Western Carolina, Elizabeth City State University, and UNC Pembroke all decreased both their instate and out-of-state tuitions through a program funded by the legislature this year. In-state students now pay just $500 per semester under NC Promise.
At Western, numbers are at anall-time highs for the new undergraduate classes as well as the number of new transfer students. However, the school doesn’t attribute its growth just to NC Promise. It’s seen enrollment growth the last seven out of eight years.
Western officials think academic programs like engineering and forensic anthropology as well as the popularity of its marching band the Pride of the Mountains have lead to their expansion.
Western Carolina was just ranked 11th in top public universities in the South, up from 13th last year by U.S. News & World Report. This year, the number of graduate students on campus also increased 10.5 percent despite the fact that they are not eligible for NC Promise.
