This is such a hard decision because the two are virtually the same give or take apps cold weather, just based on personal experience which is better
These two schools aren’t really the same. App State is a far better school than Charlotte if you look at the statistics. I’d even venture to say that you’d have a better student experience at App as well.
App is the easy pick.
Thank you 
I agree. App State is a much better school. UNCC is mostly a commuter school.
I would start by singling out the potential majors that you want to do because the schools offer different tracks. Just in the last three years UNCC has grown so much. There are a lot more students living on campus and the commuter status is slowing down a lot. I think its worth mentioning that the reason that Uncc has that title is almost all the dorms are new or renovated or will be renovated in the next two years so the on campus housing is pretty expensive compared to other schools given that most are almost twice as nice. App does have a lot of fun things to do given its location… hiking etc. during the few warm weeks out of the school year but uncc does have the city nearby and with the addition of the lightrial that will come to campus next summer there are a lot possibilities. I chose uncc because of my major which is only offered at one other nc school. Several of my family members went to app and even though i really did like it up there i think the weather would have really dampened my mood quite often.
In terms of App being a better school I don’t know that i would agree as they really arent the same. They arent really a good comparison academically as they offer a wide range of differences in degrees. UNCC does have its downfalls but I think App state has its own as well.
Unless you are majoring in engineering, App is better is almost every other way.
I turned down App State for UNCC sister school UNCG. I visited Apps campus and thought it was boring to me. A lot of people like it but I hated it. I wasn’t a fan of UNCC too but I never visited the campus. App parties harder but UNCC has been known to get a bit wild in downtown Charlotte. Keep in mind UNCC is not actually in Charlotte but it’s deep in the suburbs. Personally I would go to Charlotte. That’s just me though. I’ve only met a few people who didn’t like App but I know a fair amount of people who didn’t like Charlotte. Some other good schools to look into are UNCW, UNCA, UNCG, and ECU.
App State isn’t such a great choice for students who prefer urban areas and mild winters. Boone is a small, isolated mountain town with pretty harsh winters. Snow, ice, sleet, rain. Not many good restaurants in town. Gets BORING real fast.
UNCC definitely isn’t the flagship of the UNC system, but it is the most rapidly improving school in the entire system. It now offers 90 bachelor’s degrees. LOTS of things to do in Charlotte and the surrounding metro area. Restaurants, night spots, sporting events, museums - you name it.
So as for which one is best, it depends on the individual student and what they want to major in.
It was a toss up between UNCC and APP State. I live in Charlotte, so I am familiar with not only the campus (beautiful) but the surrounding area (ghetto crime ridden). There were a lot of deal-breakers for me at UNCC: the ridiculously expensive parking fees and difficulty in finding a parking place most mornings, the large number of campus rapes (UNCC is in the top ten national ranking in campus rapes), the campus crime report (Cleary Report?) is not published, high crime rate around the campus (over fifty crimes in the immediate area per day during fall and spring semesters) and the large number of adjunct (part-time) faculty members. Off-cam[us life isn’t much better. If you sign up to live off-campus in an apartment with an unknown roomie, that person probably won’t be a student but a druggie or a criminal.
You’ll have to go 8-10 miles to reach the uptown area, but since the drinking age is 21, you won’t be allowed into the clubs unless there’s a restaurant. Then there’s the uptown parking and crime to deal with.
On the plus side for UNCC, the campus is pretty and the buildings are new. There’s a football stadium, and the athletic department and facilities are great. Infortunately, I hate sports, but someone who loves sports might find that attractive.
I toured App State and I like the campus and the semi-rural setting. Sure, there’s snow in winter, but Charlotte winters are pretty crummy too. At least it’s possible to bike around App State in good weather and the crime around campus is not nearly as bad as UNCC. APP state has a MUCH better program for what interests me. I have zero desire to study engineering, UNCC’s claim to fame.
I checked out the above-referenced website, and spent about four days going through it. If you value personal safety and want to live off campus but expect to walk off-campus because you don’t have a car, UNCC is NOT the place for you.