Moving to High Point for HPU 2026: Faculty and Staff Relocation Guide
Quick answer: High Point University employs more than 2,500 faculty and staff at its One University Parkway campus, with 30 new faculty positions added in 2025 for the Workman School of Dental Medicine and Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law. Faculty pay ranges from $65,000 for Assistant Professors to $140,000 for full tenured Professors, which puts most HPU hires in the $325K to $525K housing budget. The best neighborhoods for HPU faculty and staff are Emerywood, Sedgefield, Jamestown, and Skeet Club Road corridor, all within a 12-minute commute of campus. Median High Point sold price is $278,000 in July 2026 with 34 days on market and a 97.4 percent sold-to-list ratio.
Written by Teresa Overcash, a North Carolina broker since 1996. See full bio at the bottom of this page.
Jump to
- HPU workforce and campus footprint
- Best neighborhoods by faculty rank and role
- Commute math to One University Parkway
- Housing budget by HPU pay grade
- Relocation timeline: offer letter to closing
- FAQ
HPU workforce and campus footprint
High Point University is the fourth-largest employer in the City of High Point with 2,195 people on the city's 2025 comprehensive financial report, and total headcount climbed past 2,500 with the 2025 faculty expansion for the new dental and law schools.
The main campus sits on One University Parkway, and the operational spine runs from Montlieu Avenue north to the Human Resources building at 1911 N. Centennial Boulevard. Total enrollment reached 6,550 students in fall 2025, and the freshman class grew 9.4 percent to 1,671. That growth is the engine driving new faculty and staff hiring through 2027.
You are being recruited into a workforce that has grown 319 percent since 2005, according to HPU's own community impact report. Where you land inside High Point matters more than most relocation packets tell you, because school assignments, tax rates, and drive time all shift within a three-mile radius of campus.
Best neighborhoods by faculty rank and role
The right match depends on your rank and pay grade. Here is the field guide I use when a professor calls me from an offer letter meeting.
| Neighborhood | Median price 2026 | Best fit | Drive to campus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerywood | $625,000 | Deans, full Professors, senior admin | 6 minutes |
| Sedgefield (Jamestown) | $495,000 | Associate Professors, department chairs | 10 minutes |
| Skeet Club Road corridor | $385,000 | Assistant Professors, instructors, staff | 12 minutes |
| Uptown High Point | $295,000 | Young single faculty, grad students, staff | 4 minutes |
| Jamestown Village | $465,000 | Faculty with school-age children | 14 minutes |
Emerywood is the historic address for HPU leadership. The tree canopy, the mid-century brick homes, and the two-minute drive to Roberts Hall put it at the top of the list for anyone earning $110,000 and up. Sedgefield gives you a Jamestown mailing address without the Jamestown Elementary bus route, which matters if you are on the tenure track and moving twice in five years is not something you want to think about.
Commute math to One University Parkway
HPU is a walking campus for students, but faculty and staff drive. The relevant commute is not just miles, it is the number of school zone slowdowns and Business 85 merges you cross before your 8 AM class.
| Origin | Miles | 7:30 AM drive | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerywood | 2.1 | 6 min | Country Club Dr to Montlieu Ave |
| Sedgefield | 5.4 | 10 min | Penny Rd to Eastchester to N Main |
| Uptown High Point | 1.4 | 4 min | N Main to University Pkwy |
| Skeet Club Road | 6.8 | 12 min | Skeet Club to Eastchester to Montlieu |
| Jamestown Village | 8.2 | 14 min | Main St to Business 85 to University Pkwy |
The Business 85 merge from Jamestown adds three to five minutes on any morning with rain. If you have back-to-back 8 AM and 9:30 AM classes across two buildings, you want to be inside the six-mile ring.
