UNC Asheville becomes latest NC college to offer free tuition. See who qualifies.
UNC Asheville will offer free tuition and fees to some in-state students beginning next fall, the university announced Thursday.
Through a new program, Access Asheville, the university will cover the full cost of tuition and fees for North Carolina students whose family income is $80,000 or less. The costs will be covered through scholarships and grants, the university said.
The UNC System lists in-state tuition at UNC Asheville as about $4,100 for the 2023-2024 academic year. Fees are more than $3,100. The university said the program would provide more than $7,400 in annual savings for qualifying students.
The program is “designed to make an exceptional, transformative education attainable for low- and middle-income North Carolinians,” the university said in a news release.
“This will provide an affordable path to pursue an undergraduate college degree for those who may have previously thought it would be out of reach financially,” UNC Asheville interim Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said in the release. “We are excited about the opportunity Access Asheville will create for more students who are ready to engage with the increasingly complex needs of our region, state and nation.”
The program will be available to first-year students and transferring undergraduates who enter the university in the fall 2024 semester. First-year students will be eligible to receive the aid for eight semesters. Transfer students will be eligible for seven semesters or until they complete their degree, whichever comes first.
The median household income in North Carolina is about $60,500, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Students will be required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to verify their family income. They will also be required to verify their North Carolina residency status.
About 2,900 students attend UNC Asheville.
Other NC universities have announced similar efforts
The Access Asheville program makes UNC Asheville the latest North Carolina college to offer free tuition in recent months.
In June, Duke University announced it would begin offering free tuition this fall to students from North Carolina and South Carolina whose family income is $150,000 or less.
In July, following the U.S. Supreme Court striking down its race-conscious admissions program in a landmark ruling, UNC-Chapel Hill said it would “expand opportunity” to attend the university by offering free tuition to North Carolina students whose family income is $80,000 or less beginning next fall. The university expects between 150 and 200 students to benefit from the offer each year, and the effort will be funded using private money.
Tuition across the UNC System has been frozen for seven consecutive years, though fees can change from year to year. UNC System President Peter Hans announced last month that he would like the system to keep tuition flat for at least another year — but ideally for a full decade.
