OOS Admission at UNC-Asheville

Some of you amazing parents suggested UNC-Asheville for my daughter and she loves it on paper. Now, I’m concerned that her stats plus OOS status might make it more of a reach than I first thought. They cap at 17-18% out of state students. Her test scores are above their middle 50 and her GPA is below their average. Her ECs are good, essays are strong and she interviews well. We are planning a visit in the next couple of weeks but I don’t want to waste a trip or get her hopes up. Any insight?

It’s on our radar as well. Where did you hear about the cap on OOS students?

UNC is pretty serious about serving in-state students.

http://mediahub.unc.edu/university-ratio-unc-systems-82-18-split/

I have to admire the focus on state funded schools serving in-state kids but, man, it seems like such a great fit for our liberal arts-inclined, laid-back out-door loving kid!

Yes, the cap is true for all 16 of the UNC campuses. I know UNC-Chapel Hill reports its OOS acceptance rate. Have you seen if UNC Asheville does? If not, I think it’s an appropriate question to reach out and ask.

Your D seems in range and I would not lose hope or interest, but I agree getting some more info will help so you know if you need to level set expectations.

Keep us posted!

There some info in this link for OOS acceptance rates: https://irep.unca.edu/sites/default/files/reports/factbook/Factbook_2017-2018.pdf

I don’t think it is a wasted trip- according to the fact book linked above the average unweighted GPA for OOS in 2017 was 3.36 and all OOS GPA averages are lower than in-state. Try to go see Biltmore Estate if you have time!

@DCNatFan Thank you for posting the link to the Fact Book. According to Table 15, only 38% of the students lived in residence halls in 2017 - the rest commuted. This is definitely a drawback for UNC-A. Probably a deal killer…

@dado2d – I wouldn’t say the rest necessarily commute, but rather live off campus which is different. To me, commuting means living at home.

Anyway, I do get that for an LAC type school you might want/expect almost everyone to live on campus. But it could be a lot of students live very close to campus in nearby housing. Might want to investigate further b4 taking it off the list. Asheville is a really great small city and easy to get around.

Colleges often list freshmen separately because it’s a good proxy for how residential the college is. All it states in its CDS is that freshmen are required to live on campus. Typically though, upperclass students don’t really commute from home, but live in town/around campus in off campus housing.

Only 6% of freshman live off campus or commute per CDS.

I agree with others, in NC most kids move off campus after the first year as room and board are equal if not more than tuition. I don’t think they are commuters, the majority of kids come from the middle of the state.

Warren Wilson is worth a look if you’re visiting the Asheville area. It’s further from downtown than UNCA, though, and it’s one of those schools you either love or hate. The main strengths are creative writing and environmental studies.

Asheville has some great craft breweries, and the Sierra Nevada brewery/restaurant is awesome. I second the Biltmore suggestion as a family excursion.

Few things are more beautiful than the Blue Ridge Parkway with fall foliage - it’s a great time to visit!

And go have a drink on the patio of Grove Park Inn if you can!!

If you like UNC-Asheville you might take a look at Appalachian State in Boone, NC. Also part of the UNC system it is nestled up in the mountains offering a wide range of majors that aren’t often seen elsewhere. Western Carolina is also in the western part of the state with again a variety of majors. These are very different than the large state schools NCSU and UNC-Chapel Hill. All the way across the state is Eastern Carolina (ECU) located in Greenville affectionately known as G-Vegas for it being the entry-way into coastal Carolina, offering the newest dental school and medical school.
And all UNC schools are capped at 18% OOS, as stated by the legislature here in NC. Many of the programs (B-schools, engineering) have asked to lift the cap but as of yet are unsuccessful.

Hope this helps.
Kat

Definitely take a look at Western Carolina. If I am correct, they lowered their tuition for OOS students and it is a very nice campus!

To add to the commuter issue–a comparison I know is Michigan. Most students move off campus by their second or third years. They live in apartments in Ann Arbor and almost entirely walk to classes. I don’t think anyone would categorize Michigan as a “commuter” school.

Thanks everyone. Great info as always.

I’m an out of state student (TX) and just got accepted to UNCA today. For reference, I have a 3.5 GPA and got a 1330 SAT.

@katwkittens Thanks for mentioning Appalachian State… Never heard of it so i took an look and it definitely has some majors that other schools don’t, but more importantly ones that my son may be interested in. Not sure if he’ll want warm weather though (he prefers winter sports) but it’s one to put on the initial list when the time comes.