College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Appalachian State University

NCLarge public institution · Overall rank #320 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places Appalachian State University in its 78th percentile overall.

Who it’s a good fit for

Appalachian State University is a public university in Boone, North Carolina, where the degree mix is led by Business, Health Professions, and Education. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns below the median at comparable schools. The model adds for the factors it measures and subtracts for what it cannot explain.

Pell recipients complete within a few points of the overall rate, and access is above average. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning ones are much smaller.

Appalachian State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
90.1%
Six-year completion[2]
74.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$54,010

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,204
Median student debt[4]
$20,231
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$21,919

Appalachian State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Appalachian State University is a public university in Boone, North Carolina, enrolling 19,444 undergraduates. Its composite standing in the Azimuth ranking sits in the top quarter among nonprofit four-year institutions (78th percentile).

The shape is a broad-access public campus where mobility is the strongest and return the weakest, with access and affordability sitting between them. The university admits 90.1% of applicants, a rate above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 83.7% return for a second year and 74.5% finish within six years. Both figures run above the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%, respectively.

An estimated 28.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. The four pillars are spread out: mobility is the strongest, while return is the weakest.

Access and affordability both sit in the top third, giving the university a profile that leans toward opportunity and price rather than raw earnings.

Mobility is the clearest strength in Appalachian State University’s profile, although its return picture is weaker. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth puts access in the 72nd percentile and affordability in the 72nd percentile. Return sits in the 28th percentile, the lowest of the four pillars. Strong mobility sits alongside comparatively modest return results.

Pell Grants reach 26.4% of the undergraduate population at Appalachian State University, a measure of financial access used in its access pillar. The six-year completion rate among Pell recipients is 69.9%, 4.6 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

For access, Azimuth ranks the university #417 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #134 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Appalachian State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#320

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 91
Access & reach
National percentile: 72
Affordability
National percentile: 72
Return on investment
National percentile: 28

Top-ranked majors

  1. Insurance#9
  2. Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management#10
  3. Apparel and Textiles#17

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Appalachian State University briefing

Appalachian State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Appalachian State University has a published cost of attendance of $23,169, with aid reducing that amount by $6,333 on average for recipients. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,836.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges for the 2025-26 academic year of $4,242 for in-state tuition and $3,337 in required fees. Out-of-state tuition was $21,875 as a published sticker charge.

The peer median net price at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $15,634, placing Appalachian State $1,202 above that figure. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Appalachian State University has a published cost of attendance of $23,169, with aid-recipient prices changing sharply across family-income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,325 for the lowest-income band, $11,600 for the lower-middle band, $15,204 for the middle band, $20,840 for the upper-middle band, and $22,382 for the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,057. Azimuth ranks the university #399 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients overall, the is $16,836, below the published cost rather than a separate charge. Aid covers about 27% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $6,333 against the sticker price.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; the university’s average net price is $1,202 above that benchmark. Aid lowers the listed cost, though the overall net price remains above the comparable-institution median.

Federal borrowing is widespread, with 84.8% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,231, $155 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $230 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,919.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,204

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Appalachian State University

Federal borrowing is common, but debt at completion sits slightly below the peer median. At completion, borrowers’ median federal student loan debt is $20,231.

84.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, and Appalachian State University is $155 above it.

Separate parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $21,919. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 49% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $24,172 in cumulative debt per borrower.

That borrowing included 48% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $18,782. It also included 10% of graduates with private loans, averaging $29,106.

Earnings at Appalachian State University land below the model's expectation, and the scenarios show a wide spread between the best- and worst-paid program clusters. Borrowing, meanwhile, is close to the peer norm.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,010, at the 29th percentile nationally. That is $11,600 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 21st percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $45,024 in a downside case to $76,611 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $54,010.

The median federal student debt at completion is $20,231, $155 above the peer median of $20,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $230 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers using Parent PLUS have median borrowing of $21,919, a figure separate from federal student borrowing. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $230 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$20,231
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$21,919

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$230/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$278/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Appalachian State University briefing

Appalachian State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,010 four years after completion, at the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median is $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university $11,600 below that mark. Those graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 21st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,727.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $17,906. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,244.

Graduate earnings sit low in the national distribution, even as the university’s mobility record is strong. At Appalachian State University, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled had median earnings of $54,010 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions; the earnings cohort included 4,507 completers. Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios from the program mix put typical earnings at $54,010, with a downside scenario of $45,024 and an upside scenario of $76,611. An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The low earnings percentile and below-expected result point in the same direction.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,010, a figure at the 29th percentile nationally. That is $11,600 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks Appalachian State University #1,063 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap in the 21st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,727.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $17,906. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,244.

The university's program mix leans toward fields where earnings often run below the national median for those fields. The downside earnings scenario, estimated from that mix, sits at $45,024, while the upside scenario reaches $76,611.

An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Field selection coincides with a broad range in modeled earnings at the university. The downside earnings scenario is $45,024 four years after completion, and the upside scenario is $76,611; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups.

At the higher end, Computer Science reaches $97,670, Management Information Systems and Services reaches $87,041, and Accounting reaches $85,580, each four years after completion. Those program medians help explain why the earnings scenarios are so far apart.

