More selective than 53% of North Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $57,313. College Scorecard.
Higher than 77% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 79% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 69% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 44% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Meredith College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,563 applicants, Meredith College admitted 1,167 and 325 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1098–1348 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Meredith College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Meredith College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Meredith College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in North Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,207 | $71,065 | 3.9 years |
| $30–48k | $19,006 | $78,495 | 4.4 years |
| $48–75k | $18,064 | $74,604 | 4.1 years |
| $75–110k | $23,678 | $97,790 | 5.4 years |
| $110k+ | $29,117 | $120,253 | 6.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (58% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($51,539) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $18,023 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Meredith College majors, earnings & careers
Meredith College offers 40 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Business & Finance · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Science & Math · 4
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Meredith College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $60,099 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $49,124 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 40 majors
- Accounting—
- Biology$60,099
- Business Administration—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer Science—
- Criminology—
- Dance—
- Dietetics—
- Economics—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Educational Administration and Supervision—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Resources—
- Human Services—
- International / Global Studies—
- International Relations—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$49,124
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Raleigh
Overall prices in the Raleigh-Cary, NC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,689. Housing costs 3% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 5 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Wake County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Wake County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Meredith College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in North Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meredith College | 74% | $22,488 | 70% | $51,539 | This school |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | 75% | $13,090 | 58% | — | |
| Salem College | 77% | $18,277 | 57% | $44,640 | |
| Catawba College | 75% | $17,879 | 47% | $48,793 | |
| Belmont Abbey College | 75% | $24,639 | 47% | $47,937 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Meredith College would cost you $9,398 more per year than Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Meredith College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$34,312).
- Meredith College gives aided families $25,283 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Meredith College | SEBTS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $45,630 | $11,318 | +$34,312 |
| Books & supplies | $850 | $800 | +$50 |
| Housing & meals | $12,920 | $7,469 | +$5,451 |
| Personal & travel | $1,840 | $3,717 | −$1,877 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,927 | −$672 | −$3,255 |
| Sticker price | $57,313 | $22,632 | +$34,681 |
| Average grants | −$34,825 | −$9,542 | −$25,283 |
| You pay | $22,488 | $13,090 | +$9,398 |
“+” means Meredith College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Meredith College
What is the Meredith College acceptance rate?
Meredith College accepts 74% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,167 of 1,563 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1098–1348 on the SAT or 23–29 on the ACT.
How much does Meredith College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $57,313 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,488 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,207 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,117.
How much do Meredith College graduates earn?
Former Meredith College students earn a median $51,539 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Meredith College graduation rate?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for their second year.
How long does a Meredith College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Meredith College costs about $74,604 after grants ($18,064 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $51,539 ten years after starting, $18,023 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 4.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Meredith College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/meredith-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).