Appalachian State University celebrates 125 years of education leadership in 2024. A thriving institution, App State honors its founding commitment to educational access and excellence and its rural mountain heritage through teaching, research and service. As a premier public institution, the university shapes students into globally minded, responsible members of society who engage with and actively contribute to their communities. The App State Experience brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically and to act with passion and determination. With campuses located in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Catawba Valley, App State enrolls more than 21,000 students at its Boone and Hickory campuses and online, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
21K+
students enrolled
85%
overall first-year to sophomore retention rate
91.5%
of undergraduates are employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary institution within 1 year of graduation
App State’s Boone and Hickory Campuses
Watch this video for a glimpse of Mountaineer life at App State’s campuses in Boone, NC, at an elevation of 3,333 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in Hickory, NC, nestled in the Catawba Valley at the mountains’ foothills. From campus life, to classes and athletics — see why it’s great to be a Mountaineer!