What is Watauga College? 

A community for the curious, where learning lives and leaders grow.

Watauga Residential College is a student and faculty community that fosters creativity, thoughtfulness, and civic engagement through experiential, inquiry-based learning both in and out of the classroom.

Watauga students live, share meals, and take classes together in a unique hillside residence hall on campus. Our curriculum and community create an atmosphere of discovery, fostering awareness and understanding of local issues and the connections between those issues and significant global challenges.

We blend academic accomplishment with an understanding of the responsibilities of community membership. Our interdisciplinary curriculum integrates academic, social, cultural, and residential experiences.

Mission Statement

Watauga Residential College is a student and faculty community that fosters creativity, thoughtfulness, and civic engagement through experiential, inquiry-based learning both in and out of the classroom.

We pursue this mission through a curriculum and community that create an atmosphere of discovery, leading to an awareness and understanding of local issues and their connections to significant global issues.

Watauga achieves this through an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes local service work and multicultural immersion, integrating academic, social, cultural, and residential experiences.

Adopted 11/8/16

So is Watauga right for you? 

If you answer “yes” to any of the questions below, Watauga may be a good fit:

  • Do you love learning, especially when it challenges what you already know?
  • Are you curious about other people—who they are, what they believe, and why?
  • Do you want to explore your interests and ambitions with other students and faculty?
  • Do you value close relationships with your classmates and professors?
  • Are you interested in examining local and global issues and working to propose solutions for a better world?
  • Do you want to be part of a diverse and inclusive program that values academic excellence, service, leadership, creativity, and community?
  • Do you want to be surrounded by people who support you as both a student and a person?

Community Life

Here’s a Peek Into a Day at Watauga Lunch

Get a glimpse of Watauga Lunch, a twice‑weekly community meal where students, faculty, and staff enjoy food, laughs, and good times together.

Student Tour

A Student Tour of Watauga Residential College

Explore Watauga Residential College with students as they show game rooms, study spaces, music rooms, unique classrooms, and the community that makes the Living Learning Center feel like home.

Celebrating 50 Years - Watauga College

Marking 50 Years

Celebrating 50 Years of Watauga

The April 2023 celebration was a smashing success. Thank you to all who joined us.

“This celebration was an opportunity to bring alumni and current students together in honor of traditions, past and present, in the Watauga program.” - Dr. Laura Ammon, director of WRC

Browse photos from the weekend.

Celebrating 50 Years - Watauga College