“The tour was both enlightening and provided an opportunity to learn about some real hidden gems! There was a good sense of balance too: just the right number of universities, the perfect number of counselors to ensure good group dynamics, and a good balance between professional learning and social events.“
– Counselor Participant, 2025
Sunday, 5 July through Friday, 10 July 2026.
Itinerary Outline:
- Sunday, 5 July – participants arrive to North Carolina + welcome dinner
- Monday, 6 July – North Carolina State University immersive site visit
- Tuesday, 7 July – East Carolina University immersive site visit + local cultural excursion
- Wednesday, 8 July – Campus tour of Methodist University + Campus tour of UNC Pembroke
- Thursday, 9 July – UNC Charlotte immersive site visit
- Friday, 10 July – High Point University immersive site visit
- Friday, 10 July – depart North Carolina
We have four institutions hosting immersive site visits. Counselors will spend approximately 5 hours on each campus, including a campus tour and a meal on the campus.
- East Carolina University
- High Point University
- North Carolina State University
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
We will supplement the schedule with campus tours of two member institutions: Methodist University and UNC Pembroke.
We also provide fun, cultural excursions to expose our counselor participants to life in North Carolina.
This tour is made possible by the collaboration and financial contributions of the host universities.
What is included:
- Airport pick up and drop off
- Hotels throughout the tour
- Meals throughout the tour
- Ground transportation to all planned activities
- Entry fees for all planned activities
What participants are responsible for:
- Flights to and from North Carolina,
- Visitor visa fees, if applicable, and
- Spending money for any memorabilia they want to purchase.
Eligibility
This tour is open to school-based counselors and independent education counselors. EducationUSA Advisors will also be considered.
Agents are not eligible to participate due to the varying nature of agent-approved work among our member institutions.
Application for the tour does not guarantee selection.
Selection
This is an intentionally curated, small group tour. We aim to have 10 counselors each year.
Due to the small-group nature and our desire to provide the opportunity to as many partners as possible, multiple applicants from the same school or organization will not be offered a place.
Selected counselor participants will be expected to participate in the full tour and all four immersive university site visits.
Application Process
We select counselors based on their experience with North Carolina as a destination for higher education opportunities. At least half of the counselors will be selected based on target recruitment regions among the participating universities.
To provide a high-quality small-group experience, our tour is capped at 12 counselor participants.
Application Timeline
- Opens: 1 January
- Due: 31 January
- Selected participants will be notified beginning 15 February
- Selected participants will be asked to confirm their participation within 2 weeks of the offer.
- Applicants should seek employer approval and support in advance.
- We also operate a waitlist. If an initial spot offered is declined, we move through our waitlist until we confirm our 10 participants.