Western Carolina University is the fifth oldest institution in the University of North Carolina system. Western Carolina University was founded in 1889 as a semi-public secondary school and chartered as Cullowhee High School. The institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly and was renamed to Western Carolina University in 1967. And finally on July 1, 1972 Western Carolina University became a member of the University of North Carolina system.

WCU now serves more than 11,000 full time undergraduate and post graduate students, providing an education to students from 46 states and 39 countries. WCU offers 120 majors and areas of concentration to undergraduates through four colleges: Applied Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Allied Professions. WCU programs are highly competitive.

WCU offers work toward some degree through distance-learning program - online versions of many of WCU's most popular courses. In fact, more than a dozen of undergraduate and graduate programs are offered entirely or partially online. Others programs are offered at area community colleges and community centers by Instructional Television.

WCU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the bachelor, masters, intermediate, and doctoral (in education) levels. The university holds 21 program accreditation and is a member of more than 30 state and national associations and organizations to which its professional programs are related.