# University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Physics (bachelor's)

Chapel Hill, NC. IPEDS 199120, CIP 40.08. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/majors/physics

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $62,647
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $103,477 (U.S. median for this major: $78,569 across 107 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $19,200 (U.S. median $23,490)
- Rank in NC: 1 of 4 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the NC median for this major (4 colleges, $86,172): +$17,305
- Versus the U.S. median: +$24,908

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.08 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $103,477 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 | 1.0 years |
| 110k+ | $24,396 | $99,536 | 1.4 years |

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

## Physics at NC colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $103,477 | $19,200 | $11,655 | 91% |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | $89,944 | $28,750 | $15,435 | 69% |
| Appalachian State University | $82,399 | $22,096 | $16,836 | 75% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $51,590 | $23,490 | $17,303 | 85% |

## Careers
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (SOC 25-2031): median wage $57,870 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, $57,650 NC, $72,040 U.S.; U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035
- Natural Sciences Managers (SOC 11-9121): median wage $183,540 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, $173,870 NC, $167,220 U.S.; U.S. jobs 8.2% by 2035

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

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).