UNC Asheville Covers Tuition+Fees for Families Earning up to $100K in NC, GA, SC, TN, and VA

Demonstrating its long-standing commitment to access and affordability, UNC Asheville announced today that it is raising the income eligibility threshold for Access Asheville, its tuition and fees guarantee for North Carolina families, from $90,000 to $100,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI).

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — October 6, 2026 — Demonstrating its long-standing commitment to access and affordability, UNC Asheville announced today that it is raising the income eligibility threshold for Access Asheville, its tuition and fees guarantee for North Carolina families, from $90,000 to $100,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI). The change takes effect for new first-year or transfer undergraduate students entering in Fall 2027.

• Access Asheville income threshold increases to $100,000 AGI.
• New first-year and transfer undergraduate students entering Fall 2027.
• North Carolina residents have the cost of tuition and mandatory fees reduced to zero after federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships are applied.
• Families in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have the cost of tuition and fees reduced to $10,000 after all federal and institutional grants and scholarships are applied.
• Complete information about Access Asheville, including additional eligibility criteria, can be found here.

Under the higher threshold, eligible North Carolina families with an AGI of $100,000 or less will see UNC Asheville cover the remaining cost of tuition and mandatory fees after federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships are applied. This represents a minimum annual savings of $7,628 per student.

Additionally, eligible Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia residents are guaranteed to have their tuition and fees reduced to $10,000 after all federal and institutional grants and scholarships are applied, which is a minimum annual savings of $14,914 per student.

“Access Asheville exists because a $10,000 gap between what a family can pay and what a degree costs simply cannot be the reason a talented North Carolina student doesn’t pursue an education,” said Meghan Harte Weyant, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “Every year we hear from hardworking Western North Carolina families who make too much for some aid programs and too little to be able to write a tuition check. Those students, those families, deserve a clear pathway to a degree, and UNC Asheville is committed to closing that gap.”

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 Access Asheville 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). Students from Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia must list a permanent address on their FAFSA.

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.