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Campus Life

Discover Our Colorful Campus

Join a student-led tour of NC State and learn about the campus we hold dear — and the boundless opportunities waiting for you here.

A group of NC State students walk through Tucker-Owen Beach and past the sandy beach volleyball court.

Lively spaces, quiet places, hallowed halls and hidden gems — NC State’s campus in North Carolina’s thriving Research Triangle region has something for everyone. We’re here to show you around and help you get acquainted with everything our home has to offer.

Let’s meet our tour guide, Abby Pfizenmaier. Abby’s a rising fourth-year student majoring in communication with a minor in arts entrepreneurship. She’s also an Undergraduate Student Ambassador, which means she’s well versed in all things Wolfpack.

Meet Abby Pfizenmaier, your student guide to NC State’s campus.

Start at the Heart of Campus

Get an inside look at Talley Student Union.

We’re starting from the place where so many Wolfpack adventures begin: Central Campus, inside Talley Student Union. A hub of student life, Talley boasts coffee shops and eateries, a bookstore filled with college essentials and the newest NC State gear, and plenty of bright spaces to meet up with friends or catch up on classwork.

Join your besties for a bite between classes at Tuffy’s Diner or grab an espresso to go from Port City Java. Snag that stylish red hoodie you’ve been eyeing at Wolfpack Outfitters, where you’ll also find many of your course materials. Or treat yourself for crushing your finals with a sweet scoop of Howling Cow, NC State’s very own ice cream made right here on campus, with a location at Talley Market.

The Talley Student Union and Stafford Commons on a bright early summer day.
Stafford Commons, behind Talley Student Union, offers an appealing space for organized events and impromptu meetups.
It’s superstition to avoid stepping on the NC State seal in Talley’s lobby.
Three students sit on a curved couch in Talley Student Union, seen from above.
Talley is filled with nooks where you can study and unwind.

Talley is also home to offices that support the student experience, including Student Leadership and Engagement and the Office of Global Engagement. The Women’s Center, LGBTQ Pride Center and Multicultural Student Affairs welcome students to drop by, make connections and find community.

Other student-focused offices can be found at Witherspoon Student Center, a short distance down Cates Avenue from Talley.


Nourish Your Whole Self

Learn about resources at the Wellness and Recreation Center, Carmichael Gymnasium and Price Music Center.

As we exit Talley’s front doors, the Wellness and Recreation Center and Carmichael Gymnasium fill our view from across Cates Avenue.

These facilities feature multi-story rock walls, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, a sprint ramp, basketball courts, banks of modern fitness equipment and programs that support student wellness. Students paying full student fees get free member access to these resources with their Wolfpack One Card.

The Wellness and Recreation Center as seen from inside the Talley Student Center on a fall 2022 evening.
The Wellness and Recreation Center and Carmichael Gymnasium provide plenty of options for staying active.
A view looking down over a stairwell in NC State's Wellness and Recreation Center.
Equipment is available to satisfy almost any fitness regimen.
An interior photo of NC State's Wellness and Recreation Center shows students making use of climbing walls.
Climbing walls are among the many amenities accessible to students.

Price Music Center, back on the Talley side of the avenue, contains the Department of Performing Arts and Technology, which provides music and dance opportunities for students and the wider Wolfpack.

The department supports more than 90 academic courses, over 20 performance groups, a degree in music technology and minors in arts entrepreneurship (Abby’s minor), dance and music. Musically inclined students can even reserve practice rooms and instruments so they can keep their skills sharp — without annoying their roommates.

A student stands to play a solo on the saxophone, while other saxophonists are seated playing in the background, during an outdoor performance.
An ensemble of student musicians puts on an outdoor performance.
A brightly lit rehearsal space in the Price Music Center, featuring a grand piano.
This rehearsal space inside Price Music Center features a grand piano.

Experience On-Campus Living

Discover Tucker and Owen residence halls and the Exploratory Studies Program.

We’re strolling west down Cates Avenue, where we soon arrive outside Tucker and Owen residence halls. These twin, L-shaped buildings feature traditional hall-style layouts with two-person rooms that open to hallways, shared lounges and kitchen areas, and communal bathrooms.

These halls house students involved in our Exploratory Studies Program. The program, supported by the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, gives first-year students a guided exploration of NC State’s degrees and career resources. It’s perfect for curious learners looking to gain a broad view of our programs before choosing a major.

Learn about different residence hall styles and visit a popular student hangout.

Tucker and Owen halls flank the south side of an outdoor common area called Tucker-Owen Beach. The “beach” centers on a sandy volleyball court that sees spirited matches between students. It’s a popular space for students to gather from across campus when the weather’s welcoming.

