The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system. It is a member and the headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

History

UNC Asheville was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College, part of the Buncombe County public school system. It was the first tuition-free public college in North Carolina. Evelyn Grove Seely, widow of Fred Loring Seely, sold Overlook to the college $125,000; she also donated $50,000 to the acquisition fund. The house, no longer part of the college, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. That year, the college desegregated with the enrollment of Etta Mae Whitner Patterson. In 1963, it became a state-supported four-year college and awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1966. It is one of three baccalaureate colleges within the University of North Carolina System, and has been classified as a Liberal Arts I institution since 1992. Members of the board are appointed by the governor of North Carolina. The UNC System is administered by the UNC Board of Governors, which is elected by the North Carolina Legislature, and advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly. Kimberly van Noort, former interim provost and interim chancellor of UNC Asheville, became the university's chancellor on January 1, 2024.

Chief executive officers

President or dean

  • 1927–1932: S.B. Conley, dean
  • 1932–1936: A.C. Reynolds, president
  • 2005–2014: Anne Ponder
  • 2014–2015: Doug Orr, interim
  • 2018–2022: Nancy J. Cable
  • 2022–2024: Kimberly van Noort, interim
  • Botanical Gardens at Asheville is adjacent to campus and features 600 plant species on ten acres with walking trails.
  • Carol Belk Theatre seats 200 people and is used for Theatre UNCA and other performances.
  • Earthworks from the Civil War Battle of Asheville are preserved on campus.

Academics

Curriculum

UNC Asheville operates on a semester calendar.

The University's most popular majors include psychology, art, environmental science, biology, business, and English. It also offers joint degrees with North Carolina State University, including a 2-2 B.S. in engineering, a 3-1 B.S. in engineering, and a joint B.S. in engineering in mechatronics concentration. More than 48 of its graduates have received Fulbright Fellowships. Faculty teach all classes; there are no teaching assistants. The student demographics in the fall of 2024 were 73 percent White, 10 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Black, 4 percent two or more races, 2 percent Asian, 2 percent international, and 3 percent unknown. It includes the Media Design Lab and the crAFT (Creativity, Art, Fabrication, and Technology) Studio. Annually, the library gives the Ramsey Library Community Author Award; the winner receives a yearlong residency in the library.

Rankings and reputation

In 2026, UNC Asheville's ranking in U.S. News & World Report was tied for 10th place in Top Public Liberal Arts Schools and tied for 135th in National Liberal Arts Colleges. UNC Asheville also tied for 141st in Best Undergraduate Engineering Program for institutions that do not offer a doctorate. Washington Monthly ranked UNC Asheville number 76 on its 2022 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: Southeast and number 77 for its national liberal arts colleges ranking.

Student life

{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"

|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of fall 2023

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! Race and ethnicity

! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total

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| White

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| Hispanic

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| Black

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| Two or more races

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| Unknown

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| International student

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| Asian

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! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Economic diversity

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| Low-income

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| Affluent

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Organizations and activities

There are more than seventy campus clubs and organizations.

UNC Asheville's Student Government Association (SGA) consists of two branches, an eighteen-seat Student Senate and an executive branch comprising a president, vice-president, and Cabinet. UNCA Out is a student group dedicated to students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, asexual, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersexed, and straight allies. and Ty Wigginton, author Wiley Cash, Emmy Award winning filmmaker Jethro Waters, and U.S. Congressman Roy A. Taylor. Notable faculty and staff inclulde Robert Moog who invented the Moog synthesizer, historian Grant Hardy, and former basketball coaches Monte Towe and Eddie Biedenbach.

Notes

References

  • Athletics website