Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·appstate.edu
6-yr Graduation
75%
+25.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
21,570
peer median 14,240
Avg net price
$16,487
+$4.2k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
24,614
24,614 candidates competed
Admitted
22,188
90.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
4,038
18.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
75%+25.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
59%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
75%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

8.0pp gap
Pell recipients
67%
Non-Pell
75%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 138 Title IV programs, 75 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 63 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
138
Passing
75
54.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

138programs
  • Passing75 · 54.3%
  • No Data63 · 45.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
6
Safe
66
No data
63

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

75
Special Education and Teaching
Graduate Certificate · Education
+3.7%
$47,528 vs $45,831
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+5.2%
$57,614 vs $54,745
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+9.7%
$53,371 vs $48,653
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+10.9%
$50,822 vs $45,831
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+15.9%
$63,464 vs $54,745
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Graduate Certificate · Education
+16.5%
$53,406 vs $45,831
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+19.1%
$65,206 vs $54,745
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+20.5%
$55,225 vs $45,831

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Special Education and Teaching
Graduate Certificate · Education
+3.7%
+$1,697

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

63
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
62%
$39,330 debt · $63,464 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
61%
$24,874 debt · $41,002 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Graduate Certificate · Education
60%
$32,114 debt · $53,406 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
58%
$31,997 debt · $55,225 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
56%
$25,000 debt · $44,986 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
54%
$29,000 debt · $53,371 earn
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
52%
$23,151 debt · $44,297 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
52%
$21,024 debt · $40,371 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1942Next review Jun 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 14

Action history · 20

  1. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Dec 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Oct 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,370
$30–48k$11,507
$48–75k$15,766
$75–110k$20,796
$110k+$21,991

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$16,487
+$4,160vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,327
Federal loans
37.6%
In-state tuition
$7,541
Out-of-state
$24,537

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 6,504 students received $37.8M in Pell grants, alongside $76.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
6,504
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$37.8M
$37,789,418 total
Direct Loans
$76.6M
13,445 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
20
5k
21
5k
22
5k
23
7k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$21.6M
5,070 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$23.6M
6,349 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$10.1M
728 loan awards
Parent PLUS$20.7M
1,215 loan awards
Grad PLUS$598K
83 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 3,662 borrowers who entered repayment, 48 (1.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.3%
-1.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
3,662
Defaulted
48
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.6%
2017
3.9%
2018
3.6%
2019
1.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Appalachian State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs123
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

4,198 total completions
01Business
1,23029.3%
02Education
58714.0%
03Health Professions
44910.7%
04Biological Sciences
42510.1%
05Psychology
4029.6%
06Communication
3227.7%
07Visual/Performing Arts
2516.0%
08Social Sciences
2105.0%
09Public Admin
1884.5%
10Parks/Recreation
1343.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
21,570
12-mo unduplicated
23,026
Undergraduate
20,856
Graduate
2,170

Gender split

Men
43%9,820
Women
57%13,206

Race / ethnicity composition

White
80.7%
Hispanic
8.8%
Two or more
4.6%
Black
3.1%
Asian
1.8%
Unknown
0.6%
Non-resident
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
430
257 M · 173 W
Women athletes
40.2%
Athletic aid
$7.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$43.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.3M
$2.7M
Recruiting expense
$610K
$175K
Head-coach salaries
$346K
$117K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
60 M · 108 W
$2.1M
Football
115 M ·
$12.2M
Baseball
38 M ·
$1.7M
Wrestling
35 M ·
$836K
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$4.0M
Softball
· 28 W
$1.1M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.93
19 offenses · 20,436 students

3-year trend

1.152 yrs ago1.261 yr ago0.93Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
68
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
49
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
8
Fondling
5
Burglary
4
Aggravated assault
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

19total
  • On campus16
  • Non-campus3

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
12
Stalking
16 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons64
Drugs36152
Liquor56420

Residence-hall fires

  • New River Hall1 fire
    Damage $1,000-$9,999

Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,125

Appalachian State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Appalachian State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectAppalachian State University
75%21,570$16,487Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
44%93.3%7,674$9,918Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
North Carolina Central University
42%87.0%8,579$15,028Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Georgia
50%67.9%19,291$10,785Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of West Florida
59%58.2%14,822$8,155Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Troy University
49%96.0%13,658$13,869Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median50%87.0%14,240$12,327

Frequently asked questions about Appalachian State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Appalachian State.

What is the graduation rate at Appalachian State University?

Appalachian State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 75% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Appalachian State University?

Appalachian State University reports a total enrollment of 21,570 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Appalachian State University?

The average net price at Appalachian State University is $16,487 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Appalachian State University?

Appalachian State University's yield rate is 18.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Appalachian State University located?

Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina 28608.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Appalachian State University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card