🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,432/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Students focused on Business, Management, & Marketing (the school's signature program)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields
Total enrollment
1,214
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$35,736
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$35,736
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
77.9%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$45,873
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$38,939
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,873
4-year completion
42%
Median debt (completers)
$25,000
Cost of attendance
$49,974
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
50%

💰 True ROI

6.6× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$69,728
$17,432/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$130,168
vs sticker $199,896
10-yr earnings total
$458,730
$45,873/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.5 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At North Carolina Wesleyan University, the average net price is $17,432/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$16,114/yr
Family income $30-48k
$14,020/yr
Family income $48-75k
$16,017/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,403/yr
Family income $110k+
$22,379/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use North Carolina Wesleyan University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from North Carolina Wesleyan University →

Opens on North Carolina Wesleyan University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at North Carolina Wesleyan University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what North Carolina Wesleyan University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
150 degrees · 53.8%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Health Professions
43 degrees · 15.4%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
3. Computer & Information Sciences
30 degrees · 10.8%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
4. Psychology
29 degrees · 10.4%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
5. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
27 degrees · 9.7%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at North Carolina Wesleyan University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 33 $42,142 $53,598
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 30 $39,220 $53,327
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 173 $37,358 $50,983
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 8 $50,733
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 12 $45,880 $49,827
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 89 $33,735 $43,805
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 55 $30,570 $41,976
Religion/Religious Studies. Bachelor's Degree 4 $38,717

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at North Carolina Wesleyan University

CS degrees (annual)
30
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

North Carolina Wesleyan University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Building a college list?

Use these to fit North Carolina Wesleyan University into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →