Demonstrating its longstanding commitment to access and affordability, UNC Asheville is proud to announce the expansion of Access Asheville, a new financial aid program designed to make an exceptional, transformative education attainable for low- and middle-income families. This provides an affordable path to an undergraduate degree for students from North Carolina, and now Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, who may have previously thought it would be financially out of reach.

Household AGI: $90K or less

NC
Full tuition and fees guarantee
$7,501 minimum savings*

GA, SC, TN, VA
Tuition and fees reduced to $10,000
$14,849 minimum savings*

*Valued as of the 2024-2025 academic year.

A year after its launch, we’re expanding access to this groundbreaking program. First-year and transfer students from NC, GA, SC, TN, and VA currently applying to UNC Asheville for Fall 2025 and beyond are eligible if their household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is $90,000 or less.*

Eligible North Carolina residents are guaranteed to have tuition and fees covered after all federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships are applied, a minimum annual savings of $7,501 per student.

Beginning Fall 2025, eligible Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia residents are guaranteed to have their tuition and fees reduced to $10,000 after all federal and institutional grants and scholarships are applied, a minimum annual savings of $14,849 per student.

Families can estimate their remaining expenses, including room and board and other indirect costs, by visiting the Net Price Calculator at https://unca.edu/npc. 

Students may be eligible for additional financial support upon enrollment, including federal work study and loans. Students can also apply for academic scholarships after attending at least one semester at UNC Asheville.

Qualification for Access Asheville requires the successful completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). North Carolina students must also complete the residency determination process through the North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS).

Scholarship and grant funding from Access Asheville is available for up to eight semesters for first-year students and seven semesters for transfer students, or until degree completion, whichever occurs first. All eligibility and financial aid requirements indicated below must be met annually.

*Students who receive Access Asheville in Fall 2024 and/or Spring 2025 must be NC residents and annually demonstrate an AGI of $80,000 or less.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Students must annually complete the FAFSA by UNC Asheville’s priority filing deadlines (fafsa.gov).
  • Students must be NC residents as determined by the NC RDS (ncresidency.org) or have a permanent address in GA, SC, TN, or VA listed on their FAFSA.
  • Students must enter as new first-year or transfer undergraduates pursuing their first bachelor’s degree.
  • Students must pursue a course load of at least 15 credit hours per semester.
  • Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
  • Students must maintain continuous enrollment at UNC Asheville.
  • Students can only qualify for Access Asheville beginning their first semester at UNC Asheville.
  • No separate application is required to qualify for Access Asheville.

Admission

  • First-year students must apply to UNC Asheville using Common App (commonapp.org) or the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) application (cfnc.org).
  • Students entering fall semester must apply by the February 1 Regular Decision deadline.
  • Students entering spring semester must apply by November 15.

Financial Aid

  • Students must annually submit the FAFSA at fafsa.gov to UNC Asheville using Federal School Code 002907 by the appropriate priority deadline:
    • Fall enrollment: March 1
    • Spring enrollment: November 15
  • For questions about the FAFSA (or to request a paper FAFSA), please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1.800.433.3243. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1.800.730.8913.

Residency

NC students must complete residency determination through North Carolina RDS at ncresidency.org.

Admission

For students applying to Spring 2025 and onward:

  • Transfer students must apply to UNC Asheville using Common App (commonapp.org) or the College Foundation of North Carolina application (CFNC, cfnc.org).
  • Students entering fall semester must apply by June 15.
  • Students entering spring semester must apply by November 15.

Admission

  • Transfer students must apply to UNC Asheville using Common App (commonapp.org) or the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) application (cfnc.org).
  • Students entering fall semester must apply by June 15.
  • Students entering spring semester must apply by November 15.

Financial Aid

  • Students must annually submit the FAFSA at fafsa.gov to UNC Asheville using Federal School Code 002907 by the appropriate priority deadline:
    • Fall enrollment: March 1
    • Spring enrollment: November 15
  • For questions about the FAFSA (or to request a paper FAFSA), please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1.800.433.3243. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1.800.730.8913.

Residency

NC students must complete residency determination through North Carolina RDS at ncresidency.org.

Financial Aid

  • By March 1, students must annually submit the FAFSA at fafsa.gov to UNC Asheville using Federal School Code 002907.
  • For questions about the FAFSA (or to request a paper FAFSA), please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1.800.433.3243. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1.800.730.8913.

Students who began at UNC Asheville in Fall 2024 or Spring 2025:

  • Students must have an AGI less than or equal to $80,000 every year they submit their FAFSA.
  • When they applied to UNC Asheville, students must have submitted their 2024-2025 FAFSA by the appropriate priority deadline:
    • Fall first-year: March 1, 2024
    • Fall transfer: March 15, 2024
    • Spring first-year or transfer: November 15, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

No, there is no additional application for Access Asheville. Students must apply to UNC Asheville using Common App or the CFNC Application. Additionally, they must submit the FAFSA. NC students must submit their residency determination through NC RDS.

If you are a NC resident with an AGI of $90,000 or less applying for your first bachelor’s degree, you are eligible for in-state Access Asheville. Tuition and fees are fully covered by federal, state, and institutional grants and scholarships.

If you are a GA, SC, TN, or VA resident with an AGI of $90,000 or less applying for your first bachelor’s degree, you are eligible for out-of-state Access Asheville. Tuition and fees are reduced to a maximum of $10,000 after all federal and institutional grants and scholarships are applied.

You are not eligible for Access Asheville if you meet any of the following criteria:

  • You are a current undergraduate who enrolled prior to Fall 2025 from GA, SC, TN, or VA.
  • You are a post-baccalaureate student or a non-degree seeking student.
  • You are not a resident of NC, GA, SC, TN, or VA.
  • You do not submit a FAFSA.
  • Your household AGI is greater than $90,000 annually.
  • You are not a U.S. citizen.

Private scholarships are not factored into Access Asheville coverage. Access Asheville is only funded by federal, state, and/or institutional grants and scholarships. Any private scholarships are applied in addition to Access Asheville funding.

No, Access Asheville only covers fall and spring semesters.

You can only qualify for Access Asheville at the start of your first semester at UNC Asheville. Your Access Asheville program is determined by NC RDS or FAFSA permanent address at the time of your first semester.

If your NC RDS residency determination or FAFSA permanent address changes during your enrollment, you can speak with the Director of Financial Aid to determine if you are eligible to maintain your Access Asheville package.

Take the Next Step

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Have Questions? Contact the Financial Aid Team! 

Ask questions and get advice from the University of North Carolina Asheville if you need assistance with applying for Financial Aid.

Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 828.251.6535
Email: finaid@unca.edu
Federal School Code for FAFSA: 002907
Schedule a One-on-One Appointment with Financial Aid