UNC Charlotte's 1,000-acre campus is located in a bustling area just minutes from Center City Charlotte, but it's also home to trails, botanical gardens, lakes and the university's ropes course. Administered by the Venture Office, the ropes course consists of both a near-ground-level low course and, for more extreme outdoor education, a suspended high course .

The university hosts U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force ROTC units, which prepare participants for commissioning as second lieutenants in their respective military branches while they attend UNC Charlotte.