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AlmaSpire

Swannanoa, NC · Private · 707 undergraduates · rural

Warren Wilson College

Less selective

A work-college model in which every student works on a crew and integrates that experience with academics and community engagement.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Solid in mobility, and steady in academic standing.
Academic Steady Affordability Steady Career Emerging Mobility Solid Experience Emerging
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Solid
Student experience Emerging
Admission
77.6% admitted

943 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
47.1%

$36,260 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Warren Wilson College apart

Academic design

Every student combines a major with the Work Program and community-engaged learning, and the college guarantees hands-on courses, an internship, and a senior capstone or equivalent advanced project.

Campus pattern

The Asheville-area campus includes farms, forests, craft shops, gardens, maintenance crews, and other working environments, so campus operations themselves become part of student learning and social identity.

Defining feature

A work-college model in which every student works on a crew and integrates that experience with academics and community engagement.

Can I get in?

77.6% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

943

About 78 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 77.6%
Entering class

Academic range

ACT middle 50%25–30
2233

Of admitted students, 0% submitted an SAT, and 19% submitted an ACT. Scores were rare in this class, so the SAT and ACT ranges say more about who volunteered one than about who was admitted.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA33%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Warren Wilson College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Warren Wilson College weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Every student combines a major with the Work Program and community-engaged learning, and the college guarantees hands-on courses, an internship, and a senior capstone or equivalent advanced project.

02

Make the fit specific

A work-college model in which every student works on a crew and integrates that experience with academics and community engagement.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Early DecisionNov 1
Early ActionNov 15
Regular DecisionFeb 15
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$62,260
Average annual cost after aid$21,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Warren Wilson College

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

A work-college model in which every student works on a crew and integrates that experience with academics and community engagement.

Complete within 8 years47.1%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one70.6%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$36,260

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Psychology, General

Recent graduates15
Median earnings

Visual and Performing Arts, General

Recent graduates14
Median earnings

Natural Resources Conservation and Research

Recent graduates13
Median earnings$43,793

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies

Recent graduates12
Median earnings

Social Work

Recent graduates11
Median earnings

What is campus life like?

Warren Wilson College beyond the classroom

The Asheville-area campus includes farms, forests, craft shops, gardens, maintenance crews, and other working environments, so campus operations themselves become part of student learning and social identity.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Every student combines a major with the Work Program and community-engaged learning, and the college guarantees hands-on courses, an internship, and a senior capstone or equivalent advanced project.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Asheville-area campus includes farms, forests, craft shops, gardens, maintenance crews, and other working environments, so campus operations themselves become part of student learning and social identity.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A work-college model in which every student works on a crew and integrates that experience with academics and community engagement.

707 undergraduatesSoutheastrural settingCampus housing available