At App State, curiosity leads the way. Join a community that inspires and supports you — so you can elevate your future and graduate with the confidence and skills to succeed, no matter where life takes you.
App State has earned a Research 2 designation through the Carnegie Classification system for high research activity and doctorate production. App State’s research expenditures in fiscal year 2023 were more than $8.4 million and, in 2022–23, the university awarded 20 doctoral degrees.
The latest college rankings and recognitions of six national publications — including U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine — have one thing in common: All place App State among the best schools in the nation, and the Southeast, for 2024–25.
In fall 2026, App State will launch a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program, designed to educate family practice nurse practitioners and respond to health care provider shortages, especially in rural areas. The program has been approved by the UNC System Board of Governors.
On Feb. 27, 2025, the UNC Board of Governors elected Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris as the next leader of Appalachian State University. Norris has served as interim chancellor since April 2024. Her career has been characterized by her strong, collaborative leadership and service to both App State and the greater community, and she brings more than two decades of academic leadership, vision and expertise to her role as chancellor.
Sustainability and resilience are guiding principles at App State and institutionally interwoven into our strategic plan, academic mission, engagement locally and globally and day-to-day best practices. We are recognized as a national leader for our endeavors.
We're enhancing the App State Experience with a stronger physical infrastructure and five-year goals that further empower human potential. Get the full picture by visiting the App State's Future website, which details our growth and change.
Join a diverse and dynamic community that elevates your dreams and champions your capacity for real impact with life-changing opportunities for research and exploration.
Make your plans to be in the High Country for Homecoming 2025. The fun lasts all week long and culminates with the App State football game on Saturday. Break out your black and gold — there will be events for all Mountaineers!
Disney Concerts and AMP Worldwide present Disney’s MOANA Live-To-Film Concert North American tour, featuring a full-length screening of the beloved movie accompanied by live performances of a unique on-stage musical ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters and vocalists, celebrating the music and songs from this award-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios’ animated classic.
App State’s College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Physics and Astronomy are pleased to host world-renowned physicist Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr. as the 2025 Morgan Science Lecture Series speaker. Dr. Gates' lecture, titled "Adinkras-2-Adynkras," will explore a fascinating intersection of art and mathematics in the pursuit of quantum gravity.
Have you ever wanted to introduce a new pet into your household? Blending pet families requires plenty of time, patience and communication. Watauga Humane Society's Medical Technician, Hansen Dendinger, and Director of Operations and Animal Welfare, Ashlee Yepez, will discuss preparing your home for a new pet, integrating a new pet with existing ones, adopting and fostering animals from the Humane Society, and volunteering at the Humane Society.
Open House is your opportunity to learn more about App State. Meet faculty and current students, tour campus, and learn more about financial aid, scholarships, the admissions process, and what student life at App State is really like.
This documentary focuses on creative solutions to environmental issues and climate change, while offering hope and student empowerment through individual action toward global protection. After a young designer realizes that a surfboard – which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches – could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he decides to use it as the impetus to do something more.
Join us for an inspiring talk with Christy Shi Day, trauma-informed disaster response advocate and strategic facilitator, on how nervous system awareness shapes leadership, resilience and meaningful change. This event is free and open to all faculty, staff, students and the WNC community.
App State’s Beaver College of Health Sciences is sponsoring a premiere of “Stitching Strength,” a 38-minute documentary featuring Duke University Medical Center neurologist Dr. Rick Bedlack and his unconventional approach to treating and inspiring patients who have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. Dr. Bedlack plans to attend the event and host a Q and A after the film.
Open House is your opportunity to learn more about App State. Meet faculty and current students, tour campus, and learn more about financial aid, scholarships, the admissions process, and what student life at App State is really like.
Kathryn Kirkpatrick is the author of eight collections of poetry, including three recipients of the NC Poetry Society’s Brockman-Campbell award. “The Fisher Queen: New and Selected Poems” (Salmon, 2019) received the NC Literary and Historical Society’s Roanoke-Chowan Poetry Prize. She has lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for many years, where she teaches environmental literature, animal studies, Irish studies, and creative writing as Professor of English at App State.
Join us for a day of grit, reinvention, and purpose-driven success stories that will challenge your thinking and energize your next move. This year’s lineup features Natalie Johnson, Paul Storm, and Gaurav “G” Patel, entrepreneurs and leaders who know firsthand what it means to face setbacks, rethink everything, and come back stronger. Their stories span industries and continents, but all center on the power of staying grounded, thinking boldly, and leading with clarity and conviction.