Niner Academy FAQ

For Summer 2025, we are excited once again to partner with UNC Charlotte Dining Services and Social 704 to offer individual $65.00 weekly meal plans for weeks 1 through 8. This weekly meal plan is optional. Participants may also choose to pack their lunch each day.

The deadline to purchase an optional meal plan for your participant is 2 weeks before the start of the week of classes. No refunds will be provided for meal plans.

• A flat price for the Social 704 dining room that averages $13/day.
• Unlimited food and variety – Social 704 boasts four different buffet areas including home-style meals, soup, sandwich, and salad buffet, pizza, desserts, and more.
• The convenience of not having to pack a lunch each day.
• View a Sample Menu of what Social 704 offers!

Visit this page for more information about the meal plan or contact us at 704-689-8900.

Niner Academy participants will get the option to purchase a meal plan or bring cash/card to purchase from the retail dining options on campus. Participants may also choose to pack and bring their lunch. This is a unique privilege to provide our high school participants with a more authentic collegiate experience. Please note that Niner Academy is our rising 9th-12th grade program. Some classes, such as our coding class through Camps on Campus, (which spans grades 7-9) do not apply to this privilege due to staffing. Retail dining is solely for our Niner Academy program. Thank you for your understanding.

General Lunch Information

Participants’ lunch hour will be between 12:00pm – 1:00pm (noted on their individual class agenda).

Packed Lunch Information

• The participant’s name must be labeled on the lunch box or bag.
• Due to airborne allergies to nut products, Niner Academy does not permit any food items to be purchased that contain any kind of nut.
• We encourage guardians to pack 1-2 snacks with their participant in addition to lunch (no nut products).
• We won’t be able to refrigerate lunches, so please pack them in a small cooler with an ice pack or frozen water bottle.

I would like to be a Counselor-in-Training. What are my next steps?

Experienced campers age 14-17 and past counselors or CITs who do not meet the new minimum counselor requirements are encouraged to complete a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) application.

I would like to teach a class or be a class counselor, how do I apply?

Counselors must be at least 18 years of age according to new policies set forth by the university for supervision of minors on campus. In addition, we require that counselors are enrolled college students with significant leadership experience and experience working with children and youth. Any vacancies (counselors or instructors) will be posted through UNC Charlotte Human Resources. 

How are participants grouped in Niner Academy?

Participants are grouped according to rising grade level NOT by participant age. In order to be fair to all our valued participants and parents, we ask all families to honor this policy. Under unique circumstances, we will consider an appeal. However, there is no guarantee that your appeal will be granted. Niner Academy: Rising 9th-12th grade

To view our Camps on Campus (Rising 1st-8th grade) offerings visit summercamps.charlotte.edu.

What academic topics are covered in your classes?

Some of our classes, such as Robotics and Electronics, focus on a specific academic discipline. The majority of our classes, however, are designed as integrated and cross-disciplinary. Our class Instructors are experienced K-12 licensed teachers who are skilled at integrating language arts, math, science, social studies, and other disciplines into their lessons and Niner Academy gives them the creative freedom to adapt those lessons into hands-on, interactive activities. Our instructors are also experienced in adapting the curriculum to a wide range of grade levels and skill and ability levels. Our advanced participants will be challenged and our novice participants will get the support they need. To best serve both new and returning participants, we try to maintain a mix of repeated class topics AND brand new topics for our participants and their families to explore.

I am interested in athletic camps, does UNC Charlotte offer those?

Available athletic camps are currently offered through the Athletic Department. Information can be found at charlotte49ers.com.

The following camp documents will be available in our new camp app. Join our Parent Orientation and be on the lookout for more information regarding this exciting addition! These documents include:

• Agenda/activities/classroom locations
• Dash placard (print for pick-up)
• Maps to classrooms and parking
• Instructor’s Blog
• Photos from the classroom throughout the week
• And more!

Need to get in touch with our class staff?
Do you have a question regarding logistics?

Niner Academy is a mobile program meaning the staff directly supervising participants typically are not in an office during the day with a landline phone. Additionally, cell service on campus is not always reliable in all campus locations. All counselors and professional staff are equipped with 2-way radios with constant connection to our main office.

For that reason, the best way to reach staff is through our Registration/Customer Service office in the School of Professional Studies. Staff members are equipped with 2-way radios that immediately reach all staff or individual staff on the main campus.

Phone: 704-687-8900
Email: youthprograms@charlotte.edu (multiple people monitor this email account)

Need assistance with payment or registration?

Contact our Registration/Customer Service office by phone or email during the business hours of 8:00 am-5:00 pm

Phone: 704-687-8900
Email: ceregistration@charlotte.edu (multiple people monitor this email account)

Do you have questions that are specific to your child’s class for the week?
Need to share a concern or important information?

We recommend contacting your instructor directly via email. You can find your instructor’s contact information in the guardian portal. Email addresses are located in the class agenda for the week. We ask that you also copy our administrative email at youthprograms@charlotte.edu to ensure our leadership staff is aware of your needs.

In the guardian portal, you will also find our guardian tip sheet, directions, class photos, class blog, dash placard, and more!

COVID-19 Information per UNC Charlotte Emergency Management Website »

All medications and conditions affecting the participant (either medical or learning-based) should be documented so that we can provide the best experience for each participant. All medicines must remain with the participant at all times. Throughout the day, the participant may be with one counselor or another and we want to ensure that no matter which adult is accompanying the participant, they have access to the medicine. All adults assigned to a particular class have documentation and instructions provided by the family. If you have updates for the participant’s profile, please call 704-687-8900 to have that updated prior to class.

• Go over the Niner Character Promise with your participant and be sure they know expectations and consequences.
• Be on time for drop-off and pick-up.
• Communicate class information with other designated adults/family members.
• Be accessible by phone (incoming #s from class staff may vary).
• Communicate the needs of your participant on the class application (call 704-687-8900 or email youthprograms@charlotte.edu with updates).
• Label all belongings and leave valuables not needed for class at home.
• Be sure the participant is registered under PARTICIPANT’s name; NOT parent’s name. If you registered online, some parents list their own name on the profile and that is the name that will appear on our roster. Contact us prior to class if you are unsure.
• Remember to pay remaining balances at least two weeks (14 days) prior to each class to retain your registration. No exceptions can be made.
• Please download the camp app and review important documents prior to your first day of class.
• View Registered Camper Information for additional resources.
• Download LiveSafe — a free, downloadable app that provides communication channels to Police and Public Safety and links to emergency contacts and evacuation plans.
  • LiveSafe website
  • UNC Charlotte Mobile Apps

• Comfortable Clothing
• Athletic Shoes or sandals with backs
• Refillable water bottle (with name)
• Snacks (no nuts)
• Lunch bag (with name if your participant is bringing their lunch)
• Backpack/bag
• Umbrella/rain gear
• Medications/EpiPen if applicable (remains with participant)
• Positive Attitude

Drop-off Hours: (7:30 am-8:40 am) *participants depart for classrooms promptly at 8:45 am*
Pick-up Hours: (4:15 pm-5:30 pm) *Starting at 5:35 pm, there will be an additional supervision charge of $2.50/minute*

View map »

McEniry Building
Lot 16 A Address: 9020 CRAVER RD, Charlotte NC 28223

Please Note: Camps on Campus drop-off and pick-up are at a separate location. Visit the Camps on Campus FAQ page for more information.

AM Carpool Procedures

• Upon Arrival, there will be staff greeting students.
• Staff will check-in student and provide a name-tag with their class name.
• Students will be indoors with counselors until 8:40 am for recreational, social, or downtime of their choice.
• At 8:40 am—counselors will circle up with their students for introductions and expectations.
• At 8:45 am—counselors depart on foot to their classrooms (vans will drive class if raining or they may take Niner Transit).

PM Carpool Procedures

• All vehicles must display the Niner Academy dash placard (Available in your Online Materials). Print should be large and bold enough to be easily read by our staff. Staff will call your participant’s name over the radio.
• If you do not have your dash placard you will be asked to show your ID before being allowed to pick up your child. This process allows us to ensure that every child is going home with the right person.
• Please view our carpool drive along video located in your online materials to review our carpool procedures prior to your first day of class.

Walk-up Check-Out Procedures

• Please bring your Niner Academy dash placard with you.
• There will be a member of staff dedicated to assisting those who choose to walk up and check out their participants. Staff will be located in Lot 16 A.

Dash Placard

Once registered on our camp app, you’ll find the dash placard in the Media Center. This placard, where you’ll write your participant’s name, should be displayed on your dashboard for afternoon pick-up. It helps speed up the process and ensures that only authorized individuals with the placard are permitted to pick up participants. You can also forward it electronically to any authorized adults.

Carpool Reminders

• Please refrain from cell phone use (including hands-free). For the safety of the students and staff members moving between and around cars, we need 100% of your attention at all times.
• Please pay attention to the carpool workers and follow their instructions. They are working to keep the carpool line moving in a safe and efficient manner. They require your participation and cooperation.
• When you arrive, please enter Lot 16 A and form a single line behind the stop sign as pictured below.

