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WCU can now enroll more out-of-state students
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER
Western Carolina University can now draw up to one-quarter of its firstyear undergraduates from out of state, following a Jan. 19 vote from the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
“As a university so close to the borders of other states, this welcome change in policy will allow Western Carolina University to better meet its regional mission, which increasingly is ‘border-blind’ in our highly connected economies,” said Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.
WCU is within an hour’s drive of the Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia borders. Out-of-state students are increasingly interested in WCU due to its quality and affordability, Brown said.
“One beneficial outcome of serving outof-state students is that a number of those students will choose to stay in the region after graduation to work and become a vital part of WNC’s communities and economy,” she said.
The UNC System has imposed a cap on out-of-state enrollment for each of its universities since 1985. Originally, that cap was set at 18% across the board but has been modified in the years since. The most recent revisions, which occurred last year, raised the cap to 35% for N.C. Central University and N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University, and to 50% for Elizabeth City State University. However, until the Jan. 19 vote the cap at WCU had remained at 18%.
WCU has increasingly struggled to keep its freshman enrollment below the limit, barely avoiding a violation in fall 2021 and passing the limit in fall 2022. According to university statistics, 21.4% of new undergraduate students in fall 2022 were from out-ofstate. Prior to 2017, this figure had remained below 10%.