A view of students and parents walking along a brick pathway and toward a residence hall on NC State's campus.
Heading down Cates Avenue toward Tucker and Owen residence halls.
Students enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Chillin' and Grillin' at Tucker-Owen Beach as part of Wolfpack Welcome Week.
A crowd gathers at Tucker-Owen Beach.
An aerial view shows residence halls and the Tucker-Owen Beach common space on NC State's campus.
L-shaped Tucker and Owen halls enclose the southern end of Tucker-Owen Beach, while the Tri-Towers rise to the north.

To the north of Tucker-Owen Beach rise Bowen, Metcalf and Carroll residence halls — known affectionately as the Tri-Towers. These halls feature suite-style layouts allowing students to share bathroom and kitchen space with a small group of suitemates.

More housing options are available elsewhere on campus, including hotel-style halls and apartments.


Explore a Couple Hotspots

Stop by Wolf Plaza, a busy crossroads and staging area for student events.

We’re heading east, to nearby Wolf Plaza, named for the trio of woven-bronze wolf statues that prowl these grounds. The plaza serves as a bustling crossroads for people passing between different parts of campus, which makes it a frequent staging area for student-led initiatives and events.

A group of three students stroll through Wolf Plaza and past its namesake bronze wolves on the first day of classes at NC State in 2023.
Students stroll to class through Wolf Plaza and past the howling woven-bronze wolf.

During Agricultural Awareness Week, in early spring, Wolf Plaza fills with people, animals and equipment as the Alpha Zeta agricultural honors fraternity leads other student groups in showcasing livestock and spreading knowledge about the importance of farming for our state.

Shack-A-Thon, another weeklong event, sees teams of students build shacks on the plaza and keep them occupied 24 hours a day — an effort that funds affordable housing projects with Habitat for Humanity.

Express yourself and make your voice heard at the Free Expression Tunnel.

The Free Expression Tunnel, just north of Wolf Plaza, is the busiest pedestrian tunnel at NC State. The tunnel passes under railway tracks that bisect campus, and its walls give students an open canvas to express their ideas through drawing, writing and painting.

Don’t be surprised to see students and local artists gathered here to read poetry or freestyle on musical melodies.

A student visible from behind in silhouette walks out of the Free Expression Tunnel on NC State's campus.
A look down NC State’s cavernous canvas of creativity: the Free Expression Tunnel.
Students participating in Respect the Pack place handprints on the Free Expression Tunnel wall as a part of Welcome Week.
It’s tradition for students to print their hands on a mural honoring all who make up our Wolfpack during Student Government’s annual Respect the Pack event.

Hop to Hillsborough Street

Check out the D.H. Hill Jr. Library, a hub for research and scholarship.

As we exit the tunnel and enter North Campus, we tread near the Brickyard, a beloved gathering space that’s undergoing a major overhaul to improve drainage and usability. Bypassing this construction zone, we stroll between brick academic buildings and beneath a canopy of leafy green before emerging onto sunny Hillsborough Street.

We’ve arrived at the northern edge of campus, outside the D.H. Hill Jr. Library, the oldest of NC State’s two main libraries.

A group of students stroll along a brick path under the shade of trees on NC State's campus.
Heading toward Hillsborough Street over bricks and under shade.
A view of the front entrance to the D.H. Hill Jr. Library on NC State's campus. A blue sky with sparse clouds shows overhead.
You’ll likely lose count of the times you enter the doors of the D.H. Hill Jr. Library.
Students study in DH Hill, Jr. Library on main campus.
Students hone in on their studies in one of the Hill Library’s quieter corners, although spaces abound for more collaborative efforts.

The library contains over a million books, dozens of study rooms, spaces for digital media creation and data visualization, and offices — like the Academic Success Center — that support students in their courses and research. It’s the go-to spot for group projects and solo study sessions (although it’s closed for renovations through July).

Take note — the higher you climb in this nine-story nerve center for NC State scholarship, the quieter you need to be.

Take a break on Hillsborough Street, the thoroughfare connecting our campus to the Raleigh community.

Hillsborough Street itself is NC State’s gateway to Raleigh, where our campus meets our hometown. You’ll almost always find it buzzing with students, from morning to night. Every student has their favorite Hillsborough hangouts, and in some cases these spots are the same restaurants, coffee shops and bookstores their parents frequented as students.

Each fall, during Wolfpack Welcome Weeks, Hillsborough Street fills with people, music, food and festivities as it becomes the venue for Packapalooza, an all-day NC State block party you won’t want to miss.