My Niner Academy student will be driving themself to campus each day. Where should they park and how do they check in?

Parking on campus requires a permit or payment of visitor parking fees whenever the University is open. Permits are available for faculty, staff, and students. The general public must pay to park in a visitor parking area. There are five visitor decks on campus: Cone Deck (Rooftop), Union Deck (upper entrance levels 4-6), East Deck 1, CRI Deck (level 4). Most classrooms will be closest to the Student Union Deck located at: 8755 STUDENT UNION LN, Charlotte NC 28223. Please review your class agenda and campus map to determine the best parking option for you. You can find parking options via the UNC Charlotte PATS website ».

After checking in with staff, all minors, including our high school participants, must abide by UNC Charlotte Niner Academy policies until they are checked out by their guardian or after they complete self check-out if they drove to campus. At the time that students check out with program staff, they are no longer under our program supervision. Guardians may choose to allow their child to perform self check out at 4:00PM from the classroom. Please be sure to opt for this at registration. We also encourage communicating this with your child’s instructor and counselors.

If Arriving Late (after 8:45 am)

• Continue to visitor parking deck nearest your classroom building (Union Deck for most camps; CRI Deck for Robotics).
• Parking fee of $1 begins after 15 minutes but classrooms are typically close enough to avoid charges.

Our rule of three requires guardians (or other authorized adults) to park and walk their participant to the classroom. Minors are not allowed to be unaccompanied on UNC Charlotte’s campus. Staff are not permitted to be one-on-one with participants at any time. Our staff will be en route or at the classroom location after 8:45 am. Mondays may be an exception as we try to give a 5-10 minute grace period for first time arrivals. You can find your participant’s classroom location on the class agenda shared in the online materials.

If Picking Up Early (before 4:00pm)

• Planned Early Pickups prior to 4:00pm must be at least one day in advance. Please complete the Google Form for our staff to receive communication.
• For Same Day or Emergency early pickups, please notify us at youthprograms@charlotte.edu and call 704-687-8900 prior to 4:00pm.
• Class instructional time is from 9:00am-4:00pm. Between 4:00pm-4:15pm participants will be en route to the pick up location. 
• If picking up from the classroom, please be sure to check out no later than 3:30 pm for early pick-up. Classroom and visitor parking locations will be provided to guardians with their participant’s online resources in advance.
• Bring your dash placard as the quickest form of secure check-out. You will be asked for identification if you forget your dash placard.

Reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be made available upon request for persons with disabilities. Accommodation requests must be specifically relayed at least two weeks prior to the start of the program. 

You must notify both the School of Professional Studies and the UNC Charlotte Office of Disability Services with accommodation requests and notify them of your status as a Continuing Education student. 

School of Professional Studies Contact: The Registration Center
Email: ceregistration@charlotte.edu
Phone: 704-687-8900

Disability Services Contact: Kristin Kolin
Email: kjkolin@charlotte.edu
Phone: 704-687-0039

When calling the Office of Disability Services, please indicate the continuing education course you are taking.

For evacuation information, please visit the Disabilities Services website.

UNC Charlotte’s Niner Academy is committed to offering a safe educational environment for all participants, including participants with food allergies. Food allergies can be life-threatening. Please refrain from your participant bringing anything with nuts or containing nut-derived ingredients. This includes the purchase of any items containing nuts.

Niner Academy seeks to foster an inclusive, positive, learning, and social environment for our participants. Through our new Niner Character Promise, and with the help of our families, we seek to educate our participants prior to their class experience about the expectations we have regarding participant conduct and attitude while participating in our programs. During the registration process, we will ask that families registering confirm that they will review the following Niner Character Promise with their participant prior to class. We will also utilize and refer to the Promise during staff training and throughout the class.

As a Niner Academy Participant, I promise to:

1. Treat my fellow participants and staff with kindness, respect, and cooperation in my words and actions at all times and NOT use bullying words or behavior or disrupt the class experience of others (review all information on bullying and related consequences below).
2. Seek help from counselors, instructors, or staff in resolving conflict especially if it is something I do not feel I can resolve on my own.
3. Respect the property of the university buildings as well as other people’s property
4. Notify my counselor, instructor, or staff immediately if I witness a violation of this Niner Character Promise.

Bullying vs. Teasing — from the American Camp Association

What are examples of unacceptable social cruelty:

• Teasing
• Exclusion
• Bullying
• Rumoring
• Ganging Up

Is teasing ever acceptable?

