UNC-system schools are bringing a new meaning to Southern hospitality, by welcoming students of Gulf Coast universities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

While students from the ravaged states trickle into North Carolina, system school officials are trying to deal with the influx and what it means for financial aid.

“We’re just working within the system to do our part to help students,” said Kemal Atkins, director of academic and student affairs for the UNC system.

All 16 campuses have been asked to accommodate these students based on available space, especially for courses and housing, he said.

Schools such as East Carolina University and N.C. State University have welcomed and are hosting several students, while schools such as UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Wilmington have just begun to see student victims enroll in classes.

N.C. State has accepted approximately 20 students and has fielded more than 100 inquiries about transferring, said Leslie Dare, director of distance education and technical services.

“The provost was clear that we will welcome them into classes,” she said. “We’ll make sure that happens.”

Dare said the enrolled students have ties to Raleigh or the state — some are residents, and others have relatives who live in the area.

The university also has been in contact with international students, Dare said. She said their needs are greater since they have fewer support services than students who have state ties.

N.C. State’s priorities include getting the students acclimated to their new situation and easing them into Wolfpack life through mentor and service programs, she said.

UNC-G had one undergraduate student register Tuesday morning, said Steve Gilliam, director of university relations. “We want to do everything we can to help these students.”

UNC-G already has completed three weeks of class and has eight-week-long intensive courses, he said. He questioned whether students would be able to make up those three weeks.

UNC-W accepted seven students and will accept three or four more Wednesday, said Terry Curran, associate provost for enrollment management at UNC-W.

The university set a deadline of noon Wednesday for students wishing to transfer.

There will be plenty of available housing, and Curran said faculty and community members have opened up their homes to students and their family members.

“The kids are going to be well taken care of,” he said.

ECU also has received students from the affected area with more expected to arrive soon, said John Durham, a university spokesman.

While these schools have enough space in residence halls to provide housing, students still are left in the dark about their financial situation.

“Tuition still is being worked out,” Durham said. “The UNC-system president’s office told all the campuses that students that come here have the same tuition as other students that attend system schools.”

This means N.C. residents will pay in-state tuition rates, and nonresidents will pay out-of-state tuition.

Overall, Atkins said, even nonresident displaced students likely will experience a decrease in tuition costs because N.C. schools are more affordable.

Bobby Kanoy, senior associate vice president for academic and student affairs for the UNC system, said the federal government laid down guidelines directing universities to allow students to transfer and utilize their financial aid funds.

The guidelines affect the participants in the federal financial aid program, or Title IV, established by the Higher Education Act of 1965. These guidelines shape federal Pell Grants and work-study programs.

UNC-system finance officials discussed those guidelines Tuesday to make sure each school was clear about how to implement them, Kanoy said.

Atkins said the UNC system is working with federal officials to determine how financial aid will be transferred from the students’ home schools to system schools.

“They’re going to make a decision one semester at a time,” Kanoy said of the system officials.

Senior Writer Megan McSwain contributed to this article.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.