Jason Stanford (Cleveland Indians).

Charlotte has had 5 players selected in the NFL Draft; Larry Ogunjobi, Nate Davis, Alex Highsmith, Cameron Clark and Grant DuBose.

The team advanced all the way to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, losing to UNC-Chapel Hill and finishing second in the national polls.

Former 49ers soccer players who went on to play in the MLS include Floyd Franks, Donnie Smith, Brandt Bronico, and Jon Busch.

The men's and women's track and field teams have also made national berth, throughout the school's history.

Women's volleyball is one of the largest sponsors of the Side-Out Foundation's "Dig Pink" for breast cancer awareness.

UNC Charlotte also boasts a diverse Greek life, with over 10 sororities and 14 fraternities serving the campus community.

[65] Every graduate of UNC Charlotte automatically becomes a member of the Alumni Association, an organization of more than 147,000 former students whose primary purpose is to advance the interests of the university.

Some are in the form of information and communications, including a UNC Charlotte magazine and a quarterly electronic newsletter which keeps alumni up to date on news from the association and the university.