Best Instructional Design Schools Near Asheville, NC (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Asheville, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $34,760 to $47,091 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 instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $108,660 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Asheville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Gardner-Webb University

Boiling Springs, NC 54.6 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
44.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,039
Avg net price $17,674/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,760
Out‑of‑state$34,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 49

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

#2

Appalachian State University

Boone, NC 66.1 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,836
Avg net price $16,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 104.2 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,289
Avg net price $15,435/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 122

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, NC 157.5 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,160
Avg net price $10,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 197.8 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
91.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,200
Avg net price $11,655/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

North Carolina Central University

Durham, NC 206.8 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,968
Avg net price $15,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC 218.2 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
84.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,758
Avg net price $17,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 152

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington, NC 280.9 miles from Asheville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,967
Avg net price $20,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $62,930 Asheville, NC $65,212
Training and Development Specialists $59,950 Asheville, NC $62,124
Training and Development Managers $108,660 Asheville, NC $112,601
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $62,790 Asheville, NC $65,067
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $47,580 Asheville, NC $49,306
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $97,730 Asheville, NC $101,275
Farm and Home Management Educators $64,280 NC statewide $66,611
Graphic Designers $56,760 Asheville, NC $58,819

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

Metric Value Source
Population 94,369 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,221 Census 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 Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Asheville, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Asheville. The closest is East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN (51.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Appalachian State University (66.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Asheville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Asheville are: Training and Development Managers ($108,660), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($97,730), Farm and Home Management Educators ($64,280). 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 instructional design 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 instructional design?

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 Instructional Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Asheville

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

Data verified: September 5, 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.

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