University of North Carolina Asheville
About
The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system. It is a member and the headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.9-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 31 Title IV programs, 19 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 12 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing19 · 61.3%
- No Data12 · 38.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 4
- Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Dec 2023Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2018Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,198 students received $7.4M in Pell grants, alongside $9.2M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 761 borrowers who entered repayment, 21 (2.7%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at UNCA
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 8
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus9
Includes 7 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
UNCA vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions UNCA selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity of North Carolina Asheville | 54% | — | 3,056 | $12,250 | Baccalaureate |
| 72% | 86.0% | 4,454 | $23,015 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs | |
| 79% | 42.9% | 2,554 | $30,308 | Baccalaureate | |
| 56% | 89.7% | 896 | $16,068 | Baccalaureate | |
| 67% | 73.2% | 881 | $7,195 | Baccalaureate | |
| 70% | 70.6% | 5,981 | $18,173 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 70% | 68.6% | 1,630 | $18,441 | Baccalaureate | |
| 63% | 74.0% | 3,333 | $18,913 | Baccalaureate | |
| 71% | 66.4% | 3,945 | $18,211 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs | |
| 74% | 59.5% | 1,738 | $23,458 | Baccalaureate | |
| 66% | 79.8% | 3,826 | $20,667 | Baccalaureate | |
| 63% | 74.9% | 981 | $8,837 | Baccalaureate | |
| 47% | 28.5% | 2,167 | $9,210 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 67% | 71.9% | 2,554 | $18,211 |
Institutions like UNCA
Explore the federal data for institutions in UNCA's comparison group.
- Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsVirginia
Christopher Newport University
Grad rate72%Admit rate86.0%Enrollment4,454Net price$23,015View data - BaccalaureateSouth Carolina
Furman University
Grad rate79%Admit rate42.9%Enrollment2,554Net price$30,308View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Grad rate56%Admit rate89.7%Enrollment896Net price$16,068View data - BaccalaureateFlorida
New College of Florida
Grad rate67%Admit rate73.2%Enrollment881Net price$7,195View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsNew Jersey
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Grad rate70%Admit rate70.6%Enrollment5,981Net price$18,173View data - BaccalaureateMaryland
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Grad rate70%Admit rate68.6%Enrollment1,630Net price$18,441View data - BaccalaureateNew York
SUNY at Purchase College
Grad rate63%Admit rate74.0%Enrollment3,333Net price$18,913View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsNew York
SUNY College at Geneseo
Grad rate71%Admit rate66.4%Enrollment3,945Net price$18,211View data - BaccalaureateOhio
The College of Wooster
Grad rate74%Admit rate59.5%Enrollment1,738Net price$23,458View data - BaccalaureateVirginia
University of Mary Washington
Grad rate66%Admit rate79.8%Enrollment3,826Net price$20,667View data - BaccalaureateMinnesota
University of Minnesota-Morris
Grad rate63%Admit rate74.9%Enrollment981Net price$8,837View data - BaccalaureateVirginia
University of Virginia's College at Wise
Grad rate47%Admit rate28.5%Enrollment2,167Net price$9,210View data
UNCA Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research, Effectiveness and Planning collects, analyzes and disseminates statistical information and research about students, alumni, staff and faculty at UNC Asheville in support of effective teaching and learning, institutional accreditation, sound planning, effective stewardship of institutional resources, and compliance with state and federal reporting requirements.
Visit IR office page- Jeff Konz
Common Data Set
UNCA's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Source publications
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planAsheville 2030Asheville 2030 is UNC Asheville's strategic initiative designed to ensure long-term sustainability in the face of higher education challenges. The plan focuses on aligning academic priorities, enrollment strategies, financial planning, and campus development with the evolving demands and needs of the student body and workforce. By 2030, UNC Asheville aims to achieve a sustainable enrollment of 3,200 to 3,500 students while maintaining its commitment to quality public liberal arts education.go.unca.edu
Notable alumni of UNCA (5)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Molly BurchEntertainment
- Michael CogdillEntertainment
- Jason FauntEntertainment
- Ann B. RossLiterature and journalism
- Mike ShildtSports
Frequently asked questions about University of North Carolina Asheville
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UNCA.
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About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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