University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,400 that brings the average net price to $11,655. The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, sees an average net price of $2,004, while the highest band, over $110,000, pays $24,396.

The spread of $22,392 between those bands shows that the largest discounts are concentrated on the lowest-income families, with net prices rising steadily across the middle bands. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported required fees of $2,129, estimated books and supplies of $638, estimated transportation of $1,078, and estimated other expenses of $1,950.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill publishes a cost of attendance of $26,055, with in-state tuition and fees of $8,994 and room and board at $13,804. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $2,004; it reaches $8,538 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $24,396 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,392. Azimuth ranks the university #103 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,400, which brings the average net price for first-time full-time aid recipients to $11,655. That figure sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,979.

Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $41,203. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $14,000.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $6,076, and about 69.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. The median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $25,072.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $159 a month if repaid over ten years.

At University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completers who borrowed hold a median federal student debt of $14,000. Comparable institutions (same type and size) show a median of $20,076, placing the university below the peer median by $6,076.

Federal borrowing reaches 69.3% of federal aid recipients at the university. These debt figures cover federal student loans exclusively and omit private obligations.

Parent borrowers carry a median Parent PLUS debt of $25,072, a separate population from student borrowers.

The investment picture at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pairs earnings well above the median for comparable institutions with debt that runs below it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $81,033, a figure in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,513 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 78th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $56,962 in a downside case to $121,472 in an upside case, with $81,033 as the typical outcome.

The median federal student debt at completion is $14,000, which is $6,076 below the peer median of $20,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $159 a month if repaid over ten years.

Above-peer earnings and below-peer debt point the same way, and Azimuth ranks the university at the 93rd percentile for return.

Parent borrowers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took on a median of $25,072 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $159.

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

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

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

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.