University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina · Also known as UNCW|University of North Carolina at Wilmington|UNC Wilmington|UNC W|University of NC at Wilmington|Univ of NC-Wilmington|UNC-W|University of North Carolina Wilmington| · Website
$54,967
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$54,967
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public 4-year college in Wilmington, North Carolina with 14,922 undergraduates and 3,594 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $20,109 a year (tuition and fees $7,277 in-state, $24,152 out-of-state). It admits 64% of applicants and 71% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $54,967 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$20,109
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,277
Out-of-state $24,152
Admission rate
64%
US median 78%
Completion rate
71%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,500
About $207 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$54,967
Rank 1,107 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
- $20,109
- Tuition in-state
- $7,277
- Tuition out-of-state
- $24,152
- Cost of attendance
- $26,547
- Students with a need-based grant
- 24%
- Students with federal loans
- 36%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,778
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,572
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,378
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,046
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,573
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 $6,691 in 2015-16 to $7,277 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
- 64%
- Average SAT
- 1,287
- SAT reading, middle
- 640
- SAT math, middle
- 630
- ACT, middle
- 26
- Undergraduates
- 14,922
- Graduate students
- 3,594
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 63%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 71%
- Retention rate
- 88%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 119
- Endowment
- $162.1M
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 1,107 of 5,094 US colleges and 15 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $20,109 | $14,086 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,277 | $6,906 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 64% | 75% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 71% | 48% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 88% | 72% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,500 | $20,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $46,972 | $31,569 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $54,967 | $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. 63% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 76% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
119 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 789 | $15,128 | $74,463 | $86,606 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 729 | $19,555 | $48,369 | $75,512 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 261 | $20,932 | $29,418 | $49,609 | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 242 | $24,000 | $80,921 | $118,289 | $103,485 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 184 | $21,000 | $32,925 | $60,750 | $57,214 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 175 | $19,000 | $36,695 | $54,315 | $56,359 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 165 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 143 | $18,250 | $40,777 | $48,024 | $47,382 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 141 | $28,810 | $92,353 | $106,699 | $120,193 |
| CriminologyOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 122 | $20,000 | $34,443 | $50,514 | $55,556 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 119 | $21,458 | $36,458 | $60,722 | $58,808 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 114 | $20,314 | $75,056 | Withheld | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 111 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 96 | $23,980 | $66,977 | $88,219 | $107,009 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 95 | $21,500 | $28,935 | $46,527 | $55,012 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 91 | $19,500 | $25,303 | $39,812 | $48,842 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $20,500 | $22,315 | $34,184 | $43,765 |
| Social WorkOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $19,500 | $38,380 | $47,587 | $51,790 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 80 | $30,246 | $48,198 | $59,108 | $65,123 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineProfessional | Professional | 70 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 63 | $28,227 | $45,465 | $56,340 | $65,824 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 56 | $25,375 | $44,292 | $50,098 | $59,916 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $20,625 | $31,124 | $58,258 | $63,293 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's | Master's | 50 | $20,500 | $72,037 | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Wilmington 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 University of North Carolina Wilmington cost?
$20,109 a year is the average net price at University of North Carolina Wilmington after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,277 for in-state students and $24,152 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,547. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,778 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of North Carolina Wilmington?
64% of applicants are admitted to University of North Carolina Wilmington. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,287 and the middle ACT score is 26. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do University of North Carolina Wilmington graduates earn?
$54,967 a year is the median pay of former University of North Carolina Wilmington students who work, 10 years after they started ($46,972 after 6 years). That ranks 1,107 of 5,094 US colleges and 15 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's) at $118,913.
How much student debt do University of North Carolina Wilmington graduates have?
$19,500 is the median federal student loan debt of University of North Carolina Wilmington graduates, about $207 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 36% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of North Carolina Wilmington?
71% of first-time, full-time students at University of North Carolina Wilmington finish within 6 years. 88% 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 University of North Carolina Wilmington?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (789 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (729 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (261 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 119 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.