UNC Asheville Announces New Tuition and Fees Merit Scholarship for Public High School Students in Buncombe County

UNC Asheville announced today that it has established AVL Scholars,  a new merit-based scholarship for public high school students who reside in Buncombe County.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — October 8, 2026 — UNC Asheville announced today that it has established AVL Scholars,  a new merit-based scholarship for public high school students who reside in Buncombe County. As Asheville’s Hometown University, the scholarship illustrates UNC Asheville’s commitment to the residents of the city and county and provides students with an opportunity to build a future in the community they already call home.

• New merit-based scholarship for public high school students who reside in Buncombe County.
• This includes students who attend high school in the Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools systems.
• The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees for eligible students.
• This represents a minimum savings of $7,628 per student per year.
• Students must have a weighted high school GPA of 3.3 or higher to be eligible.

This scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for Fall 2027 incoming first-year students who have a weighted high school GPA of 3.3 or higher. This represents a minimum savings of $7,628 per student per year.

“There’s an assumption around here that top students from Buncombe County have to prove themselves by leaving Western North Carolina,” said Meghan Harte Weyant, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. ”Anyone who has spent any time here will tell you that these mountains are home, and UNC Asheville is Asheville’s Hometown University. AVL Scholars recognizes what these students have already accomplished and makes a serious case for spending their next four years of learning in the county that raised them. In the mountains, you can go far and be right at home.”

Students and families can estimate their remaining expenses, including room and board and other indirect costs, by using UNC Asheville’s Net Price Calculator. Students may be eligible for additional financial support upon enrollment, including Federal Work-Study and loans.

Qualification for AVL Scholars requires completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). North Carolina students must also complete the residency determination process through the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS).

AVL Scholars is part of the University’s Asheville 2030 plan to create a bold new model that will prepare students for today’s careers and those that are yet to come.

About UNC Asheville

UNC Asheville is North Carolina’s public liberal arts and sciences university of the future, marked by technology-driven solutions, hands-on learning, a student-centered focus and career and professional readiness. With award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and 60+ academic programs, including a dual degree in Engineering/Mechatronics with NC State, the University provides free tuition and fees to eligible students through its Access Asheville program as well as merit scholarships to all first-year students. In the US News & World Report 2026 edition of Best Colleges, UNC Asheville is ranked No. #10 in Top Public Schools, and No. #12 in Princeton Review’s 2026 Top 50 Guide to Green Colleges. Known as the Bulldogs, UNC Asheville student-athletes compete in 16 NCAA Division I Teams in the Big South Conference. For more information, please visit: unca.edu.