Appalachian State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Boone, North Carolina. It enrolls 19,444 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
74/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes79
Value63
Affordability49
Selectivity45
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 90.1%, Appalachian State University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
90.1%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1120 – 1280
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
21 – 27
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Appalachian State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
11.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Appalachian State University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $16,836 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$16,836
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
26%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
37%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$7,579
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$25,212
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,868
Room & Board (off-campus)
$14,428
Books & Supplies
$800
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,816
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,816
Total Cost of Attendance
$23,169
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$9,325
$30,001 – $48,000
$11,600
$48,001 – $75,000
$15,204
$75,001 – $110,000
$20,840
Over $110,000
$22,382
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$7,21725%percentile
$20,231Medianpercentile
$25,00075%percentile
$30,12390%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $16,745
↓ $3,486
No Pell $15,000
↓ $5,231
Dependent students $15,750
↓ $4,481
Independent students $16,012
↓ $4,219
Female students $16,113
↓ $4,118
Male students $15,303
↓ $4,928
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,050, less than completers ($20,231), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
71% of full-time students who enrolled at Appalachian State University graduate within six years, and 84% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
71%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
84%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Appalachian State University earn a median of $51,836 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$51,836
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$39,000
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$48,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$40,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$42,000
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$46,100
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $9,000, about 19% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
13.8 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 88% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Appalachian State University is home to 19,444 students, a sprawling student community.
Total Enrolled
19,444
Part-Time
7%
First-Generation
25%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 78.5%15,267
Hispanic 9.4%1,832
Other 5.0%966
Black 3.1%601
Asian 1.7%327
International 0.5%89
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Appalachian State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Town: DistantBoone, North Carolina
Housing
Partly residential6,313 beds available
Adult Learners
6%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Appalachian State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
114 distinct programs across
28 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Appalachian State University is 16:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$8,675
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$192M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$81,139
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
1,092 instructional faculty across 6 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
318
29%
$104,289
Associate Professors
225
21%
$86,348
Assistant Professors
231
21%
$79,373
Instructors
13
1%
$83,885
Lecturers
284
26%
$53,417
No Rank
21
2%
$67,424
Pros & Cons of Appalachian State University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Appalachian State University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Above-average graduation rate
Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
No clear weaknesses in the data.
Best for:
Based on the data, Appalachian State University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about Appalachian State University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Appalachian State University.
Is Appalachian State University hard to get into?
Appalachian State University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 90.1%.
What is the acceptance rate at Appalachian State University?
Appalachian State University has an acceptance rate of 90.1%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
What SAT score do you need for Appalachian State University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Appalachian State University scored between 1120 and 1280 on the SAT (Reading + Math combined). Scores at the higher end of that range improve admissions odds materially. Per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
What ACT score do you need for Appalachian State University?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Appalachian State University scored between 21 and 27 on the ACT composite. Scores in the upper half of that range strengthen an application. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Appalachian State University cost?
The average net price after aid at Appalachian State University is $16,836 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Appalachian State University worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $51,836 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $16,836 per year. That's roughly 3.1x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Appalachian State University known for?
Appalachian State University is best known for its programs in Psychology, Kinesiology, Business Administration. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Appalachian State University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Appalachian State University are $51,836, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Appalachian State University accredited?
Yes. Appalachian State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Appalachian State University?
Appalachian State University enrolls 19,444 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Appalachian State University?
Appalachian State University graduates 71% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Appalachian State University a public or private college?
Appalachian State University is a Public institution.
Where is Appalachian State University located?
Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina.
What programs does Appalachian State University offer?
Appalachian State University offers 114 distinct programs. The most popular include Psychology, Kinesiology, Business Administration.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Appalachian State University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Appalachian State University is 16:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in North Carolina
Other colleges in North Carolina share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Counseling Education
Business Administration
Design
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
