Quad
Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (9% of graduates). 16 students for every faculty member, more than at 72% of colleges. 78% of faculty are full-time. Spends $8,690 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

4,488 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 30% of graduates; 78 programs in 26 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.01019.0% 405
    Graduates in this field earn $47,720 4 years out
  2. Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 26.09086.3% 284
  3. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02015.4% 244
    Graduates in this field earn $64,932 4 years out
  4. Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14014.7% 211
    Graduates in this field earn $69,439 4 years out
  5. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01014.1% 184
    Graduates in this field earn $53,228 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Business, 17% → 25% of graduates since 2014–15 (1,111 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Science$97,670 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $68,675

    4 years after completion$97,670
    National median: $107,009Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $79,715 · Non-Pell: $88,839(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,500 · 152 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Management Information Systems and Services$87,041 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $56,650

    4 years after completion$87,041
    National median: $83,290Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $73,935 · Non-Pell: $77,257(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,667 · 172 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Accounting and Related Services$85,580 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $55,671

    4 years after completion$85,580
    National median: $76,194Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $65,285 · Non-Pell: $68,136(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,590 · 143 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$83,033 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $56,340

    4 years after completion$83,033
    National median: $86,176About typical

    Median federal debt: $22,811 · 27 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Physics$82,399 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$82,399
    National median: $76,786Above typical

    Median federal debt: $22,096 · 42 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college16 to 1
16 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 72% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty78%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$83,449

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$8,690
$8,690
← Lessmore than 27% of 557More →
Endowment per student$10,510
$10,510
← Lessmore than 43% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)