U.S. median for this major: $85,212.
College Scorecard field of study; 718 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 25% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,547. College Scorecard.
UNCW Nursing: 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.
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses UNCW'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 | $10,778 | $45,699 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $12,572 | $53,305 | 1.0 years |
| $48–75k | $17,378 | $73,683 | 1.4 years |
| $75–110k | $24,046 | $101,955 | 1.9 years |
| $110k+ | $25,573 | $108,430 | 2.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (56% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Nursing graduates 4 years after graduating ($86,606) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $53,090 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.
Nursing at North Carolina colleges
Every North Carolina college we cover that reports Nursing 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 Mount Olive | $93,698 | $27,094 | $18,853 | 52% |
| 2 | North Carolina Central University | $90,760 | $40,000 | $15,359 | 42% |
| 3 | Fayetteville State University | $88,701 | $22,052 | $7,892 | 38% |
| 4 | Duke University | $87,763 | $29,000 | $29,612 | 97% |
| 5 | Lees-McRae College | $87,523 | $23,125 | $28,340 | 42% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | $86,606 | $22,000 | $20,109 | 71% |
| 7 | Winston-Salem State University | $84,952 | $24,082 | $13,479 | 47% |
| 8 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $84,723 | $25,044 | $15,435 | 69% |
| 9 | Methodist University | $83,653 | $27,000 | $24,704 | 44% |
| 10 | East Carolina University | $82,250 | $25,264 | $15,739 | 63% |
| 11 | North Carolina A & T State University | $81,704 | $28,353 | $10,846 | 57% |
| 12 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | $80,383 | $24,701 | $10,965 | 56% |
| 13 | Queens University of Charlotte | $79,586 | $31,757 | $30,857 | 61% |
| 14 | Western Carolina University | $79,533 | $23,163 | $13,315 | 60% |
| 15 | Campbell University | $79,506 | $26,000 | $24,516 | 61% |
| 16 | Barton College | $79,283 | $27,761 | $23,626 | 46% |
| 17 | Appalachian State University | $78,943 | $20,000 | $16,836 | 75% |
| 18 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | $78,839 | $26,300 | $20,689 | 48% |
| 19 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke | $78,674 | $29,710 | $10,260 | 44% |
| 20 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $78,585 | $23,026 | $11,655 | 91% |
| 21 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciencesmostly 2-year | $78,143 | $26,186 | $17,618 | 71% |
| 22 | Gardner-Webb University | $75,117 | $24,922 | $17,674 | 55% |
| 23 | Pfeiffer University | $75,033 | — | $19,076 | 35% |
| 24 | Mars Hill University | $74,707 | $24,636 | $19,910 | 45% |
| 25 | Wingate University | $68,636 | $27,000 | $20,748 | 46% |
9 more North Carolina colleges offer Nursing but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Nursing graduates
Registered nurse
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Medical and Health Services Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +24.2% 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 UNCW, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About UNCW
- Acceptance rate: 64% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 71% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $54,967
- Full cost breakdown · all 48 majors · overview
Related majors at UNCW
- Public Health$60,722
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
UNCW Nursing questions
How much do UNCW Nursing graduates earn?
Nursing graduates of University of North Carolina Wilmington earn a median $86,606 four years after graduating and $74,463 one year after. The U.S. median for Nursing graduates across 858 colleges is $85,212.
How much debt do UNCW Nursing graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Nursing graduates of University of North Carolina Wilmington is $22,000, about 25% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.
Is UNCW a good school for Nursing in North Carolina?
On pay, Nursing graduates of University of North Carolina Wilmington earn $86,606 four years out, $7,020 above the median for the same major across 25 North Carolina colleges ($79,586) and $1,394 above the U.S. median ($85,212). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does UNCW rank for Nursing in North Carolina?
Of 25 North Carolina colleges reporting Nursing graduate earnings, University of North Carolina Wilmington ranks 6th. The highest is University of Mount Olive at $93,698.
What jobs do Nursing graduates get?
A common career is registered nurse, with a median wage of $80,970 in the Wilmington, NC area and $97,550 nationally. Others include medical and health services managers.
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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: “University of North Carolina Wilmington Nursing: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington/majors/nursing (College Scorecard and BLS data).