About Appalachian
"One of the top five masters degree-granting universities in the South."
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State University has built a national reputation for providing outstanding academics. With a student/faculty ratio of 17:1 and an average class size of 24, faculty members are able to take a personal interest in student progress, often becoming mentors, advisers, and friends - even tennis partners. That can only happen in a close-knit community.
Nestled at the base of Howard Knob, the university is located in downtown Boone, NC (year-round pop. 15,000), a small town which thrives as one of the Southeast's premier tourism and outdoor recreation destinations. The nearby Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest provide a beautiful natural setting with unlimited possibilities for outdoor adventure.
Appalachian is a public institution and part of The University of North Carolina System.
Fast Facts
data source: Fact Book from the office of Institutional Research and Planning
Enrollment, Fall 2007
- 15,871 total
- 13,997 undergraduate
- 1,874 graduate
- 2,737 first-time freshmen
- 943 new transfer students
- 52.7% females
- 47.3% males
- 10% minorities, Fall 2006
- 14,544 in state
- 1 ,327 out of state
- North Carolina counties most represented (all students): Wake, Mecklenburg, Watauga, Guilford, Forsyth
- States most represented: North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina
Freshman Admissions, Fall 2007
- 12,946 applications
- 2,737 enrolled
- 1124 SAT average
- 3.68 GPA average
Cost (tuition, fees, room and board), 2008-09 academic year
- $9,894 in state
- $19,954 out of state
Academics
- 17:1 student/faculty ratio
- 24 - average class size
- 5 colleges and schools, 1 graduate school
- more than 140 undergraduate and graduate majors
- 84.5% freshman retention rate, fourth highest in the University of North Carolina system
- 58.4% five-year graduation rate, fourth highest in the University of North Carolina system
Degrees Awarded 2006-07
- 2,425 Bachelors
- 639 Masters/Specialists/Graduate Certificates
- 3 Doctorates
- 3,067 total degrees awarded
Faculty
- 737 full-time faculty
- 95% percentage of full-time faculty with doctorate, first professional degree, or other terminal degree
- 1,610 total full and part-time staff
Alumni
- More than 89,000 alumni from all 50 states and several foreign countries.
Buildings & Campus
- 1,300 acres, including a 410 acre main campus
- 19 academic buildings
- 210,000-square-foot library
- 1 off-campus center in New York City
- 21 residence halls, housing 5,081 students on campus
- 4 dining facilities
- 11 recreational and athletic facilities
Athletics
- 20 varsity sports offered
- 19 club sports
- more than 60 intramural sports
Points of Pride
Solid Accolades
Appalachian State University’s consistent quality is reflected by high rankings in these national publications:
- U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 America’s Best Colleges Guide
- The Princeton Review’s 2008 edition of “America’s Best Values in Colleges”
- Consumers Digest magazine’s listing of the top 50 best values for public colleges and universities
- Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges”
Comprehensive Degree Choices
Appalachian offers more than 140 undergraduate and graduate major programs within the four academic colleges (Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts, Education and Business) and the School of Music. Additionally, Appalachian offers a doctorate of education.
Internationally Connected
Exchange programs with 41 universities in 17 countries make Appalachian part of the global academic family.
Contributors to Knowledge
More than $15 million in research grants and contracts was awarded to the university in 2007-08. Appalachian encourages faculty/student collaboration on research and creative endeavors, so many of these projects generate special opportunities for undergraduates.
Supported by Alumni and Friends
Contributions to the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. exceeded $24.7 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year, a 95 percent increase from 2006-07. The Yosef Club for scholarships for student-athletes received $1.28 million in private giving in 2006-07, a 92 percent increase from 2004-05.
Volunteers in the Community
The Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT office at Appalachian provided an estimated $1.85 million of volunteer service to the community during the 2007-08 school year based on the national standard for volunteer time.
Engaged Audiences
The University Forum Lecture Series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus. Their views enliven campus dialogue on a variety of issues. In 2008-09, the series will focus on the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth with a series of lectures and events focusing on Darwin’s ideas and their impacts on society, and his theory of evolution.
Athletic Champions
Appalachian offers 20 intercollegiate varsity sports for men and women. The Mountaineers have earned both the Southern Conference’s Commissioner’s Cup for overall excellence in men’s athletics 29 times since the award was established in 1979 and the Germann Cup, recognizing the top women’s program in the conference, six of the 18 years the award has been presented. In football, the Mountaineers have won three consecutive NCAA Division I FCS national championship titles.
An Environmental Friendly Campus
Appalachian is included in the National Wildlife Federation Report Card of environmental friendly campuses. The report is the nation's largest study to date created to gauge trends and new developments in campus sustainability.
