More selective than 27% 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 $30,861. College Scorecard.
Higher than 5% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 7% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 6% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 4% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Shaw University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 10,699 applicants, Shaw University admitted 3,261 and 186 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Shaw University 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 Shaw University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Shaw University took 4.5 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 | $16,236 | $73,711 | more than 20 years |
| $30–48k | $16,276 | $73,893 | more than 20 years |
| $48–75k | $21,145 | $95,998 | more than 20 years |
| $75–110k | n/a | — | not available |
| $110k+ | $24,966 | $113,346 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (12% 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 ($34,409) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $893 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.
Shaw University majors, earnings & careers
Shaw University offers 27 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 · 8
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Education · 3
- Humanities & Languages · 3
- Science & Math · 3
- Business & Finance · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Arts & Design · 1
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Shaw University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | $47,401 | $34,265 |
| Social Work | $46,981 | $38,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $44,010 | $30,500 |
| Criminal Justice | $43,299 | $37,500 |
| Communications | $28,545 | $42,500 |
Quick list of all 27 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biology—
- Business Administration$47,401
- Chemistry—
- Communications$28,545
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$43,299
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Education, Other—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Relations—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$44,010
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other—
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Public Administration—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Social Work$46,981
- Sociology—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
— 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 →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Social Work → Social worker
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 4.4% 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 Shaw University 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaw University | 80% | $16,512 | 22% | $34,409 | This school |
| North Carolina Wesleyan University | 80% | $17,432 | 42% | $45,873 | |
| Lees-McRae College | 77% | $28,340 | 42% | $43,415 | |
| Guilford College | 80% | $22,270 | 46% | $47,590 | |
| Chowan University | 69% | $14,086 | 30% | $38,412 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Shaw University would cost you $920 less per year than North Carolina Wesleyan University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Shaw University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$18,198).
- North Carolina Wesleyan University gives aided families $18,193 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Shaw University | North Carolina Wesleyan University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $17,538 | $35,736 | −$18,198 |
| Books & supplies | $1,300 | $300 | +$1,000 |
| Housing & meals | $8,940 | $12,794 | −$3,854 |
| Personal & travel | $3,440 | $2,200 | +$1,240 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$357 | −$1,056 | +$699 |
| Sticker price | $30,861 | $49,974 | −$19,113 |
| Average grants | −$14,349 | −$32,542 | +$18,193 |
| You pay | $16,512 | $17,432 | −$920 |
“+” means Shaw University 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 Shaw University
What is the Shaw University acceptance rate?
Shaw University accepts 80% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,261 of 10,699 applicants were admitted.
How much does Shaw University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $30,861 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,512 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $16,236 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,966.
How much do Shaw University graduates earn?
Former Shaw University students earn a median $34,409 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Shaw University graduation rate?
22% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 52% return for their second year.
How long does a Shaw University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Shaw University costs about $95,998 after grants ($21,145 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $34,409 ten years after starting, $893 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so repaying the cost would take more than 20 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: “Shaw University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/shaw-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).