No. Tuition is fixed for 12 credit hours or more and adjustments only occur upon a full withdrawal from all registered courses in accordance with the refund schedule.
Liberal Arts Core
In keeping with the mission of the University of North Carolina Asheville, the Liberal Arts Core captures the development of human capabilities, disciplinary knowledge, the application of knowledge to new settings, and creative solutions to increasingly complex problems. As an indication of our commitment to working together and to crossing disciplinary borders, the Liberal Arts Core conveys the sort of shared guidance possible when disciplines collaborate for the mutual benefit of students and faculty and the fulfillment of the university’s mission. Such collaboration lies at the heart of the matter for a public liberal arts institution that has “an emphasis on critical thinking, clear and thoughtful expression, applied research, community engagement, free and open inquiry” (UNC Asheville Mission Statement).
As students acquire critical thinking skills, inquire from a range of perspectives, hone effective communication and diverse forms of expression, and engage the local and global spheres, they become lifelong learners, ethical thinkers and practitioners of sustainability and invaluable society members whose transformative education enables them to flourish, responding to the world that lies before them and acting as responsible citizens and leaders.
Courses approved by the faculty to satisfy the specific requirements of the Liberal Arts Core may be found below. The course credit hours listed below for each requirement are stated as the minimum credit hours required. Descriptions of these individual requirements may be found in the academic catalog. We recommend you use GradPlan to track your course requirements.
Note: Prior to February 5th, 2025, UNC Asheville students were required to complete two Diversity Intensive (DI/DI-R) courses for graduation as part of the Liberal Arts Core. Please visit this FAQ for more information.
Liberal Arts Core Requirements
Humanities Program
- HUM 124
- HUM 214
- HUM 324 or LA 378
A 4 credit course or courses from the list below. Note: The same course cannot be used to fulfill both the Laboratory Science and the Scientific Perspectives requirements.
- ASTR 102 + 112 or 113, ASTR 103 + 112 or 113
- ATMS 103 + 111
- BIOL 125 + 126, BIOL 136, BIOL 328
- CHEM 109, CHEM 111 + 132, CHEM 145 + 231, CHEM 145 + 233, CHEM 222 + 232
- ENVS 105
- HS 234, 235
- PHYS 101 + 121, PHYS 102 + 122, PHYS 131, PHYS 221
- PSYC 362
A 3 or 4 credit class from the list below. Note: The same course cannot be used to fulfill both the Laboratory Science and the Scientific Perspectives requirements.
- AMS 260
- ASTR 102, 103, 301
- ATMS 103, 113
- BIOL 107, 110, 125, 135, 136, 173 (The Biology of Star Wars)
- CHEM 109, 132, 323
- CSCI 107, 182, 183, 185
- EDUC 323
- ENVS 106, 130
- HS 225, 420
- JEM 484
- PHIL 307
- PHYS 101, 102, 131, 221
- POLS 396
- SOC 362
A 4 credit class in MATH or STAT.
A 3 or 4 credit class from the list below.
- AFST—any course
- AIIS 200
- ANTH—any course
- ASIA 100, 305, 310, 320, 330, 334, 364
- BUS 300, 366, 398
- ECON—any course
- EDUC 210
- ESI 101
- HS 333, 353
- INTS—any course
- MCOM 104
- MUSC 350, 367, 368
- POLS—any course
- PSYC—any course
- SOC—any course
- WGSS 100
Demonstrated proficiency, either by placement or course completion, through the first year (second semester) of a language.
- ASIA 102
- CHER 120
- FREN 120, 130
- GERM 120, 130
- GRK 102
- HEB 102
- LAT 102
- PORT 120
- SPAN 130
ARTS 310 or 3-4 credit hours of course work designated as fulfilling the ARTS requirement
One course from HUM 414 or LA 478. This requirement must be fulfilled in residence.
FAQ Regarding Suspension of UNC Asheville Diversity Intensive Curricular Requirements
The UNC System Office sent a memorandum to all UNC System institutions, including UNC Asheville, entitled Memorandum Regarding Federal Contracting Compliance. This memo stated that, “effective immediately, all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion…are suspended.” This resulted in the suspension of the diversity intensive (DI/DI-R) courses as graduation requirements. Prior to the suspension, UNC Asheville students were required to complete two diversity intensive courses for graduation.
Absolutely! There are no repercussions for continuing in a DI/DI-R class, and those classes will continue to be offered as part of the overall curriculum offerings.
Yes! The majority of DI/DI-R designated classes fulfill more than just the former DI/DI-R requirement. Many of them may also count as options for major/minor requirements and will continue to do so. Even if your class only counts as elective credit, it supports your progress towards your degree because the credit hours count towards the 120 credit hour graduation requirement.
Please use the Hardship Withdrawal form on the registrar’s website to withdraw from the course. In the narrative portion of the form, state that you are withdrawing due the requirement being dropped.
We recommend that you review your GradPlan before submitting the Hardship Withdrawal form to ensure the class is not fulfilling another degree requirement. It might also be helpful to discuss it with your academic advisor or a Student Success Specialist in the Office of Advising for additional information on the potential impact of a withdrawal.
A Hardship Withdrawal does not count towards your withdrawal hours limit (16 credit hours), and it will not impact your GPA.
A Hardship Withdrawal will:
- still be marked with a W on your university transcript, and
- impact your completion ratio, meaning the ratio between your attempted hours (all credit hours you were registered for after add/drop) and your completed hours (all the credit hours you earned at the end of the semester).
Your completion ratio is one factor determining your Academic Standing as well as your Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid. If you receive Financial Aid you might still be required to complete a SAP-Appeal for Fall 2025.
Student-athletes need to stay registered full-time (12 hours) to remain eligible for competition and practice. Please contact Rebecca Nelms, assistant athletic director for student-athlete success, at rnelms@unca.edu before making any decisions about course withdrawals.
Your financial aid for this semester has been locked as of January 27, 2025, and will not be impacted.