UNC System Fails 12,500 Vets, 1946

We've all heard about the G.I. Bill that provided a college education to many World War II veterans, but most people aren't aware that many vets were excluded. In 1946, 12,500 veterans were rejected by the UNC system, not because they couldn't handle college work but because the system itself didn't have room for them. “UNC Forced to Reject 12,500 Vets in Fall” from the Monday, June 10, 1946, issue of The Robesonian, Lumberton

Chapel Hill, June 10—(AP)—Units of the consolidated University of North Carolina will be forced to reject applications of at least 12,500 veterans who wish to enroll this fall, Controller W.D. Carmichael Jr. has reported to Governor Cherry and the University trustees.

Lack of housing at the university at Chapel Hill, State college at Raleigh and woman’s collage at Greensboro was cited in the report along with the assertion that all three institutions face loss of faculty members because of the salary scale.