10-yr median earnings
$49,458
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Cullowhee, North Carolina
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a public institution in Cullowhee, North Carolina. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $13,315
- Avg net price / yr
- $49,458
- 10-yr median earnings
- 59.7%
- 150%-time completion
- 81.8%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Western Carolina University pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 30%
- former-student earnings, US
- 81.8%
- acceptance rate
- 59.7%
- 150%-time completion
- +15%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Western Carolina University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
57/100
Western Carolina University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B-
$49,458
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B-
$13,315
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C-
59.7%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,868
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
68.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C
79.1%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$13,315
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
59.7%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 59.7%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Western Carolina University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Western Carolina University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Western Carolina University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$49,458 Top 30% higher than 70% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Western Carolina University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,458 | #1519 of 5103 | 70th |
| Average net price | $13,315 | #1764 of 5020 | 65th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 59.7% | #2230 of 4858 | 54th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,024 | #347 of 5462 | 94th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
10,024
Undergraduate enrollment
81.8%
Acceptance rate
1,157
SAT average
59.7%
150%-time completion
$49,458
10-yr median earnings
79.1%
First-year retention
How Western Carolina University ranks in North Carolina
State rank among 147 reporting North Carolina colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Western Carolina University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,458 | #22 of 147 | 85th |
| Average net price | $13,315 | #68 of 146 | 53rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 59.7% | #34 of 142 | 76th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,024 | #11 of 153 | 93rd |
Highest former-student earnings in North Carolina
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University | $97,800 | $29,612 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-North Carolina | $92,405 | $38,436 |
| 3 | Davidson College | $81,400 | $17,379 |
| 4 | Wake Forest University | $78,158 | $28,719 |
| 5 | Elon University | $74,545 | $41,555 |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $72,200 | $11,655 |
| 7 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $68,758 | $17,303 |
| 8 | Carolinas College of Health Sciences | $64,624 | - |
| 9 | Galen Health Institutes-Asheville | $61,480 | $28,602 |
| 10 | High Point University | $61,389 | $38,707 |
| 11 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | $58,708 | $17,618 |
| 12 | Queens University of Charlotte | $57,673 | $30,857 |
| 22 | Western Carolina UniversityThis school | $49,458 | $13,315 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 81.8% |
| SAT Average | 1,157 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 520 – 610 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 560 – 660 |
| ACT Average | 22 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 19 – 25 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Western Carolina University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$8,816 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$10,012 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$12,605 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$17,992 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Western Carolina University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $4,630 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $8,630 |
| Average Net Price | $13,315 |
34.6%
Pell Grant Rate
44.2%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,868
Median Debt
$232/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Western Carolina University swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $12,380 to $15,607 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +1.6%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$12,380
Highest year
$15,607
Most recent (2023)
$12,579
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $12,3802023 · $12,579
Over the same years, enrollment went +19.8% (8,238 → 9,867 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
57.3%
Female
32.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
79.1%
Retention Rate
$43,085
Median Earnings (6yr)
62.8%
Earning Over $25K
68.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 59.7% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 79.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $43,085 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $49,458 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 62.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 68.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $21,868 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $232/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 47 | 2,576 | $55,108 | $86,853 | $23,424 |
| Master's | 20 | 556 | $70,394 | $122,811 | $26,981 |
| Doctoral | 2 | 16 | $77,060 | $77,060 | $69,085 |
Top programs at Western Carolina University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$122,811 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$100,807 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$86,853 median earnings
- Construction Engineering T…
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
$83,954 median earnings
- Engineering, General
Engineering, General
$82,500 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$79,533 median earnings
- Electrical/Electronic Engi…
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
$79,441 median earnings
- Engineering Technologies/T…
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
$78,801 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN
10,074 students · 50 apart
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, TX
9,912 students · 112 apart
Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX
8,767 students · 1,257 apart
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL
8,750 students · 1,274 apart
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
University of Mississippi
University, MS
$13,314 net price · $1 apart
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
$13,310 net price · $5 apart
The University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, TX
$13,323 net price · $8 apart
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL
$13,297 net price · $18 apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Western Carolina University? ▼
Western Carolina University is a public institution in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The acceptance rate is 81.8%. The average SAT score is 1,157. Undergraduate enrollment is 10,024 students.
How much do Western Carolina University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Western Carolina University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $49,458 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $43,085.
How much does Western Carolina University cost? ▼
The average net price at Western Carolina University is $13,315. In-state tuition is $4,630 and out-of-state tuition is $8,630. Median student debt at graduation is $21,868.
What is the graduation rate at Western Carolina University? ▼
Western Carolina University has a 59.7% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 79.1%.
Is Western Carolina University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Western Carolina University is $21,868, while former students earn a median of $49,458 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 44% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 68.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $232.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Western Carolina University
- Compare Western Carolina University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in North Carolina side by side.Browse North Carolina
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.