Western Carolina University

As the westernmost institution in the University of North Carolina System, WCU attracts students from around the globe for its nationally ranked programs, affordability through NC Promise and exceptional student support.

Recognized as a top adventure college and surrounded by the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, students can explore the region's vast natural diversity through unrivaled experiential learning and recreational activities.

Offering residential, hybrid and online programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees at our main campus in Cullowhee, WCU in Asheville located at Biltmore Park, and wherever students are through distance learning.

Our Mission

As Western North Carolina's regional comprehensive university, Western Carolina University is dedicated to academic excellence, affordability, and access.

WCU inspires student learning through innovative teaching, nationally recognized programs, exceptional support, and a robust connectedness with surrounding communities in Southern Appalachia, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Through a broad range of scholarly activities, our faculty and students seek to better understand our region, state, nation, and world. With an emphasis on engaging students both inside and outside the classroom, WCU's bachelor's, master's, and professional doctoral programs in Cullowhee, Asheville, and online aim to improve lives and promote economic prosperity throughout Western North Carolina and beyond.

Our Vision

Western Carolina University will be a national model for public comprehensive universities serving rural regions and an innovative driver for the social and economic mobility of its students.

WCU will break barriers to student access and opportunity, and leverage the expertise of its faculty, staff, and students in confronting the complex health, educational, social, and economic challenges in its region and state.

Our Core Values

• Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship

• Collaboration with and Respect for our Communities

• Free and Open Interchange of Ideas

• Diversity and Inclusive Excellence

• Robust and Engaging Student Experience

• Investment in our People

• Environmental Stewardship