- App State established a new campus to expand public higher education access and outreach in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metro Area. The Hickory campus, housed in the former Corning Optical Communications building, located at 800 17th St. NW in Hickory, opened to students on Aug. 21, 2023 — the first day of classes for the fall 2023 semester.
- By fall 2024, business enrollment was approximately one-third of the total enrollment at the Hickory Campus, with a significant number of students in accounting, computer information systems/cybersecurity, management, and marketing/supply chain management.
- App State opened cybersecurity labs on the Hickory and Boone campuses in the fall of 2024.