Public · University

University of North Carolina Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina · Small city

91.9%
Admit rate
$12,250
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$44,030
Median earnings

University of North Carolina Asheville is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Asheville, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 2,910 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,910 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 92% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of North Carolina Asheville's admitted students.

Admit rate
91.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1170–1360
Avg GPA (est.)
3.51

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of North Carolina Asheville's admitted students.

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

About Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Before the arrival of the European Colonists, the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, which had homelands in modern western North and South Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, and northeastern Georgia. Live music is a significant element in the tourism-based economy of Asheville and the surrounding area. Seasonal festivals and numerous nightclubs and performance venues offer opportunities for visitors and locals to attend a wide variety of live entertainment events. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Asheville, NC
To the ocean
234 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Asheville (AVL)

How University of North Carolina Asheville compares

Selectivity91.9%

More selective than 20% · #48 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1251

Higher than 71%

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 49% · #22 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention72%

Higher than 37%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,030

Higher than 21% · #36 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$12,250

Cheaper than 84% · #7 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment2,910

Larger than 68%

Percentiles compare University of North Carolina Asheville 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

2,934students
  • Undergraduate2,91099%
  • Graduate241%

Undergraduates by gender

2,910undergrads
  • Women1,78261%
  • Men1,12839%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black6.0%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian2.0%
  • Other or multiracial8.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,910
Graduate enrollment
24
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$44,221
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,395
Endowment
$75,642,604

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 630 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina81%
  • Other U.S. states18%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — University of North Carolina Asheville draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
91.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1170–1360
SAT average
1251
SAT reading
600–700
SAT math
570–660
ACT composite
23–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.51

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,501
Out-of-state tuition
$24,849
Room & board
$13,992
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$21,685
Average net price
$12,250

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)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,947
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,030
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
39%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 11% 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
43%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
57%

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
1,563
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Housing charge (year)
$6,130
Meal plan (year)
$4,888
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
405 (195 men · 210 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)176
Soccer68
Baseball39
Basketball31
Swimming and Diving (combined)31
Volleyball30
Tennis20
Golf10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
21
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,056 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.

10reported offenses a year
7.0 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
3.3
Rape
2.7
Burglary
2.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$8,219
$30–48k
$8,735
$48–75k
$11,570
$75–110k
$15,854
$110k+
$18,786

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
$49,867

$11,570/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.

90%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,617
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 90% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,617. 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 503 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)
$44,030
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
51%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 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
$42,445
Men
$47,096

Men out-earn women by $4,651 (11%) 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
86°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
40.6″
Annual snow
11.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Asheville, NC US station (1.6 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 University of North Carolina Asheville

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of North Carolina Asheville side by side →

Colleges near University of North Carolina Asheville

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.