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College Ledger

Statement · Cullowhee, NC

Western Carolina University

Public4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $8,816 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $19,992.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $49,458 ten years after entering, the 48th percentile among public 4-years.

  3. 60% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Enrollment, 2023
13,205

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $19,992 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $8,816 and $17,992 a year depending on income at Western Carolina University.

Statement of cost · Western Carolina University

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$19,992
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$8,816
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$13,315
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$4,630

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $8,816; $30–48k: $10,012; $48–75k: $12,605; $75–110k: $17,060; over $110k: $17,992. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years, from $8,778 to $16,425; dotted line at the median, $12,780.
  • Shaded: the middle half of public 4-years (all incomes), $8,778 to $16,425. Dotted line: the median, $12,780.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$8,816
$30k–$48k$10,012
$48k–$75k$12,605
$75k–$110k$17,060
Over $110k$17,992

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $49,458; the median graduate who borrowed owes $21,868.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$43,085
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$45,617
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
48th percentile among public 4-years
$49,458
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
71st percentile among public 4-years
$21,868
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$15,348

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of public 4-years at 10 years: $42,655 to $60,720.

6 yrs after entry: $43,085; 8 yrs after entry: $45,617; 10 yrs after entry: $49,458. Median graduate debt: $21,868. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years at 10 years, from $42,655 to $60,720; dotted line at the median, $50,178.
  • Shaded: middle half of public 4-years, 10 years out ($42,655 to $60,720); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $21,868.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$43,085
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$45,617
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$49,458
Median graduate debt$21,868

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Western Carolina University
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree253$50,856$23,495
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree238$72,955$23,163
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree169$44,949$24,714
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree156$53,478$21,461
MarketingBachelor's Degree152$57,435$23,508
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree148$40,666$23,250
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree141not reportednot reported
Public AdministrationBachelor's Degree120$61,307$18,375
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree85$55,306$26,037
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree85$64,679$23,625
Social WorkMaster's Degree69$56,936not reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's Degree60$57,020$23,835
Show all 26 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree58$48,606$18,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree53$47,600$25,500
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree52$81,402not reported
ChemistryBachelor's Degree51$58,765$20,824
Social WorkBachelor's Degree50$46,183$25,857
Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's Degree49$73,132not reported
Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's Degree48$85,272$27,000
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree46$35,809$25,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree38$120,469not reported
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree22$93,802$27,000
Engineering, GeneralBachelor's Degree45not reported$25,550
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's Degree15not reported$23,154
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralBachelor's Degree44$66,644$25,250
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral Degreenot reported$77,275not reported

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Western Carolina University: 10,024 undergraduates; 35% of students receive Pell grants; 82% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

82%

47th percentile among public 4-years

Undergraduates

10,024

72nd percentile among public 4-years

Pell share

35%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

58th percentile among public 4-years

Completion

60%

finish within 150% of normal time

78th percentile among public 4-years

First-generation

33%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$46,182

71st percentile among public 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k26%
  • $30k–$48k18%
  • $48k–$75k18%
  • $75k–$110k19%
  • Over $110k19%
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k26%
$30k–$48k18%
$48k–$75k18%
$75k–$110k19%
Over $110k19%

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.