Demonstrating its long-standing commitment to access and affordability, UNC Asheville launched an exciting new financial aid program last year in October 2023 called Access Asheville. Designed to make an exceptional, transformative education attainable for qualified low- and middle-income North Carolinians whose family adjusted gross income (AGI) is $80,000 or less, recipients were guaranteed full tuition and fees coverage through grants and scholarships.
Interest in the program was overwhelmingly positive, with 216 new first-time and transfer students joining the UNC Asheville campus community in Fall 2024 through the Access Asheville program. They were part of the third-largest entering class in the history of the University and represented 21.5 percent of all new students.
Based on the success of the program’s launch, UNC Asheville is pleased to expand access to this groundbreaking program by increasing the family AGI level to $90,000.
The announcement comes at the same time that Free Application Week is underway, from October 21-27. With the standard $75 application fee waived, prospective students can apply to UNC Asheville for free at unca.edu/apply.
“The goal of the Access Asheville program is to offer a quality education at an affordable cost,” Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said. “Because of the high level of interest in the first year, we are gratified not only to continue the Access Asheville program but also increase the number of eligible applicants by raising the household income requirement.”
For the 2024-25 academic year, this significant financial commitment from the UNC System’s premier liberal arts and sciences university represents a minimum annual savings of $7,501 per student. Families can estimate their remaining expenses, including room and board and other indirect costs, by visiting the Net Price Calculator at https://unca.edu/npc.
Students may be eligible for additional financial support upon enrollment, including federal work study and loans. After attending at least one semester at UNC Asheville, students can also apply for academic scholarships.
Scholarship and grant funding from Access Asheville is available for up to eight semesters for first-year students and seven semesters for transfers, or until degree completion, whichever occurs first.
Qualification for Access Asheville requires the successful completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the residency determination process through the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS).
For complete information about Access Asheville, please visit unca.edu/accessasheville.
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