Best Online Human Services Programs in Asheville, NC (2026)

Asheville, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $33,250 to $49,498 per year for indexed programs. Asheville has a population of about 94,369. Median household income is $67,221 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Asheville, NC metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $79,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Asheville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer human services programs near Asheville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Asheville city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Asheville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Warren Wilson College

Swannanoa, NC 6.8 miles from Asheville BOC Score 24.1
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,260
Avg net price $21,249/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Montreat College

Montreat, NC 15.3 miles from Asheville BOC Score 26.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,151
Avg net price $27,061/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Lees-McRae College

Banner Elk, NC 55.9 miles from Asheville BOC Score 39.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,415
Avg net price $28,340/yr
Tuition
In‑state$33,250
Out‑of‑state$33,250
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Hickory, NC 69.6 miles from Asheville BOC Score 41.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 85%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,543
Avg net price $20,689/yr
Tuition
In‑state$31,900
Out‑of‑state$31,900
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 100.4 miles from Asheville BOC Score 55.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,673
Avg net price $30,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Wingate University

Wingate, NC 125.8 miles from Asheville BOC Score 51.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,649
Avg net price $20,748/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Elon University

Elon, NC 176.1 miles from Asheville BOC Score 72.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,545
Avg net price $41,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Meredith College

Raleigh, NC 217.5 miles from Asheville BOC Score 59.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,539
Avg net price $22,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina human services page.


Human Services Wages Near Asheville

Asheville is part of the Asheville, NC metro area (BLS area code 11700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Human Service Assistant$43,110Asheville, NC$44,674
Social and Community Service Manager$79,860Asheville, NC$82,756
Child, Family and School Social Worker$59,680Asheville, NC$61,845
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$53,090Asheville, NC$55,016

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Asheville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population94,369Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,221Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+52.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Asheville-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Asheville, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs near Asheville. The closest is Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC (6.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lees-McRae College (55.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying human services roles near Asheville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Asheville are: Social and Community Service Manager ($79,860), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($59,680), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($53,090). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Forest City instead of Asheville?

Forest City, NC is 41.8 miles from Asheville and has its own set of local human services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Asheville an affordable place to study human services?

Asheville’s median household income of $67,221 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Asheville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Human Services Programs

Other Programs Available in Asheville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Asheville:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.