Debt at Appalachian State University is slightly below the comparable-school midpoint, but earnings fall short of the model’s expectation. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,231.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, and the university’s figure is above it by $155. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $230 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students. The debt figure sits just below the peer median, yet the earnings measure is lower than the model expects, leaving a mixed return picture.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$8,727
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$17,906
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$9,179

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Appalachian State University briefing

Appalachian State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Appalachian State University admitted 90.1% of applicants, a rate above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 24,614 first-year applicants, 22,188 admitted applicants, and 4,038 enrolled students.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
90.1%
25th percentile
1140
Median
1200
75th percentile
1270

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Appalachian State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Appalachian State University?[12]

At Appalachian State University, computing fields occupy the higher-earning end of the program picture four years after completion. Computer Science: $97,670 in median earnings, 67 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth rank of #130 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Management Information Systems and Services recorded $87,041, with 88 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #31 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. At a more moderate earnings level, Psychology posted $47,720 four years after completion across 309 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #219 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

The contrast between computing and this large program shows how much the earnings picture differs by field.

Appalachian State University has 45 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the strongest of them sit in fields that are not the largest. Insurance is the highest-ranked, at #9 in its field and #1 in North Carolina, with 40 degrees awarded and median earnings of $82,306 four years after completion.

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management ranks #10 nationally and #1 in North Carolina in its field. Its completers earn $44,297 — a reminder that a strong rank does not always coincide with the highest pay.

The largest programs tell a different story. Psychology awards 309 degrees a year, the most of any single field, and its completers earn $47,720.

Business Administration and Management and Marketing are also among the largest, and both pay more: $64,932 and $69,439, respectively. The highest-earning program overall is Computer Science, at $97,670, though it awards only 67 degrees a year.

The spread between the largest program's earnings and the highest earner's is wide, and a student's choice of field matters more for pay than the university's overall median would suggest.

The program mix at Appalachian State University is broad, with 45 programs holding an Azimuth national rank and 50 with published four-year earnings data. Business is the largest family, accounting for 20.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 9.7% and Education at 9.3%.

The largest single programs are Psychology with 309 degrees awarded, Kinesiology and Physical Education with 274, and Business Administration and Management with 250. The highest-ranked program is Insurance, which Azimuth ranks #9 nationally within its field and #1 in North Carolina, with 40 degrees awarded and median earnings of $82,306 four years after completion.

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management ranks #10 nationally and #1 in North Carolina, with 21 degrees awarded. Apparel and Textiles also holds a strong position at #17 nationally and #1 in North Carolina, with 26 degrees awarded.

The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $97,670, though it is a smaller program at 67 degrees awarded. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft stands out for its return, with a benchmark ratio of 1.13x against the national median for its field and median earnings of $44,986.

Strength is spread across several fields rather than concentrated in one. The largest programs are not the highest-earning ones, and the best-ranked programs span business, media management, and apparel and textiles.

17.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a modest share that aligns with the university's broader mix. A student drawn to the largest departments should know that the highest earnings four years out come from a smaller program, Computer Science.

The strongest national ranks belong to programs like Insurance and Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 309 degrees awarded
$47,720
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 274 degrees awarded
$55,594
Business Administration, Management and Operations 250 degrees awarded
$64,932
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 229 degrees awarded
$46,057
Marketing 190 degrees awarded
$69,439
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 158 degrees awarded
$55,671

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Appalachian State University briefing

How does Appalachian State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Most first-time, full-time entrants complete within six years: 74.5%. The rate for Pell recipients is 69.9%, below the overall rate by 4.6 percentage points.

Azimuth puts Appalachian State University’s mobility pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and the model’s expectation for similar students, is in the 21st percentile nationally, according to Azimuth.

Graduates earn about $9,179 less than the model expects for similar students. Strong completion and lower-than-expected modeled earnings point in different directions.

With a 90.1% admission rate, Appalachian State University offers entry to most applicants. Its undergraduate enrollment is 19,444 undergraduates, and 26.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants; an estimated 28.3% arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places its access pillar in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. These admission, Pell, and transfer figures show several routes into the university.

06 / Appalachian State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Appalachian State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Appalachian State University.

Admissions peerUniversity of North Carolina Asheville91.9% admitted
Comparison with Appalachian State University
MeasureAppalachian State UniversityUniversity of North Carolina Asheville
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,010$45,777-$8,233 vs Appalachian State University
Average annual net price$16,836$12,250-$4,586 vs Appalachian State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.1%91.9%
Nearby alternativeMars Hill UniversityNearby option · NC
Comparison with Appalachian State University
MeasureAppalachian State UniversityMars Hill University
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,010$50,256-$3,754 vs Appalachian State University
Average annual net price$16,836$19,910+$3,074 vs Appalachian State University · higher cost
Admission rate90.1%67.9%
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$81,163 earnings
Comparison with Appalachian State University
MeasureAppalachian State UniversityUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,010$81,163+$27,153 vs Appalachian State University
Average annual net price$16,836$17,163+$327 vs Appalachian State University · higher cost
Admission rate90.1%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Virginia's College at Wise$9,210 average net price
Comparison with Appalachian State University
MeasureAppalachian State UniversityUniversity of Virginia's College at Wise
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,010$47,686-$6,324 vs Appalachian State University
Average annual net price$16,836$9,210-$7,626 vs Appalachian State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.1%28.5%
Similar profileMiddle Tennessee State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Appalachian State University
MeasureAppalachian State UniversityMiddle Tennessee State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$54,010$54,525+$515 vs Appalachian State University
Average annual net price$16,836$13,359-$3,477 vs Appalachian State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.1%69.1%
Explore Middle Tennessee State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings