# University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)

Public college in Wilmington, NC. IPEDS ID 199218.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 64% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $20,109 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 71%; beats 79% of NC colleges and 79% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $54,967; beats 78% of NC colleges and 55% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,178

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,778 |
| 30-48k | $12,572 |
| 48-75k | $17,378 |
| 75-110k | $24,046 |
| 110k+ | $25,573 |

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 4.24 years on average (56% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $54,967 (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 | $10,778 | $45,699 | 2.1 years |
| 30-48k | $12,572 | $53,305 | 2.5 years |
| 48-75k | $17,378 | $73,683 | 3.4 years |
| 75-110k | $24,046 | $101,955 | 4.8 years |
| 110k+ | $25,573 | $108,430 | 5.1 years |

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

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $26,547 in-state; about $43,422 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $7,277 in-state, $24,152 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $12,605; books: $1,130

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 620–680; SAT math: 610–660; ACT: 24–29 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 17,370 applicants, 12,856 admitted, 2,701 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 64%, ACT 24–29 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 74%, ACT 24–28 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: none; important: none; considered: none
- Early decision: not reported; early action: not reported; waitlist: yes
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 4.09
- Source: https://www.uncw.edu/media/pdf/irp/cds-2025-2026.pdf

## Majors (48 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $66,977 | $88,219 | $24,819 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | $56,924 | $86,654 | $24,990 |
| Nursing | $74,463 | $86,606 | $22,000 |
| Business Administration | $48,369 | $75,512 | $21,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $54,105 | $71,964 | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $66,941 | $21,946 |
| Chemistry | $44,473 | $65,982 | $19,935 |
| Biology | $32,925 | $60,750 | $22,125 |
| Public Health | $36,458 | $60,722 | $23,500 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $38,459 | $60,414 | $26,000 |
| Political Science | $31,124 | $58,258 | $22,250 |
| International / Global Studies | $21,830 | $54,707 | $18,750 |
| Communications | $36,695 | $54,315 | $21,500 |
| Special Education | $42,584 | $52,494 | $19,500 |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | $39,366 | $51,696 | $21,500 |
| Physiology | $30,779 | $50,564 | $22,899 |
| Criminology | $34,443 | $50,514 | $22,915 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | $31,873 | $50,241 | $23,000 |
| Psychology | $29,418 | $49,609 | $23,250 |
| Sociology | $29,220 | $48,591 | $24,125 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $40,777 | $48,024 | $20,130 |
| Social Work | $38,380 | $47,587 | $22,361 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $28,935 | $46,527 | $22,309 |
| History | $25,047 | $46,072 | $24,500 |
| English | $24,384 | $46,008 | $24,636 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $25,426 | $45,289 | $23,751 |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other | not reported | $42,597 | not reported |
| Studio Art | $20,072 | $42,192 | $26,672 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $25,303 | $39,812 | $20,389 |
| Writing | $24,205 | $37,968 | $27,000 |
| Theatre | $20,450 | $35,956 | $25,000 |
| Film and Photography | $22,315 | $34,184 | $22,052 |
| Anthropology | $25,198 | $33,461 | $24,112 |
| Software and Media Applications | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $86,960 (Wilmington, NC), $98,560 (NC), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $80,970 (Wilmington, NC), $84,350 (NC), $97,550 (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).