Students pose with Mr. and Ms. Wuf at Packapalooza on Hillsborough street.
The NC State and Raleigh communities come together on Hillsborough Street to celebrate Packapalooza.
Students wait for the main act in the shadow of the Belltower during Packapalooza.
Members of the Pack gather for Packapalooza’s main act — music and fireworks — in the shadow of the Belltower.

Unlock Our Storied Past

Stop at the 1911 Building and the Court of North Carolina and step into NC State history.

We’re trekking back toward Central Campus, but by a different path — one that takes us past the front veranda of a high-columned brick building with distinctive Victorian architecture. It’s the 1911 Building, home to the School of Social Work and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

The building was finished in 1909, but named to honor our 1911 class for their efforts to end hazing on campus.

The 1911 building steps stand empty with the building's front veranda showing in the background.
The ornate facade of the 1911 Building watches like a sentinel over North Campus.

The 1911 Building looks down on an expansive lawn crossed by brick pathways — the Court of North Carolina — which stretches away toward the iconic Memorial Belltower near the northeast corner of campus.

The august court, lined by some of the oldest buildings at NC State, has served many functions through the years. After World War II, it supplied much-needed class space, in the form of barracks and Quonset huts left over from the war effort, for a wave of veteran scholars who came to study on the G.I. Bill.

The Court of North Carolina.
A view of the Court of North Carolina from outside the 1911 Building.
Students cross the Court of North Carolina, a large green space at NC State.
Students move to and from class across the Court of North Carolina.

The Court of North Carolina — now counted among our 10 Hallowed Places — provides today’s students with one of the largest green spaces on campus and a popular outdoor location for reading, studying and relaxing between classes.

Get in the Wolfpack spirit at legendary Reynolds Coliseum.

Back on Central Campus, we arrive outside Reynolds Coliseum — another of our Hallowed Places and a building that’s powered Wolfpack pride like few others.

The coliseum served as the home of NC State men’s basketball for more than 50 years, and it continues to serve as the home of our women’s team. In its more than 75 years of operation, Reynolds has seen ACC and NCAA banners hung in its rafters and more than a few barnburners against our baby blue rivals up the road.

Reynolds also long served Raleigh as a center of culture, hosting classical symphonies, jazz and rock concerts, and speeches from revered voices of empowerment. It’s still where incoming students gather for New Student Convocation to be welcomed as a full class into our Pack.

An exterior of Reynolds Coliseum with Talley in the background.
Reynolds Coliseum stands in all its regal splendor next to Talley Student Union on a blue-sky day at NC State.
Ms. Wuf dances beside seated first-year students inside Reynolds Coliseum during convocation ceremonies at NC State.
Ms. Wuf energizes new members of the Pack at New Student Convocation.
A vintage shot of a crowd at an NC State men's basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum, circa 1970.
A vintage view of Reynolds.

Skip to Centennial Campus

See how Centennial Campus has been a driving force for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Not far south from the parts of campus we’ve explored lies Centennial Campus, a nexus for research and partnerships where bright ideas become applied innovations. It’s home to the Wilson College of Textiles, the College of Engineering and the James B. Hunt Jr. Library — an ultra-modern counterpart to the Hill Library on North Campus.

Centennial also houses the Park Alumni Center, where the Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving team fuels bonds between students and alumni to connect our Pack across generations.

Exterior of Hunt Library
The James B. Hunt Jr. Library, left, is an icon of Centennial Campus and an award-winning showcase of NC State’s architectural prowess.
Concert-goers enjoy an evening of music and fellowship at and Artist Notes event at The Corner on Centennial Campus.
Live concerts and other events bring the larger community to Centennial.
Lake Raleigh on Centennial Campus offers scenic views and recreational activities.
Scenic Lake Raleigh offers recreation and relaxation.

Amidst these workspaces where students and faculty collaborate with public and private partners, you’ll find eye-catching art displays, like the shimmering Reds and Whites, and options for outdoor fun, like the newly improved trails at Lake Raleigh.

While you’re here, be sure to visit the Centennial location of 321 Coffee, a brand of tasty brew born right here at NC State.

Members of the 321 Coffee team celebrate the grand opening of their Centennial Campus location.
Members of the 321 Coffee team celebrate the grand opening of their Centennial location with Mr. and Ms. Wuf.
An eye-level shot of the Reds and Whites art installation on Centennial Campus, showing people strolling through the artwork.
Reds and Whites was designed by artist Larry Bell to be an interactive experience that changes as your viewpoint moves and daylight shifts.

Spend a little time here and you’ll discover that Centennial is far from a mere add-on to NC State’s campus — it’s a place where our long-held traditions and bold Wolfpack spirit converge to shape success for our people, our partners and our communities.

We can’t wait to see you at NC State, where you’ll find more resources to help you explore our campus.