College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

East Carolina University

NCLarge public institution · Overall rank #180 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places East Carolina University in the 88th composite percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

East Carolina University is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, where the degree mix is led by Health Professions and Business. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes part of that gap to the factors it measures, which adds to expected earnings, and part to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts from them.

Pell recipients complete at a rate that is within a fraction of a point of the overall rate, and access is well above average. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays close to it.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. The largest programs are not the highest-earning ones; earnings in engineering and computer science are stronger than those in the largest fields.

East Carolina University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
89.2%
Six-year completion[2]
62.6%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,888

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$14,904
Median student debt[4]
$22,750
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,710

East Carolina University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

East Carolina University is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, enrolling 19,896 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits well above the midpoint of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (88th percentile).

The university admits 89.2% of applicants, compared with 78.1% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of the first-time full-time cohort, 82.7% return after the first year, against 83.1% for comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate is 62.6%, compared with 65.0% for comparable institutions. An estimated 31.6% of students arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year graduation rate covers only the first-time full-time cohort.

The four are spread wide. Mobility is the strongest, while return is the weakest.

Access and affordability fall between them, so the profile is not tightly clustered.

East Carolina University stands out most for mobility, though return is the weakest part of its four-pillar profile. In Azimuth’s assessment, mobility is in the 92nd percentile, access in the 80th percentile, and affordability in the 69th percentile.

Return is in the 52nd percentile. Strong mobility and access sit beside a return reading closer to the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions.

31.8% of undergraduates at East Carolina University receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,070 and 1,240.

For students who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% ranged from 21 to 26. These figures describe the academic profile and financial-access reach of this public university in Greenville, North Carolina.

Azimuth ranks the university #290 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 62.8%, which is 0.2 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate for the entering cohort.

The access pillar is shaped by this near-parity in completion outcomes alongside the Pell share. Azimuth ranks East Carolina University #113 for mobility.

Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students. The mobility pillar is the strongest of the four for this university.

That position coincides with a broad-access profile and completion outcomes for Pell recipients that keep pace with the student body as a whole.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

East Carolina University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#180

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 92
Access & reach
National percentile: 80
Affordability
National percentile: 69
Return on investment
National percentile: 52

Top-ranked majors

  1. Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other#2
  2. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#9
  3. Engineering, General#12

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / East Carolina University briefing

East Carolina University cost & financial aid[6][7]

At East Carolina University, the published cost of attendance is $23,867, and it sets the starting point before aid. Published in-state tuition and fees are $7,361, with room and board at $11,541.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $23,638. For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,739; aid offsets $8,128 against the sticker cost.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, putting the university above by $105. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid lowers the sticker cost, though the average after aid remains above the peer midpoint.

The published cost of attendance is $23,867. Azimuth ranks East Carolina University #438 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,046 for families earning under $30,000, $14,904 for families earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $23,028 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,982.

Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $15,739, which is $105 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal student loans, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076. 88.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,710 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$14,904

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at East Carolina University

Federal borrowing reaches 88.1% of federal aid recipients at East Carolina University, so debt is part of the cost picture for many students. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,750.

These federal figures cover borrowers who completed and exclude Parent PLUS loans and private loans. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076; the university's median is $2,674 above it.

The figures describe borrowing among federal-loan users rather than every undergraduate. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,710.

At East Carolina University, the investment picture is shaped by earnings that sit below the peer median and borrowing that runs above it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,888.

That is $4,722 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 43rd percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,580 in a downside case to $83,444 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $60,888. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal loans, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.

For parent borrowers, a population separate from student federal-loan borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,710. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,750
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,710

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$259/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$250/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / East Carolina University briefing

East Carolina University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Mobility is the stronger Azimuth pillar for East Carolina University, while its return evidence sits nearer the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the return pillar is in the 52nd percentile.

Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations measure—the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students—falls in the 43rd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,788. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,942.

Federally aided completers working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,888 four years after completion, in the 54th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions of the same type and size, is $65,610; the university’s median is $4,722 below it.

At East Carolina University, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,888 four years after completion. Azimuth places this earnings measure in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 5,995 completers.

Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students. The typical earnings scenario is $60,888, with a downside scenario of $47,580 and an upside scenario of $83,444, all based on program mix rather than observed groups.

An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The central earnings figure and broad modeled range make field choice important.

The return picture sits near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions, with median earnings of $60,888 four years after completion in the 54th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving East Carolina University $4,722 below that figure.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 43rd percentile. Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,788. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,942.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,966. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $47,580 on the downside to $83,444 on the upside.

Azimuth ranks the university #710 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing is the largest program, with 374 degrees awarded and median earnings of $82,250 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #205 nationally in its field. Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians awarded 123 degrees, with median earnings of $87,848; Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally in its field.

These program figures range from a large nursing cohort to smaller, higher-earning technical fields.

The range of modeled earnings is wide enough that field choice warrants close attention. The downside earnings scenario is $47,580 four years after completion, compared with an upside scenario of $83,444; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed graduate groups.

