Warren Wilson College announced today a bold decision to underscore its longstanding commitment to access and inclusion by lowering its published tuition price nearly 40 percent, from $41,500 to $25,500, while continuing to provide aid to every student. The change will take place beginning with the 2025–2026 academic year.
Considered a “Best Buy” by the 2025 Fiske Guide to Colleges and included in The Princeton Review’s The Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition, Warren Wilson, through this action, deepens its resolve to educate students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
“Our College has been a secret too well kept for too long,” said President Damián J. Fernández, Ph.D. “Lowering the published tuition price will convince more students that Warren Wilson’s high impact, purpose-driven education is within their reach. A compelling value proposition should guide a student’s search for the right higher education experience—not the price tag.”
Reducing the published tuition price will occur in tandem with enhancements to the curriculum that make Warren Wilson the first in the nation to guarantee a work-related course and a community engaged experience for credit, as well as a capstone project, for every student in every major. The increase in experiential learning opportunities is part of the implementation of Our Progressive Promise for All: Education in Action for the Common Good, which outlines Warren Wilson College’s position as the national leader for learning in action. “The Progressive Promise for All” recommits the College to the values established by its founders—real-world impact, hands-on learning, excellence, access and outcomes for the common good—and redefines them for our times.
“The reduction in the published tuition price allows prospective students to focus more on fit than cost,” said Joseph Riquelme, Interim Vice President for Enrollment. “Removing that barrier gives us the opportunity to show more students the value of our experiential learning community.”
Many prospective students and families are unaware that Warren Wilson’s generous scholarships, financial aid, and work program make the cost to attend much more affordable than it appears at first glance. Decreasing the sticker price to the amount that most students pay will help families realize that Warren Wilson is an affordable option with high return on investment. The College offers a unique, pragmatic education through a combination of academic, work, and student engagement programs to forge the next generation of professional leaders. The new Center for Experiential Learning and Careers helps students leverage the experiences gained through the innovative curriculum to launch careers and businesses or pursue graduate school.
Returning Warren Wilson students can expect to pay the same net tuition price next year as they would have paid had there been no change to tuition. Financial aid will be adjusted in line with the new lower published tuition price.
“Our hands-on curriculum and student engagement programs provide students the space and agency to explore solutions to the big problems of our times,” Fernández said. “We empower students through knowledge, skills, ethics, and confidence to advance individual purpose, pursue financial opportunity, and serve the common good.”