<p>I’m have family members that have attended both E Carolina and UNCW and can offer a comparison. </p>
<p>ECU is good academically and but not difficult to get admitted to. It is a large university with about 24,000 students. It does have a party school reputation, but for those that want to focus on academics, they can find excellent instruction. They have great school spirit for their Pirate football team and take it serious. (They like to talk about beating NC State in football) ECU is located in Greenville, NC (POP 75k) which is about 100 miles east of Raleigh. The city has several good spots for nightlife that students enjoy but some areas close to downtown have crime issues. Kids just need to be smart about it and they will be fine. The students are your typical friendly Southerners many which are from small towns in eastern NC. Fraternities & Sororities are active at ECU. </p>
<p>UNCW is extremely difficult to get admitted in to and is academically strong. But that is because they are only five minutes from Wrightsville Beach and it has become a popular school. UNCW has 13,000 students. They do not have football but have great school spirit for their Seahawk basketball team which has experience solid success. (They like to talk about beating Southern Cal in the NCAA tournament) UNCW is located in Wilmington, NC (POP 100k) which is about 125 miles south of Raleigh. The nightlife in downtown Wilmington is big since (much like Charleston) it has a active historic district on the Cape Fear River with nice restaurants and clubs. Many Movies & TV shows like Dawson’s Creek & One Tree Hill have been filmed in Wilmington. Fraternities & Sororities are active at UNCW. </p>
<p>They are obviously both state universities and the state of NC limits the number of students from outside NC to 16%, so getting admitted from out of state is always harder. I hope this helps.</p>