We recognize that when working with young people, teasing does not always equal bullying. Teasing may be acceptable when these elements are all present:

• Everyone gets an equal share of the teasing within the group (one person is not being ganged up on)
• People are not making fun of someone’s disability, ethnicity, faith, or other characteristics beyond the person’s control
• It is not repeated over and over again
• It is not meant to physically or emotionally harm in any way
• If you ask the person to stop the teasing, they will immediately
• The teasing comes from someone you are close to (close friend, family member)

How are violations of the Niner Character Promise handled?

Please refer to our behavior framework below for procedures that will be followed if a participant is observed or reported for breaking the Promise.

One of our top priorities is safety and that includes preventing communicable illnesses between participants. If your participant has a communicable illness, please keep them home. If a participant is dropped off at class and a communicable illness is suspected (symptoms may include a fever, pink eye, vomiting, diarrhea, head lice, etc.), you will be notified to pick up your participant immediately. Niner Academy adheres to North Carolina state recommendations for childcare facilities that guardians (or other authorized adults) must pick up their sick participant within 30 minutes of notification. Participants may return to class with a note from a physician approving the return. No full or partial refunds are available for incidences of illness including a positive COVID test the week of class. Please see the Niner Nation Cares website at ninernationcares.charlotte.edu as it serves as an information resource for students, faculty, staff and visitors to understand ways to stay safe on and off campus, along with health protocols in place on campus. This website is continually updated and should be checked regularly.

Class deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable and will hold your child’s space in the class until 14 days before the start of the class when the balance is due. If the remaining balance is not paid in full by the invoice deadline, your child’s seat in the class will be canceled and offered to another participant on the waiting list.

In order to be fair to all our valued participants and parents, no exceptions can be made to this policy.

Payment refunds (except for the non-refundable deposit) will be made up to 14 days before the start of a class for cancellations. After that time, no refunds can be made. When classes are full, we can put you on a waiting list. We occasionally have drops, so sometimes a space opens up in a “full” class. Please be sure we have your current email address, so you will receive updates from us.

2025 Prices

• $275/week for All Full Day classes. $100 nonrefundable, nontransferable deposit which will be put towards the registration fee.
• $425/week for Black Rocket partner coding classes (Rising 9th grade only). $100 nonrefundable, nontransferable deposit which will be put towards the registration fee.
• Online Course Prices Vary. Please view course page for details. 

To view our Camps on Campus (Rising 1st-8th grade) pricing visit the Camps on Campus FAQ page.

2025 In-Person Classes

• Instructional time from 9:00am-4:00pm
• Extended supervised hours available from 7:30am – 8:40am and 4:15pm – 5:30pm

Deposits

Class deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable and will hold your child’s space in the class until 14 days before the start of the class when the balance is due. If the remaining balance is not paid in full by the invoice deadline, your child’s seat in the class will be canceled and offered to another participant on the waiting list.

In order to be fair to all our valued participants and parents, no exceptions can be made to this policy.

We are thrilled to get the chance to provide financial assistance through our recent crowdfunding campaign. The 2025 scholarship application will open on December 9, 2024 at 8:00 am and close on March 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm.

Please note:

• Financial assistance is designed to support families with significant financial need, enabling children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in camp or other youth programs. Please note that assistance is limited to one class per child. By accepting this assistance, families acknowledge that registering for multiple classes or camps is not permitted to ensure that funds reach those with the greatest need.
• Classes and camps fill up quickly, sometimes as early as January. Applications will be reviewed after the deadline on March 21, 2025, and we will do our best to match awarded applicants with their preferred classes or camps.
• Camps on Campus is designed for students entering 1st through 12th grade; Cool School is for rising 1st through 4th graders; 49er Minors is for rising 5th through 8th graders; Niner Academy is for rising 9th through 12th graders.
• Financial assistance from our crowdfunding campaign is based on the total funds raised. Applying does not guarantee assistance. Selection is based on demonstrated financial need, and if requests exceed funds, priority will go to applicants who clearly express in writing how this support will impact their family. 
• Open Enrollment operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Submitting an application does not reserve a class or camp spot.
• Selected applicants will be asked to write a thank-you letter, including testimonials, for our donors.

We appreciate your understanding of these terms and conditions.

Financial Assistance Application: The deadline to apply for financial assistance is March 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm. To be considered for assistance, please submit your application before this date.

Deposit Plan Option: Explore the flexibility of our deposit plan, empowering guardians to conveniently pay in installments. Enjoy the convenience of paying in increments, with the final amount due two weeks before the start of each camp/class week. Please keep in mind that payments will not be automatically drafted. Guardians will need to complete payment manually by each deadline.

External Opportunities: Various community-based organizations in the Charlotte area, including communities in schools and the Bruce Irons Foundation, have graciously sponsored individual participants in previous years. If you are awarded funds from an outside organization we can accept them for camp registration.

Payment refunds (except for the non-refundable and non-transferable deposit) will be made up to 14 days before the start of a class for cancellations. After that time, no refunds can be made. When classes are full, we can put you on a waiting list. We occasionally have drops, so sometimes a space opens up in a “full” class. Please be sure we have your current email address, so you will receive updates from us.

Don’t miss your opportunity to register before seats begin to fill for your class of choice.

Online Registration will open to the public on January 28, 2025 at 8:00 AM.

Registration Options

• Register online. This is the fastest, easiest registration option – no wait times and you can complete your participant online profile and emergency medical information prior to registration opening. Register by creating your family account and adding your participants before selecting courses.
• Register by phone by calling our Registration Center at 704-687-8900.

University Policy – for security reasons we CAN NOT accept credit card/debit payments by fax, email or mail.

You can choose to pay the entire amount now or to pay just the non-refundable deposit now. Full payment for each class is due 14 days before the class starts. Payments are NOT automatically drafted, please ensure you meet payment deadlines in order to keep your seat in the course.

Student Safety and Medical Profile

Get a head start on your participant’s registration by creating a family account, adding your participants, AND completing their emergency and medical information profile prior to registration.

When you create your participant’s emergency and medical profile, you will be asked to provide required information to help us keep your child safe and healthy during their class experience.

• This information includes emergency parent/guardian contacts, health concerns, and food allergies if applicable, medical contact information, date of birth, and any special needs or tips our staff should know in order to keep your child safe and provide an effective learning environment. Please be prepared to provide this information during the registration process, as we will be unable to register a child without this.

Waitlist Information

Participants with family accounts are not able to join a waitlist. Instead, they must use the participant’s individual account. Also, due to limitations in our system, we are unable to enroll waitlisted participants through a family account. It must be done through the individual participant’s account. As a general rule, we provide 24 hours for participants to enroll in an open spot. Once the window passes, the spot will be given to the next participant on the waitlist. Please ensure we have updated email addresses on file in order to receive notifications from us. Please call our Registration Center at 704-687-8900 for further assistance.

Studies have shown the social development benefits that take place when participants “unplug” from technology during their class experience.

We understand the need for some of our participants to carry a mobile device with them for safety and security purposes. While we do allow the use of mobile devices during specific times, we discourage participants from bringing any valuables, including mobile devices. All of our staff have mobile phones and contact information of all parents and guardians and we can arrange for contact with your participant at any time.

If a participant does choose to bring a mobile device, we require that all participants adhere to the following technology guidelines as part of our Niner Character Promise.

1. As with any valuable brought to class, there is a risk assumed by the participant and their family of theft or damage to the device. In bringing a mobile device to class, the participant and family assumes all liability.
2. The mobile device may only be used by the participant during non-classroom hours/breaks such as lunch time and at drop-off/pick-up. If a participant needs to use their mobile device to contact a parent or for another emergency during classroom time, they must notify their class counselor.
3. If a participant is using a mobile device during classroom hours, the instructor or class counselor has the authorization to hold the device until approved break times. Additionally, Instructors or staff have the discretion and authority to ask their participants to place devices in a centralized area in the classroom during instructional time.

Please Note: For your participant’s safety and their overall educational experience in class, it is necessary that they have the ability to converse in and understand English.

Please Note: Niner Academy is considered a college-preparatory and/or career-readiness program for teens. Often through guest speakers, during field trips, and through class and peer-driven discussion, we may discuss societal and social issues. Participants’ opinions and perspectives may differ from those of their peers and/or guest speakers; we encourage open discussion during class. We seek to establish a class environment where all voices are heard and opinions are respected.

Please Note: We rely on guardian discretion to select class topics that are best suited for their child individually. Be sure to consider your child’s interests, personality, and developmental level when choosing the right class.

Please Note: We rely on guardian discretion for appropriate dress in class. We ask that our participants dress in a way that allows them to engage in class activities and remain safe while doing so. Please refrain from wearing discriminatory terms, logos, pictures, cartoons, or slogans. Specific dress requirements may occur depending on the class activity. This will be communicated in advance to guardians by our instructors.