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Student Parking

A rendering of the campus map online

 

You will find our large residential student population makes for a vibrant campus. Western Carolina University has become a destination place for students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. 

While on campus, students may park in the following designated areas, according to student classification. Please note all vehicles must be registered.

Additionally, a new long-term storage lot allows resident students to “store” their vehicles off campus for a minimal fee. This offers added convenience for residents still needing occasional access to a vehicle. Students living on campus and eligible for residential parking may apply for this permit. This long-term storage lot is a portion of the HHS overflow lot #76B and will have its own permit. The CAT-TRAN accesses this lot during business hours.

Please note:

Long-term storage lot permits do not include on-campus parking.

Visitor passes are for visitors only. Student use prohibited. 

Metered lots are monitored between 7 am 11 pm daily.

See all Student Parking Online

Parking Areas by Student Classification 

  • Commuter permits will be enforced  7:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. 
  • Commuter permits will be permitted to park in Faculty/Staff lots after 5:00 pm Monday-Friday and on weekends. However if a Commuter chooses to park in a metered lot, they will be required to pay the meter in order to not risk receiving a ticket.
    View the Commuter Lots
  • A resident student for parking purposes is an upperclassman that lives in the residence halls.
  • For parking purposes, you must have completed 30 or more earned hours to be considered upper class.
  • Upperclassman resident students may park in the white-lined spaces at the residence halls at any time.
  • Resident students may not park in the academic area and are encouraged to walk to class or ride the Cat-Tran. 
  • Upperclass resident parking passes will be enforced from 7:00 am and 11:00 pm, 7 days a week, on weekends and holidays. 
  • Resident students may also park in overflow lots.

View the Residential Lots

  • Freshmen must park in the freshmen/overflow lots at all times.
  • Freshman may not drive to class or to other areas of campus to conduct business.
  • For parking purposes, you must have 30 earned hours to be considered upper class.

View Freshman Parking

  • Graduate students, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants are considered students for the purpose of vehicle registration unless they are a full-time WCU employee of 40 hours per week and classified as an employee through Human Resources.
  • Individuals not considered a full time/temporary WCU employee by Human Resources must register their vehicles as a commuter or resident student.

View the Faculty/Staff Lots

  • Students who have all of their classes at UNC-Asheville must purchase an UNCA decal.
  • Western Carolina University honors UNCA decals in the proper zones at WCU. (For instance, a graduate student at UNCA with a student decal must park in a student space when on campus at Western Carolina).
  • A portion of the HHS overflow lot #76B will be converted to a storage lot for resident students who wish to “store” their vehicles off campus for a minimum fee.
  • This lot will have its own permit but will not allow students to park on campus.
  • Long-term storage lot permits do not include on-campus parking.
  • The Cat-Tran accesses this lot during business hours.

See the Long-Term Storage Lot

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