Select any icon on the page for more information.

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC

School Website
Why These Subjects?

Public

Why This Rating?
Undergraduate Enrollment Institution Categories Institution Type Student to Faculty Ratio Tuition, In-State/ Out-of-State Student Loan Default Rate 4-Year Grad Rate
  • freedom of expression logo

How Colleges Spend Money

The graph below shows the Administrative Cost Per Student at Western Carolina University. This is a measure of expenditures per student for day-today executive operations of the institution, not including student services or academic management.

Visit www.HowCollegesSpendMoney.com to learn more about spending in higher education, including instructional costs, student services costs, and more.

FIRE Speech Rating

Western Carolina University earns a Green speech code rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

If FIRE finds that a university’s policies do not seriously threaten campus expression, that college or university receives a green light rating. A green light rating does not necessarily indicate that a school actively supports free expression in practice; it simply means that the school’s written policies do not pose a serious threat to free speech.

FIRE evaluates colleges and universities' "speech codes," or written free speech policies, for how well they protect students' freedom of speech. ACTA believes an institution's commitment to free expression correlates with its commitment to academic excellence, facilitated through the free exchange of ideas.

Oases of Excellence

Western Carolina University has an ACTA Oasis of Excellence on campus. ACTA’s Oases of Excellence initiative highlights academic centers that prepare students for informed citizenship in a free society by maintaining the highest academic standards, introducing students to the best of the foundational arts and sciences, teaching American heritage, and ensuring free inquiry into a range of intellectual viewpoints. Learn more about Oases of Excellence here.

Center for the Study of Free Enterprise


Chicago Principles

Colleges and universities that have adopted the Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression (or substantially similar statements) are committed "to the preservation and celebration of the freedom of expression as an essential element of the University’s culture.” An open marketplace of ideas on campus fosters intellectual development and prepares graduates for the discussion and debate that informs and sustains a free society.

"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." [Source]

Curriculum last evaluated: 9/2/2025

2021-22 enrollment and tuition data, and four-year graduation rates for first-time, full-time freshmen who enrolled in Fall 2012, are derived from the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator.