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ACCESS Summary

Overall Score: .76

Campus History:

The University of North Carolina at Asheville has a history of frequent change. It has progressed over the years to expand with different services to become the university it is today. UNC-A was founded originally in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College . In 1957, after going through several name changes, Asheville-Biltmore College was the first two-year college in the state to become a state-supported community college. The college moved its location to the present site in 1961. Only two years after moving, the community college became a senior college, and it awarded its first two baccalaureate degrees in 1966. Asheville-Biltmore College became the University of North Carolina at Asheville when it entered the North Carolina Consolidated University System in 1969.

At Asheville, the university that started only as a community college has become great. The University of North Carolina at Asheville is still the only university in the North Carolina system to be designated as a liberal arts school. Recently, it has been recognized for its outstanding education by Fiske Guides to Colleges, U.S. News and Reports and the Princeton Review. See the campus website to find out more about the history of UNC-A.

Student and Faculty Population:

UNC-Asheville's 3398 students receive an education strongly rooted in the liberal arts. Honors students, NC teaching fellows, and a number of international students can be found among them. The students are overseen by approximately 200 faculty members, 84 percent of whom hold terminal degrees in their fields of study.

Weather and Topography:

The University of North Carolina at Asheville is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina . It rests between over 100 mountain peaks, and from the city one can see the peak of Mt. Mitchell , the highest mountain peak east of the Mississippi River . Since it is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is known for its wild beauty and there are plenty of opportunities to view this not only in the city itself, but also in surrounding parks such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In addition to its wild beauty, Asheville boasts a flourishing arts district of the city that is proud of its local artists and artists from around the world. Asheville is also home to the largest home in the world, the Biltmore Estate.

The campus of UNCA shares the wild beauty of nature with the rest of the city of Asheville. Because of this, the campus does have many hills and is not very flat. Also, because of its location UNCA has mild climate throughout the summer and only a fairly cold climate in the winter. On average the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 36.6 degrees and the warmest month is July with an average temperature of 73.6 degrees. The average temperature for the year is 55.6 degrees. Snow is possible in the winter, because of the temperatures. However, the majority of the year Asheville has beautiful sunny weather with a mild temperature.

Disability Services on Campus:

Disability Services at UNC Asheville is lead by a director whose staff works hard to make sure that any student with a documented disability is made comfortable at UNC-A, and that the mountainous terrain does not compromise accessibility.