As first-time students move in, Wingate expects a sizable freshman class

By Chuck Gordon

Thanks to a boost from North Carolina students, Wingate University is expecting a large group of first-year students as the new school year approaches.

Move-in for first-time students kicked off this morning, with freshmen and transfers expected to number around 1,025. Of those, 62 percent, or 640, were expected to hail from North Carolina.

Overall, the influx of first-time students, which includes about 875 freshman and 150 transfers, should leave Wingate's enrollment close to 3,680, including graduate students and returning undergrads. Official figures won't be released until early September.

The North Carolina figure for fall 2026 is an increase of 53 students, giving Wingate its largest crop of homegrown students in seven years.

Other areas of growth include the health science advantage pathways, which guarantee students an interview for a seat in one of Wingate's health science graduate programs; Beyond the Gate, which includes the Honors College, the Spirit of the Gate marching band, and several other "affinity" programs; and Wingate Online. As usual, Wingate's 30 varsity athletics teams are collectively also a big driver of enrollment.

One North Carolina student who moved in this morning was Macy Schmeits, who enters Wingate with enough credits to be classified as a junior after doing dual-enrollment with Central Piedmont Community College while being homeschooled. She will compete on the acrobatics and tumbling team.

"I was recruited for the acrobats and tumbling team, and I went on tours, just fell in love with the campus, and the rest is history," she said after picking up her residence-hall keys this morning in the McGee Center.

Schmeits, from Charlotte, is planning to major in psychology and minor in exercise science while aiming to eventually become an occupational therapist.

"My brother faced a lot of different challenges growing up, and he had a lot of OT," she said. "That showed me how OT can really change a person's life, so I thought, That's what I want to do."

Hagen Land traveled 15 hours with his parents on Saturday to get to North Carolina so he'd be ready for an early check-in on Monday. The lacrosse-team recruit, from McKinney, Texas, plans to major in political science, with an eye on becoming a lawyer one day.

"Stepping on campus, it was the size I was looking for: not too big and not too small," he says. "It just felt like a good place."

Campus fit was a common theme among students moving in today.

Tyshawn Foggs, from Ayden, N.C., liked the feel of campus when he came for a tour.

"It felt like home, and I felt like they would approve of it," he said, pointing to his parents.

His mother, Latrice, approves, though, she adds, "It's a bittersweet moment."

Luke Meyer, from Summerville, S.C., knew almost immediately after stepping on campus for a tour that he would be enrolling at Wingate.

"The first five minutes I fell in love with it, and I thought, I just want to go here," he said. "This is the place for me."

Meyer plans to major in secondary education so he can become a high school history teacher and coach football. Both of his parents are educators, and they saw Wingate as a good-sized school for their son.

"He had always said he wanted to go to a big school, and when we visited a big school, it was like, 'Whoa! It's way too big,'" Meyer's father, Mark, said. "When we came here, everything was very personal. Everything was very individualized. It made us feel really comfortable. The campus is beautiful. That was a big selling point."

Aaliyah Robinson, from Fayetteville, N.C., first heard about Wingate through an email. Now she's all moved in and ready to start classes on Thursday. She plans on studying on a pre-veterinary track.

"I wasn't really looking for Wingate, but that was the first acceptance I got, and I got a scholarship, so I accepted it," she said. "I toured, and I liked it. I thought it was nice."

Her father, R.J., was stoically taking her around from station to station this morning making sure she'd completed everything on her checklist, though he admitted he'd probably shed a tear in the car later.

"I just need her to get out of her shell," he said. "College will do that. You don't have a choice. You have to grow up quick."

Robinson and her fellow freshmen have a busy week. In addition to getting acclimated to living on their own, they'll attend Convocation, a kickoff ceremony for first-time college students, on Wednesday at 10 a.m., and then classes begin Thursday morning. The bulk of returning students will move in on Tuesday.

Learn more about enrolling as an undergraduate at Wingate.

Aug. 17, 2026