At East Carolina University, the borrowing and modeled earnings measures both call for close attention. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,750; this covers federal borrowers who completed and excludes Parent PLUS.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month if repaid over ten years. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, and the university’s debt figure is above it by $2,674.

Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $19,710.

The debt comparison and earnings-beyond-expectations measure point in the same direction.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$11,788
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$14,942
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$3,154

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / East Carolina University briefing

East Carolina University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Admission is relatively broad at East Carolina University, which admitted 89.2% of applicants in the reported cycle. That rate is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
89.2%
Approximate lower endpoint
1070
Reported average
1180
Approximate upper endpoint
1240

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / East Carolina University briefing

What are the largest majors at East Carolina University?[12]

East Carolina University separates into higher-earning engineering and health fields alongside a more moderate psychology option. Four years after completion, Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians records median earnings of $87,848 across 123 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Engineering posts $84,847 with 87 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth rank of #12 nationally in its field. Nursing has median earnings of $82,250 four years after completion, with 374 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #205 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At a more moderate earnings level, Psychology records $50,270 across 236 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national field rank of #190. The contrast shows that earnings vary substantially by field.

The program lineup includes several fields with strong national standing. Azimuth assigns 42 bachelor’s fields national ranks.

Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians awarded 201 degrees and had median earnings of $81,852 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #9 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Engineering awarded 87 degrees, with median earnings of $84,847 four years after completion, and ranks #12 nationally in its field in Azimuth. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences adds 122 degrees awarded and $61,791 in median earnings four years after completion.

It holds an Azimuth rank of #17 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The bachelor's degrees at East Carolina University are spread across a wide base, with Health Professions and Business nearly tied at 18.8% and 18.1% of degrees awarded, followed by Engineering Technologies at 7.9%. Azimuth ranks 42 programs and publishes four-year earnings for 45.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 374 degrees awarded, with Business Administration and Management close behind at 317 and Public Health at 285. The highest-ranked programs are concentrated in engineering and health sciences.

Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians is the highest-ranked program, with 123 degrees awarded and median earnings of $87,848 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #1 in North Carolina within its field. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ranks #9 nationally within its field and #1 in North Carolina, with 201 degrees awarded and median earnings of $81,852.

Engineering ranks #12 nationally within its field and #2 in North Carolina, with 87 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where graduates earn $98,406, though it awards only 52 degrees a year.

The pattern is a university whose largest programs are not its highest-ranked or highest-earning. Nursing, the largest program, earns $82,250 and ranks #205 nationally within its field, while the highest-ranked and highest-earning programs are smaller engineering and computing fields.

21.9% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the strongest returns sit in those programs rather than in the largest ones.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 374 degrees awarded
$82,250
Business Administration, Management and Operations 317 degrees awarded
$64,723
Public Health 285 degrees awarded
$59,566
Psychology, General 236 degrees awarded
$50,270
Communication and Media Studies 229 degrees awarded
$59,432
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians 201 degrees awarded
$81,852

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / East Carolina University briefing

How does East Carolina University serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility is East Carolina University's strongest measured pillar, pairing a 62.6% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort with a 62.8% six-year completion rate for Pell recipients, above the overall rate by 0.2 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 43rd percentile. Graduates earn about $3,154 less than the model expects for similar students.

Strong completion measures and below-expected earnings give the mobility picture two different signals.

At East Carolina University, 89.2% of applicants are admitted, making entry broadly available by the reported admission measure. Undergraduate enrollment is 19,896, and 31.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

An estimated 31.6% of the undergraduate population enters as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth puts the access pillar in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The admission rate, Pell participation, and transfer presence describe several routes into this public university.

06 / East Carolina University briefing

What colleges are similar to East Carolina University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with East Carolina University.

Admissions peerWilliam Peace University94.3% admitted
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversityWilliam Peace University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$51,163-$9,725 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$21,649+$5,910 vs East Carolina University · higher cost
Admission rate89.2%94.3%
Higher-admission alternativeKing University99.7% admitted
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversityKing University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$61,394+$506 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$22,347+$6,608 vs East Carolina University · higher cost
Admission rate89.2%99.7%
Explore King University →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of North Carolina WilmingtonNearby option · NC
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversityUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$61,925+$1,037 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$20,109+$4,370 vs East Carolina University · higher cost
Admission rate89.2%64.2%
Explore University of North Carolina Wilmington →
Higher-earnings alternativeOregon Institute of Technology$87,138 earnings
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversityOregon Institute of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$87,138+$26,250 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$15,706-$33 vs East Carolina University · lower cost
Admission rate89.2%95.0%
Explore Oregon Institute of Technology →
Lower-cost alternativeSoutheastern Baptist Theological Seminary$13,090 average net price
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversitySoutheastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$69,450+$8,562 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$13,090-$2,649 vs East Carolina University · lower cost
Admission rate89.2%74.6%
Similar profileMississippi State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with East Carolina University
MeasureEast Carolina UniversityMississippi State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,888$59,311-$1,577 vs East Carolina University
Average annual net price$15,739$17,595+$1,856 vs East Carolina University · higher cost
Admission rate89.2%77.6%
Explore Mississippi State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings