North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina · Website
$42,968
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,968
median earnings, 10 years after starting
North Carolina Central University is a public 4-year college in Durham, North Carolina with 6,081 undergraduates and 1,984 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $15,359 a year (tuition and fees $6,699 in-state, $19,735 out-of-state). It admits 87% of applicants and 42% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $42,968 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $28,250 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,359
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$6,699
Out-of-state $19,735
Admission rate
87%
US median 78%
Completion rate
42%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$28,250
About $299 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,968
Rank 2,232 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $15,359
- Tuition in-state
- $6,699
- Tuition out-of-state
- $19,735
- Cost of attendance
- $26,556
- Students with a need-based grant
- 59%
- Students with federal loans
- 63%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $13,032
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $13,882
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,527
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,401
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,658
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,755 in 2015-16 to $6,699 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 87%
- Average SAT
- 1,050
- SAT reading, middle
- 540
- SAT math, middle
- 500
- ACT, middle
- 18
- Undergraduates
- 6,081
- Graduate students
- 1,984
- Part-time students
- 12%
- Women
- 70%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 42%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 65
- Endowment
- $59.6M
- Other
- Historically Black college
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,232 of 5,094 US colleges and 45 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,359 | $14,086 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,699 | $6,906 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 87% | 75% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 42% | 48% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $28,250 | $20,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $35,967 | $31,569 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,968 | $36,048 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 25% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 61% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
65 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LawProfessional | Professional | 130 | $117,597 | $56,228 | $83,361 | $107,773 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 122 | $27,000 | $35,978 | $43,859 | $53,366 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 114 | $27,000 | $33,829 | $48,443 | $55,378 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 106 | $28,500 | $35,819 | $54,999 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 99 | $27,160 | $29,400 | $44,053 | $50,706 |
| Library Science and AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 71 | $40,625 | $48,381 | $56,291 | $56,301 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 69 | $44,062 | $46,470 | $57,082 | $65,123 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $27,000 | $30,423 | $54,192 | $57,214 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 59 | $28,375 | $31,586 | $46,136 | $48,460 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $27,375 | $25,750 | $43,230 | $56,359 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 50 | $62,084 | $51,559 | $65,374 | $81,408 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $28,000 | $30,615 | $49,856 | $51,790 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 45 | $57,887 | $57,400 | $65,600 | $67,030 |
| Information Science/StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 42 | $53,309 | $55,592 | $77,440 | $112,705 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $31,000 | $38,198 | Withheld | - |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 39 | $55,965 | $65,158 | $72,023 | $71,685 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $31,000 | $76,142 | $90,760 | $88,910 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $31,000 | $26,682 | $44,678 | $54,562 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $28,000 | $24,948 | $47,317 | $63,293 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 26 | $86,964 | $50,121 | $59,513 | $59,571 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 24 | $59,393 | $59,732 | $74,724 | $103,485 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $27,500 | $28,522 | Withheld | $53,072 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsMaster's | Master's | 22 | $49,707 | $41,787 | $54,659 | $66,714 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineMaster's | Master's | 20 | $49,394 | $41,694 | Withheld | $62,033 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $31,000 | $74,597 | $88,053 | $92,374 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Durham and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does North Carolina Central University cost?
$15,359 a year is the average net price at North Carolina Central University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,699 for in-state students and $19,735 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,556. Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,032 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at North Carolina Central University?
87% of applicants are admitted to North Carolina Central University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,050 and the middle ACT score is 18. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do North Carolina Central University graduates earn?
$42,968 a year is the median pay of former North Carolina Central University students who work, 10 years after they started ($35,967 after 6 years). That ranks 2,232 of 5,094 US colleges and 45 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $76,142.
How much student debt do North Carolina Central University graduates have?
$28,250 is the median federal student loan debt of North Carolina Central University graduates, about $299 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 63% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at North Carolina Central University?
42% of first-time, full-time students at North Carolina Central University finish within 6 years. 73% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at North Carolina Central University?
Law (130 professional graduates), Social Sciences, General (122 bachelor's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (114 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 65 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.