U.S. median for this major: $64,798.
College Scorecard field of study; 322 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 35% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,808.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,867. College Scorecard.
ECU Business Administration: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses ECU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,046 | $43,700 | 1.4 years |
| $30–48k | $11,699 | $50,891 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $14,904 | $64,832 | 2.1 years |
| $75–110k | $20,417 | $88,814 | 2.8 years |
| $110k+ | $23,028 | $100,172 | 3.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (43% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Business Administration graduates 4 years after graduating ($64,723) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $31,207 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration at North Carolina colleges
Every North Carolina college we cover that reports Business Administration graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $135,874 | $14,339 | $11,655 | 91% |
| 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $84,349 | $20,000 | $17,303 | 85% |
| 3 | Queens University of Charlotte | $82,572 | $23,250 | $30,857 | 61% |
| 4 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | $75,512 | $21,500 | $20,109 | 71% |
| 5 | Belmont Abbey College | $70,655 | $27,000 | $24,639 | 47% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $70,654 | $22,285 | $15,435 | 69% |
| 7 | Salem College | $68,431 | $27,000 | $18,277 | 57% |
| 8 | Wingate University | $67,082 | $27,000 | $20,748 | 46% |
| 9 | Montreat College | $67,034 | $24,168 | $27,061 | 50% |
| 10 | Appalachian State University | $64,932 | $21,497 | $16,836 | 75% |
| 11 | East Carolina University | $64,723 | $22,750 | $15,739 | 63% |
| 12 | Methodist University | $63,424 | $27,000 | $24,704 | 44% |
| 13 | Gardner-Webb University | $61,489 | $27,000 | $17,674 | 55% |
| 14 | Pfeiffer University | $60,936 | $27,000 | $19,076 | 35% |
| 15 | North Carolina A & T State University | $60,863 | $29,425 | $10,846 | 57% |
| 16 | Guilford College | $60,858 | $27,000 | $22,270 | 46% |
| 17 | Catawba College | $60,718 | $26,000 | $17,879 | 47% |
| 18 | University of Mount Olive | $60,436 | $35,500 | $18,853 | 52% |
| 19 | Lees-McRae College | $60,108 | $18,500 | $28,340 | 42% |
| 20 | Campbell University | $59,746 | $22,329 | $24,516 | 61% |
| 21 | Johnson & Wales University-Charlottebachelor's & associate | $59,186 | $27,000 | $27,426 | 49% |
| 22 | Mars Hill University | $57,743 | $27,506 | $19,910 | 45% |
| 23 | Western Carolina University | $57,713 | $23,495 | $13,315 | 60% |
| 24 | Brevard College | $57,660 | $27,000 | $23,509 | 49% |
| 25 | University of North Carolina Asheville | $56,479 | $17,492 | $12,250 | 54% |
| 26 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | $56,225 | $25,000 | $10,965 | 56% |
| 27 | William Peace University | $56,173 | $25,000 | $21,649 | 45% |
| 28 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke | $55,233 | $26,675 | $10,260 | 44% |
| 29 | Barton College | $55,125 | $26,983 | $23,626 | 46% |
| 30 | North Carolina Central University | $54,999 | $30,518 | $15,359 | 42% |
| 31 | Chowan University | $54,889 | $28,712 | $14,086 | 30% |
| 32 | Johnson C Smith University | $51,371 | $37,038 | $20,894 | 34% |
| 33 | North Carolina Wesleyan University | $50,983 | $27,499 | $17,432 | 42% |
| 34 | Elizabeth City State University | $49,903 | $26,576 | $6,364 | 44% |
| 35 | Fayetteville State University | $48,094 | $28,786 | $7,892 | 38% |
| 36 | Shaw University | $47,401 | $34,265 | $16,512 | 22% |
| 37 | Winston-Salem State University | $43,292 | $28,805 | $13,479 | 47% |
| 38 | Livingstone College | $40,328 | $33,000 | $13,479 | 28% |
11 more North Carolina colleges offer Business Administration but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Business Administration graduates
Management analyst
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +10.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
General and Operations Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Project Management Specialists
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at ECU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About ECU
- Acceptance rate: 89% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 63% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $55,146
- Full cost breakdown · all 68 majors · overview
Related majors at ECU
- Finance$78,324
- Accounting$79,351
- Marketing$73,626
- Economics$64,597
ECU Business Administration questions
How much do ECU Business Administration graduates earn?
Business Administration graduates of East Carolina University earn a median $64,723 four years after graduating and $45,497 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.
How much debt do ECU Business Administration graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of East Carolina University is $22,750, about 35% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.
Is ECU a good school for Business Administration in North Carolina?
On pay, Business Administration graduates of East Carolina University earn $64,723 four years out, $4,796 above the median for the same major across 38 North Carolina colleges ($59,927) and $75 below the U.S. median ($64,798). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does ECU rank for Business Administration in North Carolina?
Of 38 North Carolina colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, East Carolina University ranks 11th. The highest is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at $135,874.
What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?
A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $91,560 in the Greenville, NC area and $101,860 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and project management specialists.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “East Carolina University Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/east-carolina-university/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).