Meet the 10 first-year App State students named Chancellor’s Scholars for 2026–27. The prestigious Chancellor’s Scholarship — now in its 42nd year — is App State’s oldest and most academically competitive merit-based scholarship. For fall 2027, prospective students should apply by Nov. 15 to guarantee consideration for most first-year university scholarships.

Two years after Hurricane Helene, App State faculty and staff continue leading research to help build long-term resilience for communities across Western North Carolina. Spanning energy systems, data coordination, community health and the arts, these projects aim to deliver real solutions to problems surfaced and made worse by the storm.

App State has been recognized as a leader in higher education for the 2026–27 academic year, with five notable publications naming the university among the best schools in the nation and the Southeast. The university was recognized for its academics, value, benefits for student veterans and more.

App State’s annual Research and Creative Activity at Appalachian event, held Sept. 18 on the Boone campus, showcased a wide variety of research and creative activities by faculty and staff. Dr. Martie Thompson, recipient of this year’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, served as the event’s keynote speaker.

This fall, App State enrolls more than 21,300 students across its Boone, Hickory and App State Online campuses — including the largest online, graduate, transfer and first-generation student populations in the school’s history. Driven by seven consecutive years of growth, online students now account for over 18% of App State’s total student body.

App State has been recognized as a leader in business education for the 2026–27 academic year, with five notable publications naming the university’s Walker College of Business and its business bachelor’s and master’s programs among the best in the nation and world.

App State’s Team Sunergy followed a second-place finish at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix with a historic performance at the 2026 Electrek American Solar Challenge, becoming the only team to earn two first-place finishes in the competition’s multi-occupant vehicle category. The team drove nearly 1,830 miles in its new solar car, Autumn, and received the Practicality Award.

Each summer, high school students from across North Carolina become researchers at App State through Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics. Offered at no cost to participants, this state-funded program engages students in hands-on, collaborative research alongside faculty and staff. App State is one of four UNC System schools that host the program.

App State’s Dr. Dave McEvoy and Dr. Tracie McLemore Salinas are the winners of this year’s Departmental Leadership Awards. Recognized for their service to and lasting impact on App State’s academic community, McEvoy and Salinas won the Distinguished Leadership Award and the Emerging Leader Award, respectively.