Public · University

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina · Distant town

90.1%
Admit rate
$16,836
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$51,836
Median earnings

Appalachian State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Boone, North Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 19,444 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 19,444 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Appalachian State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
90.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1280
Avg GPA (est.)
3.44

Enter a test score to see where you land against Appalachian State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Appalachian State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Boone, North Carolina

Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Boone took its name from the famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone, who on several occasions camped at a site generally agreed to be within the present city limits. Horn in the West is a dramatization of the life and times of the early settlers of the mountain area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
236 miles
Nearest airport
44 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)

How Appalachian State University compares

Selectivity90.1%

More selective than 24% · #46 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1214

Higher than 62%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 84% · #8 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention84%

Higher than 72%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,836

Higher than 44% · #15 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$16,836

Cheaper than 64% · #19 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$20,231

Lower than 74%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment19,444

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Appalachian State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

21,454students
  • Undergraduate19,44491%
  • Graduate2,0109%

Undergraduates by gender

19,444undergrads
  • Women11,18057%
  • Men8,26443%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White79%
  • Black3.1%
  • Hispanic9.4%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial7.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
19,444
Graduate enrollment
2,010
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$56,100
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$83,529
Endowment
$217,201,820

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 4,227 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina87%
  • Other U.S. states13%

Most first-years stay in state — Appalachian State University draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
90.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1280
SAT average
1214
SAT reading
570–660
SAT math
550–620
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.44

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,579
Out-of-state tuition
$25,212
Room & board
$12,868
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$23,169
Average net price
$16,836

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
59%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,663
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,836
Median debt at graduation
$20,231
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
67%

About 16% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
59%
Low-income (Pell)
66%
First-generation
66%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
6,313
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
32%
Housing charge (year)
$6,630
Meal plan (year)
$5,628
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
508 (285 men · 223 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)163
Football122
Baseball39
Basketball32
Wrestling32
Soccer28
Field Hockey25
Softball25
Golf18
Volleyball15
Tennis9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
50
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (21,570 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

20reported offenses a year
17 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
12
Fondling
3.7
Burglary
2.7
Aggravated assault
1.0
Robbery
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,325
$30–48k
$11,600
$48–75k
$15,204
$75–110k
$20,840
$110k+
$22,382

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$65,654

$15,204/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,529
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 45% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,529. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 3,899 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$51,836
Typical debt at graduation
$20,231
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,422
Men
$56,236

Men out-earn women by $6,814 (14%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
79°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
59.1″
Annual snow
25.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boone 1 SE, NC US station (2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Appalachian State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Appalachian State University side by side →

Colleges near Appalachian State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.