Name: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Founded: Chartered in 1789, just a few weeks after North Carolina was officially admitted into the United States, UNC did not actually enroll any students until 1795.
That’s a long time ago. Yep. The flagship of the University of North Carolina system is so old, it is one of three universities that stake a claim to being the oldest public university in the United States along with the University of Georgia and the College of William and Mary. However, Georgia didn’t admit students until 1801, and while William & Mary was founded by royal order in 1693, it did not become a public university until 1906.