Enrollment in degree programs powered by Project Kitty Hawk has increased 65% since last fall.
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 project’s three partner universities — North Carolina Central University, Appalachian State University and East Carolina University — all earned high marks from U.S. News and World Report for their online degree programs.
Called “Flight Path” programs, they focus on in-demand fields like cybersecurity, nursing, and accounting. There are 14 Flight Path programs live right now.
The re-enrollment program has also recruited back 3,700 students who started a degree in the UNC System but never finished.
Appalachian State jumped 24 spots in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report rankings and is now in the top 16% of U.S. colleges and universities for best online bachelor’s programs; East Carolina counts three online master’s programs that are among the top 10 in the country; and North Carolina Central University ranked among the top-five HBCUs in the nation for online bachelor’s degrees.
