University profileCullowhee, NCFiscal year 2025
How much federal money does Western Carolina University get?
Western Carolina University received $28.4 million in federal awards in FY2025, 427th of 998 institutions (top 43%).In fiscal year 2025, federal agencies obligated $28.4 million to Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC), counting grants, contracts, loans and other awards.
Ranked 427th of 998 by federal awards
FY2025 federal awards, institutions ranked either side of Western Carolina University.
| University of Colorado at Denver #424 · CO | $29M |
| Western Washington University #425 · WA | $29M |
| Loyola University of Chicago (Maywood) #426 · IL | $28M |
| Western Carolina University #427 · NC | $28M |
| Sierra Joint Community College District #428 · CA | $28M |
| Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service #429 · TX | $28M |
| Corporation of Gonzaga University #430 · WA | $28M |
What the money is
That is up 15.3% from FY2024 ($24.6 million). Compared with FY2019, the last year before pandemic relief, it is up 534.1%. The largest share came as direct payments ($25.1 million, 88.2%). The Department of Education was the biggest funder ($26.3 million). Its largest programs were Federal Pell Grant Program ($24.2 million); STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) ($996,569); Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants ($600,000). It ranks 427th of the 998 institutions on this site by FY2025 total.
What is counted: awards made directly to this institution, under the registered names WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY (UEI LLFAXDBMYCB5). Money that reaches it as a subaward through another organization is not included. Separately incorporated foundations, hospitals and laboratories have their own records and are not added in. Grouping rules are explained in the methodology.
Federal awards by year
Western Carolina University: $28M in FY2025, up 534% on FY2019
Federal award obligations by fiscal year and type, FY2018–FY2026, nominal dollars. FY26* is preliminary and still filling in.
- Insurance and other
- Loans (subsidy cost)
- Direct payments
- Grants
- Contracts
View every year as a table
| Fiscal year | Contracts | Grants | Direct payments | Loans | Insurance and other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | $285,551 | $3.2M | $0 | $0 | $156,138 | $3.7M |
| FY2019 | $0 | $4.2M | $0 | $0 | $278,511 | $4.5M |
| FY2020 | $22,500 | $13.0M | $0 | $0 | $125,961 | $13.1M |
| FY2021 | $0 | $45.8M | $281,544 | $0 | $62,952 | $46.1M |
| FY2022 | $0 | $4.6M | $9.5M | $0 | $77,399 | $14.2M |
| FY2023 | $0 | $2.9M | $19.0M | $0 | $19,124 | $21.9M |
| FY2024 | $0 | $2.2M | $22.4M | $0 | $84,799 | $24.6M |
| FY2025 | $0 | $3.3M | $25.1M | $0 | $25,478 | $28.4M |
| FY2026* | $0 | $2.7M | $24.2M | $0 | $0 | $26.9M |
Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury).
Who pays and for what, FY2025
The agencies that obligated the most to Western Carolina University, and the largest federal programs. Programs are federal Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA numbers); contracts have no listing number, so they do not appear there.
Top awarding agencies
| Agency | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | $26.3 million | 92.6% |
| National Science Foundation | $1.1 million | 3.9% |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $600,000 | 2.1% |
| Department of the Interior | $380,000 | 1.3% |
| Department of Agriculture | $25,478 | 0.1% |
| Department of Energy | $0 | 0.0% |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | -$298 | -0.0% |
Top programs
| Program | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Pell Grant Program Assistance Listing 84.063 | $24.2 million | 85.1% |
| STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) Assistance Listing 47.076 | $996,569 | 3.5% |
| Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants Assistance Listing 93.732 | $600,000 | 2.1% |
| TRIO Student Support Services Assistance Listing 84.042 | $544,728 | 1.9% |
| Federal Work-Study Program Assistance Listing 84.033 | $523,269 | 1.8% |
| TRIO Talent Search Assistance Listing 84.044 | $442,514 | 1.6% |
| Cooperative Research and Training Programs – Resources of the National Park System Assistance Listing 15.945 | $350,000 | 1.2% |
| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants Assistance Listing 84.007 | $309,064 | 1.1% |
| Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Assistance Listing 84.325 | $250,000 | 0.9% |
| School Safely National Activities Assistance Listing 84.184 | $246,419 | 0.9% |
Other institutions in North Carolina
- Duke University$762M
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$690M
- North Carolina State University$279M
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences$195M
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University$134M
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte$88M
- North Carolina Central University$68M
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro$68M
Questions and answers
- How much federal funding does Western Carolina University receive?
- $28.4 million in fiscal year 2025, according to USAspending.gov award data for its registered UEI(s).
- Where does Western Carolina University's federal money come from?
- The largest funder in FY2025 was the Department of Education ($26.3 million, 92.6%). By type, grants were $3.3 million and contracts $0.
- Did Western Carolina University's federal funding go up or down?
- FY2025: $28.4 million; FY2024: $24.6 million (+15.3%).
Sources and notes
- USAspending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury), API endpoints spending_over_time and spending_by_category, filtered by recipient ID(s) 5b156637-766f-2d7c-341a-69f63175f079-C, fiscal years 2018–2026. Amounts are obligations in nominal dollars. Data retrieved 2026-10-04. Public domain.
- How the figures are built, and what they leave out: sources and methods.