Enrollment is up at all UNC System schools, except one that ‘took a hit’ from Helene
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC System enrollment set a record with 256,438 students for fall 2025.
- All UNC schools increased enrollment except UNC Asheville, which dropped 6%.
- Helene damaged Asheville area, impacting local university enrollment.
The UNC System hit a major milestone — and set a new record — this fall. For the first time, more than a quarter-million students are enrolled at the state’s public universities.
According to preliminary numbers, the system enrolled 256,438 students this semester. That’s up 3.4% from the previous record set last year, when the system’s enrollment reached nearly 248,000 students.
“When I talk to my peer colleagues in other states, they’re astounded with this,” UNC System Peter Hans said Wednesday after announcing the enrollment numbers at a meeting of the Board of Governors.
Their surprise is likely because colleges around the country are grappling with the looming “demographic cliff” that is projected to see the number of 18-year-old high school graduates drop off in the coming years due to declining birth rates, posing a significant challenge for higher education.
The system won’t be entirely immune from the cliff; East Carolina University, which saw an increase in enrollment this fall just shy of 1%, earlier this month announced it would implement $25 million in budget cuts over the next three years due in large part to those challenges.
But Wednesday’s announcement is “amazing news that is a testament to a UNC System education,” Hans said. And nearly all campuses are boasting higher enrollment numbers compared to last year, except one.
UNC Asheville’s enrollment is down more than 180 students, or 6%, from last year. Hans attributed the loss to Helene, which devastated and destroyed much of Asheville and the surrounding communities when it hit Western North Carolina last September.
“UNCA is the one outlier here, for completely understandable reasons,” Hans said.
Enrollment down, but retention up at UNCA
While all three UNC System universities in Western North Carolina — UNC Asheville, Western Carolina University and Appalachian State University — sustained some impacts from Helene, UNCA took the brunt. The university was closed for more than a month after the storm left Asheville and much of Buncombe County without running water.
The closing of campus came at a crucial time when, in a normal year, the university would have welcomed prospective, first-time students for tours. That’s especially important for students who live outside of Western North Carolina and may not be as familiar with the campus.
“UNCA really took a hit from Hurricane Helene,” Hans said.
But there are some positive developments to glean from UNCA’s enrollment this fall, despite the overall decrease, Hans noted. Those include a 3% increase in the university’s retention rate, or the number of students who returned to continue their studies, bringing the overall rate to 75% — not quite on par with the national average of 77%, but a record for UNCA.
“The current students already enrolled at UNCA are staying enrolled at UNCA at a higher rate,” Hans said.
UNCA isn’t a stranger to enrollment challenges. Enrollment dropped by nearly 25% from 2017 to 2022 — a major factor in a $6 million budget shortfall the university faced in the 2023-24 fiscal year, which in turn led Chancellor Kimberly van Noort to pursue a variety of cost-cutting and cost-saving measures, including cutting some academic programs.
But enrollment had been on a steady, upward trajectory in recent years, with the university last fall enrolling its third-largest class ever. And even with Helene and the impacts it brought, Hans said he believes the university is “still on the right path.”
UNC System enrollment for fall 2025
Here are enrollment numbers from across the UNC System for the fall 2025 semester:
- Appalachian State University: 21,798 (up 1.1%)
- East Carolina University: 27,153 (up 0.8%)
- Elizabeth City State University: 2,357 (up 4.4%)
- Fayetteville State University: 7,623 (up 7.3%)
- NC State University: 39,259 (up 2.1%)
- NC A&T State University: 15,275 (up 6.7%)
- NC Central University: 9,160 (up 6.8%)
- UNC Asheville: 2,874 (down 6%)
- UNC-Chapel Hill: 34,099 (up 5.1%)
- UNC Charlotte: 32,207 (up 3.6%)
- UNC Greensboro: 18,682 (up 3.7%)
- UNC Pembroke: 8,089 (up 5.4%)
- UNC School of the Arts: 1,150 (up 3.5%)
- UNC Wilmington: 19,895 (up 5.6%)
- Western Carolina University: 11,845 (up 1.4%)
- Winston-Salem State University: 4,972 (up 4%)
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Enrollment is up at all UNC System schools, except one that ‘took a hit’ from Helene."
