As the only dedicated liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system, UNC Asheville kindles learning by offering students an intellectually rigorous education that builds critical thinking and workforce skills to last a lifetime. Small class size, award-winning faculty and a nationally acclaimed undergraduate research program foster innovation as well as recognition. With about 3,500 students from 42 states and 19 countries, UNC Asheville is one of the nation's top public liberal arts universities and one of the 17 institutions in the University of North Carolina system. UNC Asheville offers more than 30 majors leading to the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science and master of liberal arts degrees.
The cornerstone of a liberal arts education is the ability to explore the connections between many different subjects as well the options available. So learning here expands well beyond the classroom walls. Focusing on undergraduate studies, we help students dig into learning, whether they participate in faculty-mentored research projects, undertake career-related internships, study abroad, or join service projects aimed at improving the quality of life at home and around the world. We encourage every one to seek challenges, seize opportunities and become a doer as well as a thinker.
Our practice of the liberal arts emphasizes the centrality of learning and discovery through exemplary teaching, innovative scholarship, creative expression, co-curricular activities, undergraduate research, engaged service, and practical experience. Primarily undergraduate, UNC Asheville offers a liberal arts education characterized by high quality faculty-student interaction. We offer this challenging educational experience to all promising students who are committed to liberal learning and personal growth.
Our liberal arts educational approac
h emphasizes life skills including critical thinking, clear and thoughtful expression, and honest open inquiry. Students undertake concentrated study in one area while simultaneously developing an understanding of the connections among disciplines. We encourage students to clarify, develop and live their own values while respecting the views and beliefs of others. In addition, we cultivate an understanding of the dimensions of human diversity while recognizing the common humanity of all. We believe a quality liberal arts education enables our graduates to be lifelong learners and to lead successful, flourishing lives as leaders and contributors to their communities.
At UNC Asheville, we respond to the conditions and concerns of the contemporary world both as individuals and as a university. We incorporate economic, social and environmental sustainability into our institutional practices and curriculum. With a range of associated centers, partnerships, and initiatives, we fulfill our public responsibility to address the needs of our community through a continuum of learning. We develop a commitment to continuing service characterized by an informed, responsible, and creative engagement with the Asheville area, the southern Appalachian region, the state of North Carolina, and a diverse and increasingly connected world.
At UNC Asheville, we’ve created an environment for exploring the world as well as 30 different majors. About 3,500 undergraduate students and about 330 full- and part-time faculty bring the campus alive with a genuine hunger to understand and contribute to the human experience. Amid the culturally rich setting of Asheville, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s all designed to spark a lifelong quest to know more — a fire that will grow brighter in the future. Our university is situated in one of the most vibrant cities in the Southeast. With a population of 70,000 in the city and 391,000 in nearby metro areas, Asheville offers an inviting downtown, exciting outdoor adventures, a thriving arts community and an array of eclectic dining opportunities. There's always plenty to do in Asheville.