# University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Public college in Chapel Hill, NC. IPEDS ID 199120.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 15% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $11,655 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 91%; beats 96% of NC colleges and 96% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $72,200; beats 93% of NC colleges and 87% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $12,989

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $2,004 |
| 30-48k | $3,918 |
| 48-75k | $8,538 |
| 75-110k | $16,415 |
| 110k+ | $24,396 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.08 years on average (86% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $72,200 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $2,004 | $8,176 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $3,918 | $15,985 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $8,538 | $34,835 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $16,415 | $66,973 | 1.7 years |
| 110k+ | $24,396 | $99,536 | 2.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $26,055 in-state; about $58,264 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $8,994 in-state, $41,203 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $13,016; books: $1,290

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 690–750; SAT math: 700–780; ACT: 28–34 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 57,902 applicants, 10,850 admitted, 4,699 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 15%, ACT 28–34 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 19%, ACT 30–34 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: rigor, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character, state residency; important: class rank, gpa, volunteer, work experience; considered: test scores, first generation, alumni relation
- Early decision: not reported; early action: not reported; waitlist: not reported
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 4.47
- Aid (full-time first-years): average ?% of need met; ? of ? with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 275 students, average $7,233
- Source: https://oira.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/297/2026/06/CDS_UNCCH_2025-26_20260615.pdf

## Majors (51 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $90,293 | $137,047 | $14,131 |
| Business Administration | $85,618 | $135,874 | $14,339 |
| Applied Mathematics | $75,105 | $119,839 | $15,300 |
| Health Administration | $49,967 | $110,204 | not reported |
| Economics | $65,344 | $103,846 | $15,843 |
| Physics | $62,647 | $103,477 | $19,200 |
| Mathematics | $53,402 | $101,599 | $14,500 |
| Information Science / Studies | $75,834 | $100,940 | $13,294 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $70,561 | $97,992 | $15,000 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution | $44,503 | $80,344 | $14,275 |
| Nursing | $71,594 | $78,585 | $23,026 |
| Human Resources | $52,217 | $76,811 | $15,000 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $48,252 | $74,403 | $15,000 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $56,721 | $72,892 | $18,750 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $54,207 | $72,567 | $15,431 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $37,709 | $72,422 | $13,000 |
| Political Science | $41,200 | $72,001 | $15,100 |
| Philosophy | $34,284 | $70,709 | $15,408 |
| Communications | $43,348 | $70,240 | $15,500 |
| Area Studies | $31,955 | $65,933 | $13,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $33,976 | $65,337 | $12,044 |
| Chemistry | $32,516 | $64,981 | $14,250 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $32,508 | $64,570 | $13,500 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $31,165 | $63,286 | $16,575 |
| Biology | $33,471 | $62,047 | $15,100 |
| Music | $32,880 | $58,127 | $19,000 |
| History | $34,592 | $57,952 | $14,838 |
| Psychology | $31,804 | $57,477 | $14,253 |
| Anthropology | $36,211 | $56,589 | $11,982 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $26,342 | $54,691 | $12,870 |
| Linguistics | $24,658 | $54,181 | $17,775 |
| Religious Studies | $33,690 | $52,716 | $12,550 |
| Sociology | $30,623 | $51,801 | $14,925 |
| English | $30,060 | $51,208 | $14,794 |
| Geography | $42,454 | $49,476 | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $29,897 | $49,209 | $13,640 |
| Studio Art | $24,005 | $41,722 | $14,600 |
| Theatre | $26,457 | $41,362 | $15,613 |
| Journalism | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | $23,633 | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | $22,183 | not reported | $14,825 |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Behavioral Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $76,970 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), $67,230 (NC), $74,750 (U.S.)
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage $58,400 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), $61,720 (NC), $57,510 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).