University of North Carolina at Charlotte

University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a less selective public university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It admits most applicants, graduates 69% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $57,289 ten years after starting college, more than 81% of the North Carolina colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
80%

More selective than 33% of North Carolina colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$15,435 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $23,010. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
69%

Higher than 75% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 77% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$57,289

Higher than 81% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 63% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

University of North Carolina at Charlotte acceptance rate & admissions

Of 22,699 applicants, University of North Carolina at Charlotte admitted 18,208 and 4,501 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1330 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.

22,699
Applied
18,208
Admitted
4,501
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1140–1330
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years21–28
First-years who sent SAT scores21%
First-year students who return85%
Pell Grant recipients34%
First-generation students28%
Women / men49% / 51%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

University of North Carolina at Charlotte tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for North Carolina residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees, in-state$7,239
Tuition & fees, out-of-state$22,492
Housing & meals, on campus$13,864
Books & supplies$950
Total cost of attendance, in-state$23,010

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$16,500
Loan default rate4.4%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What University of North Carolina at Charlotte costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of University of North Carolina at Charlotte took 4.3 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 incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$10,357$44,5351.9 years
$30–48k$10,668$45,8721.9 years
$48–75k$13,690$58,8672.5 years
$75–110k$19,822$85,2353.6 years
$110k+$21,761$93,5723.9 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (50% 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 ($57,289) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $23,773 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.

Best-value colleges in North Carolina for your income →

University of North Carolina at Charlotte majors, earnings & careers

University of North Carolina at Charlotte offers 70 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Engineering · 12
  • Humanities & Languages · 12
  • Business & Finance · 9
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
  • Science & Math · 8
  • Arts & Design · 6
  • Health & Medicine · 5
  • Technology & Computing · 4
  • Education · 3
  • Communications & Media · 2

Highest-earning majors at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Computer Engineering$97,109$21,875
Management Information Systems$95,640—
Electrical Engineering$93,953$24,375
Computer Science$93,037$23,250
Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$92,567$27,000
Physics$89,944$28,750
Mechanical Engineering$88,265$27,000
Mathematics and Statistics, Other$87,419$23,250
Quick list of all 70 majors
  • Accounting$76,690
  • Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$86,238
  • Anthropology$39,112
  • Architecture$67,204
  • Area Studies—
  • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
  • Biology$56,388
  • Business Administration$70,654
  • Business Economics$67,182
  • Chemistry$60,978
  • Civil Engineering$83,289
  • Civil Engineering Technologies / Technicians$75,611
  • Communications$60,407
  • Computer and Information Sciences$83,018
  • Computer Engineering$97,109
  • Computer Science$93,037
  • Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$92,567
  • Criminal Justice$53,738
  • Dance$48,518
  • Data Science—
  • East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)$44,878
  • Economics—
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,399
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians$83,768
  • Electrical Engineering$93,953
  • Engineering / Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians, Other—
  • English$49,088
  • Environmental Engineering—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies$54,798
  • Film and Photography—
  • Finance$74,965
  • Fire Protection—
  • Geography$57,208
  • Geology / Earth Science$53,247
  • German$51,373
  • Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
  • Health Administration$52,400
  • History$49,359
  • Human Development and Family Studies$48,107
  • Interdisciplinary Studies—
  • International / Global Studies$51,082
  • International Business$69,467
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$54,377
  • Management Information Systems$95,640
  • Management Science / Analytics—
  • Marketing$66,574
  • Mathematics$66,450
  • Mathematics and Computer Science—
  • Mathematics and Statistics, Other$87,419
  • Mechanical Engineering$88,265
  • Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians$78,160
  • Music$49,761
  • Nursing$84,723
  • Philosophy$46,067
  • Physics$89,944
  • Physiology—
  • Political Science$57,273
  • Psychology$50,507
  • Public Health$63,965
  • Public Relations and Advertising$61,700
  • Religious Studies$52,012
  • Social Work$47,050
  • Sociology$49,765
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages$50,218
  • Special Education$49,301
  • Studio Art$41,383
  • Systems Engineering$84,648
  • Theatre$39,725
  • Writing—

— 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 →

Computer Science → Software developer

$135,920
Charlotte
$134,710
North Carolina
$135,980
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Communications → Public relations specialist

$75,190
Charlotte
$67,230
North Carolina
$74,750
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Charlotte

Cost of living
3% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,640/mo

2 bedrooms $1,785. Housing costs 2% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
53° / 92°

January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 3 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively High

Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Mecklenburg County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)30,298
First-year students from North Carolina90%
Next most common home statesSouth Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey
AthleticsNCAA Division I-FBS · 9 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-24100% bachelor's
Campus typePrimarily residential
Student bodyWhite 46% · Black 18% · Hispanic 16% · Asian 11%International 2%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Mecklenburg County at a glance

Population1,154,681
Median household income$87,005
Adults with a bachelor's degree49%
Median age36

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare University of North Carolina at Charlotte with similar schools

Similar public colleges in North Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
University of North Carolina at Charlotte80%$15,43569%$57,289This school
East Carolina University89%$15,73963%$55,146
Appalachian State University90%$16,83675%$51,836
Western Carolina University82%$13,31560%$49,458
University of North Carolina Wilmington64%$20,10971%$54,967

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

University of North Carolina at Charlotte would cost you $304 less per year than East Carolina University, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$1,532).
  • East Carolina University gives aided families $553 more in grants, on average.
Per year, North Carolina residentUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteECUDifference
Tuition & fees$7,239$7,361−$122
Books & supplies$950$1,794−$844
Housing & meals$13,864$11,000+$2,864
Personal & travel$2,644$4,176−$1,532
Living-at-home adjustment−$1,687−$464−$1,223
Sticker price$23,010$23,867−$857
Average grants−$7,575−$8,128+$553
You pay$15,435$15,739−$304

“+” means University of North Carolina at Charlotte 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 University of North Carolina at Charlotte

What is the University of North Carolina at Charlotte acceptance rate?

University of North Carolina at Charlotte accepts 80% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 18,208 of 22,699 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1330 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.

How much does University of North Carolina at Charlotte cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,010 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,435 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,357 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,761.

How much do University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduates earn?

Former University of North Carolina at Charlotte students earn a median $57,289 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduation rate?

69% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 85% return for their second year.

How long does a University of North Carolina at Charlotte degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of North Carolina at Charlotte costs about $58,867 after grants ($13,690 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $57,289 ten years after starting, $23,773 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 2.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

Is University of North Carolina at Charlotte the right fit for your family?

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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: “University of North Carolina at Charlotte: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).