Effective July 1, 2019, the tuition surcharge legislation has been repealed beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year and will no longer be charged according to the NC General Assembly passing Senate Bill 225 (Repeal Tuition Surcharge).
NC Governor Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 225 into law which repeals the 50% tuition surcharge imposed on students who take more than 140 credit hours to complete a 4-year program or more than 110% of the hours necessary to complete a 5-year program.
Prior to the Repeal of the Tuition Surcharge
Undergraduate students who initially enrolled at Appalachian in the fall of 1994 and after must comply with North Carolina Session Law 321-89 (Senate Bill 27) and 769-17.10 (Senate Bill 1505). In 2009, the General Assembly (Senate Bill 202 - Section 9.10b) increased the surcharge rate from 25% to 50% beginning in fall 2010.
This legislation requires a tuition surcharge on
| All credit hours in excess of 140 when taken as part of student's first baccalaureate degree |
| All credit hours in excess of 110% of the number required for a second or subsequent baccalaureate degree |
Included in the calculation of credit hours
| Courses taken at Appalachian State University either with a passing or failing grade |
| Courses withdrawn after the Drop/Add period either by dropping the course or withdrawing from the university |
| Courses repeated even if additional credit will not be earned for the course |
| All courework transferred in from any UNC system school, NC community ncollege or any private or out-of-state institution |
Attempted hours DO NOT include
| Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit |
| Dual-enrollment college credit taken during high school (including early and middle college credit) |
| Summer school courses taken at any NC institution |
| Military credit |
| Credit by exam |
Students pursuing a second degree or major may contact the Dean's Office once they receive a bill for tuition surcharge to ask that their surcharge threshold be adjusted to allow for the second degree/major. The new threshold will be the total number of unique hours required for the double degree/major multiplied by 110%.