NEXT Upstate Competitors

Creating next-generation engineers and scientists. Doing globe-changing research. Furthering economic development through innovation. Advancing STEM education.

Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as engaged global citizens who understand their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. Our location in the distinctive Appalachian mountain town of Boone, North Carolina, profoundly shapes who we are. As a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina, we fulfill our core academic missions of teaching, scholarship, and service in ways that honor our geography and heritage.

Furman University ranks as one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges, providing students with a well-rounded, rigorous academic setting that prepares them for postgraduate lives in higher education and a diverse spectrum of professions. Our campus offers numerous opportunities for undergraduate research, internships, leadership development, and global experiences. Even with a student body of over 2,550 students, the university maintains a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. Furman rests at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and boasts acclaimed natural beauty, with over 940 acres of woodland and a large lake overlooked by the famous Bell Tower.