The University of North Carolina presents the forty-first annual "Statistical Abstract of Higher Education in North Carolina." This abstract covers the breadth of higher education activities in the State in their quantitative aspect, from simple counts of enrollment and degrees conferred to complex analyses of the flow of student transfers among institutions. The report has been assembled to provide a detailed statistical account of higher education in North Carolina to legislators, educators, and other interested citizens of North Carolina. The data in this abstract represent both past and current (2008-09 academic year) information. From this abstract, the reader can gain some knowledge about who is being educated, where they are being educated, and the resources supporting their education. It is hoped that the information will aid in the more effective use of resources allocated to higher education. The Institutional Research and Analysis Division of the University of North Carolina General Administration compiled the data reported from online forms submitted by the individual institutions in the summer and fall of 2008 for processing during the 2008-2009 academic year. Three appendices are included: (1) Sources of Data; (2) Definitions of Terms. and (3) North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Enrollment by County of Residence, Class Level, Gender, and Race, Fall 2008. (Contains 17 figures and 73 tables.)