Housing budget by HPU pay grade
According to AcademicJobs.com HPU salary data, "Assistant Professors earn $65,000 to $80,000 annually, Associate Professors average $85,000 to $105,000, while Full Professors command $110,000 to $140,000." That salary band drives what house you can carry at current rates. I use the 28 percent debt-to-income guideline, a 20 percent down payment, and a 6.75 percent 30-year fixed rate.
| HPU role | Salary range | Comfortable home price | Est. monthly PITI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjunct / Instructor | $45,000 to $60,000 | $220K to $285K | $1,350 to $1,750 |
| Staff / Coordinator | $50,000 to $75,000 | $260K to $340K | $1,600 to $2,100 |
| Assistant Professor | $65,000 to $80,000 | $325K to $395K | $1,975 to $2,400 |
| Associate Professor | $85,000 to $105,000 | $420K to $520K | $2,550 to $3,150 |
| Full Professor / Dean | $110,000 to $140,000 | $545K to $695K | $3,300 to $4,200 |
Get your PITI for a High Point home you are considering
Run any High Point listing through the mortgage calculator on the site to see the full principal, interest, taxes, and insurance number before you commit to a showing schedule.
Relocation timeline: offer letter to closing
HPU academic hires usually run August-to-August contracts. The realistic window from signed offer to keys in hand is 60 to 90 days if you are relocating from out of state. Angie Wilmoth at Glory Mortgage in Winston-Salem, who handles most of my incoming faculty loans, tells me: "The single biggest thing that slows down a professor's file is proving W-2 income when the new institution has not started paying you yet. We need the executed offer letter plus a start date verification from HR before we can lock a rate."
| Week | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sign offer letter, request HR employment verification |
| 2 | Get pre-approved with lender who handles academic income |
| 3-4 | Virtual tour weekend, narrow to 3-4 finalists |
| 5-6 | On-ground tour, write offer |
| 7 | Due diligence, appraisal, inspection ncrec-cooccurrence-2026-05-04 |
| 8-10 | Close, move, start August 1 |
Get a neighborhood match and tour-week plan
You are moving your family, not just changing zip codes. Get a shortlist of three neighborhoods matched to your HPU role, kid ages, and commute tolerance, plus a tour-week schedule that fits around your interview or orientation days.
FAQ
Does HPU offer a housing relocation stipend?
HPU relocation packages vary by rank and department. Deans and named-chair positions typically include a one-time relocation stipend between $10,000 and $25,000. Assistant Professor and staff packages more often include moving expense reimbursement rather than a housing stipend. Ask HR about the Faculty Housing Assistance program which is offered case-by-case for tenure-track hires.
Which High Point neighborhoods have the best public schools?
Guilford County Schools assigns by street address, not neighborhood. Jamestown Elementary, Ferndale Middle, and Ragsdale High feed most of the Sedgefield and Jamestown Village addresses and are the strongest-rated cluster for HPU faculty with school-age children. Emerywood addresses feed Johnson Street Global Studies and Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, both magnet-track schools.
Can I rent for a year before buying?
Yes, and for many tenure-track hires that is the right move. A one-year rental gives you time to learn the neighborhoods before locking in a mortgage. Rental inventory near campus is thin, so plan to sign a lease 60 days before your start date. HPU staff apartments are available for some new hires through the President's Office.
What is the property tax rate in High Point?
Guilford County plus City of High Point combined tax rate is 1.1748 per $100 of assessed value for 2026. On a $400,000 home that is $4,699 annually. That is lower than Winston-Salem, higher than Kernersville.
Are there dental or law school faculty in specific neighborhoods?
The Workman School of Dental Medicine and Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law are on the north campus. Dental faculty gravitate toward Emerywood and Sedgefield. Law faculty tend to split between Uptown High Point condos and Jamestown Village. Both schools continue to hire through 2027 as their programs scale.
How long does closing take in North Carolina?
Standard NC closings run 30 days from accepted contract. Cash offers can close in 14 days. Due diligence period is negotiated but typically runs 21 days from contract signing. Attorney closing is required in NC, and the buyer picks the attorney.
Keep reading
- Moving to High Point NC: complete relocation guide
- Emerywood High Point neighborhood guide
- Uptown High Point neighborhood guide
- High Point market report — July 2026
- High Point homes for sale
- NC real estate glossary
- About Teresa Overcash
About the author. Teresa Overcash is a 30-year top 1 percent North Carolina real estate agent and Broker/Owner of Realty ONE Group Results, with over 10,000 NC closings across the Triad, Wilkes County, and the High Country. She is an NCREC Licensed Instructor and CLHMS-certified, and works with HPU faculty and staff relocations year-round. Reach her at 336-262-3111 or teresatedder@gmail.com.