Project Kitty Hawk adds more than 300 military-affiliated students to growing enrollment in online degree programs at several public universities
Military-affiliated student enrollment at North Carolina’s public universities is at an all-time high.
Four years ago, the UNC System enrolled 20,688 military-affiliated students, including service members, their spouses and children. This year, enrollment totaled 24,817, putting the UNC System on track to meet its goal of enrolling 25,000 military-affiliated students by 2027.
The initiative is part of a larger effort to close the workforce gap in North Carolina’s rapidly growing economy. Recent employer data from the NC Department of Commerce shows the state will add 260,000 new jobs by 2034, with not nearly enough skilled workers to fill those positions. The UNC System, a key producer of talent for the state’s most undersupplied fields, is working quickly to meet that demand by enrolling and educating more adults who wish to advance their career by earning a college degree.
The state’s military population, with 120,000 active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members, is a critical pool of skilled adults who will likely join North Carolina’s civilian workforce after leaving the service. Many, like 41-year-old Brandon Sumler, began college before joining the military, but never completed a degree.
Sumler left East Carolina University in 2010 to join the U.S. Army. Sixteen years later, he re-enrolled at ECU to finish his degree through an online program developed by Project Kitty Hawk, the UNC System’s education technology nonprofit.
Sumler will graduate in December and is looking forward to finishing his psychology degree, something he has long wished to complete.
“I am at the stage of my military career where retirement is near, and I finally am afforded an opportunity to finish school,” Sumler said. “I created a healthy work, family, and school life balance that also gave a boost to my confidence.”
Founded in 2022, Project Kitty Hawk develops flexible, online degree programs for people who, like Sumler, are balancing college with work and family responsibilities. Its Flight Path degree programs offer an alternative to a traditional on-campus model.
To date, PKH has enrolled 364 military-affiliated students in Flight Path programs at Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The top programs for those students include psychology, computer science and information technology, criminology and criminal justice, and health care administration. Psychology is also among the state’s highest demand fields, with a projected annual gap of more than 900 bachelor’s degrees through 2032, according to the UNC System’s April 2026 Workforce Alignment Report. Many psychology majors end up in critical jobs such as mental health, social work, and other healthcare and education related occupations, the data show.
Flexibility was the real selling point for Sumler, who has already built a solid military career, but wanted to add a bachelor’s degree to his list of qualifications. It made sense to return to ECU.
“This gives me a chance to finish what I started long ago,” he said. “I would say that, if on campus learning isn’t an option for you currently, the Flight Path program is most certainly the way to go. Students like me, that have families and other obligations, can still take classes as they see fit!”