College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

NCMedium public institution · Overall rank #455 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of North Carolina at Pembroke #455 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public university in Pembroke, North Carolina, where Business and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies account for the largest shares of degrees. Affordability is well above average, and access is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes a subtraction to the factors it measures and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

The earnings picture is one to weigh carefully against the price. Pell recipients complete within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is well above average.

The lowest income band averages a net price well below the published cost, and the spread between the lowest and highest bands is modest. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest programs are not the highest-earning ones.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
93.3%
Six-year completion[2]
43.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$49,668

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$10,932
Median student debt[4]
$25,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$10,984

University of North Carolina at Pembroke rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public university in Pembroke, North Carolina, enrolling 5,330 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (69th percentile).

The university's strongest is affordability, and its weakest is return. The university admits 93.3% of applicants, a rate above the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 71.6% return for a second year, against a peer median of 73.7%. The six-year graduation rate is 43.5%, compared with a median of 49.1% for similar schools.

An estimated 52.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes a minority of the student body. The completion figure counts first-time, full-time students only, and a large share of undergraduates did not start here.

The four pillars sit apart. Affordability is the strongest, at the 84th percentile, and access and mobility are close behind. Return is the weakest, at the 19th percentile.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile for University of North Carolina at Pembroke, at the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access and mobility are not far behind, in the 82nd and 76th percentiles respectively. Return is the outlier, in the 19th percentile.

The middle half of submitted SAT scores spanned from 970 to 1,200; for the ACT, the range was 18 to 23. Pell Grants reach 50.1% of undergraduates.

Azimuth places University of North Carolina at Pembroke at #267 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among Pell recipients, 42.1% finish within six years, falling 1.4 percentage points below the rate for the full entering cohort (43.5%).

Azimuth ranks the university #359 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of North Carolina at Pembroke rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#455

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 76
Access & reach
National percentile: 82
Affordability
National percentile: 84
Return on investment
National percentile: 19

Top-ranked majors

  1. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#28
  2. Social Work#113
  3. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#147

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 / University of North Carolina at Pembroke briefing

University of North Carolina at Pembroke cost & financial aid[6][7]

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $1,000 and required fees of $2,685 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $12,120. Nonresidents pay tuition of $7,000.

The published cost of attendance at University of North Carolina at Pembroke is $17,261. Aid recipients pay an average net price (cost after grants and scholarships) of $10,260, which falls $3,808 below the $14,068 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid recipients save an average of $7,001 against the sticker price. Azimuth ranks the university #229 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 84th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at University of North Carolina at Pembroke is $17,261. Azimuth ranks the university #229 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $7,919, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,932, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $15,999. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,080.

Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $10,260, which is $3,808 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. That is $3,771 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions.

85.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,984 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month. It helps families see what the net price might look like for their own situation.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$10,932

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Federal borrowing is common at University of North Carolina at Pembroke: 85.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $25,000.

That is $3,771 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 65% of its 470 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $20,768 per borrower. Of whom 65% held federal loans, averaging $20,670.

Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $10,984.

Median earnings for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled at University of North Carolina at Pembroke are $49,668 four years after completion. That sits in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

According to the earnings model, graduates earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 28th percentile. The program mix supports earnings scenarios of $49,668 in a typical case, $43,063 on the downside and $66,451 on the upside.

Those who finish hold a median federal student debt of $25,000. That amount is $3,771 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month. The figures show earnings below the model's expectation alongside debt above the peer median.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $10,984. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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
$25,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$10,984

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$284/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$140/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 / University of North Carolina at Pembroke briefing

University of North Carolina at Pembroke career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places the return pillar for University of North Carolina at Pembroke in the 19th percentile. The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $49,668 four years after completing a degree, in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Against the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), this figure is $7,633 below. Completers earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that figure in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $670.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,394. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $405.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of University of North Carolina at Pembroke who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $49,668. This is measured among 1,233 completers.

This figure is $7,633 below the $57,301 median posted by comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios are estimated from the program mix.

The earnings scenarios run from $43,063 on the downside to $66,451 on the upside, with a typical outcome of $49,668. An estimated 30.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Return is the weakest of the four pillars for University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and the earnings figures show why. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $49,668, at the 17th percentile nationally.

That is $7,633 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #1,183 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 28th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $670. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,394.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $405. The program mix is concentrated in business, interdisciplinary studies, and the social sciences, with a small STEM footprint.

Earnings scenarios estimated from that mix range from a downside of $43,063 to an upside of $66,451. An estimated 30.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The gap between downside and upside earnings scenarios at University of North Carolina at Pembroke is considerable. Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $43,063 to $66,451, with $49,668 as the typical outcome.

The figures are scenarios, not records of actual graduates. The scenarios span a range of earnings outcomes.

Computer Science graduates earn $80,579 four years after completion, and Nursing reports $78,674. Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 189 degrees awarded, shows $55,233.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke leaves borrowers who finish with a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. That amount is $3,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month. Those graduates earn about $7,064 less than the model expects for similar students.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $10,984 in Parent PLUS loans. The average aid recipient pays $10,260, which is $3,808 below the median for comparable institutions. Net prices by income band are averages, and individual packages vary.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
-$670
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$6,394
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$7,064

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 / University of North Carolina at Pembroke briefing

University of North Carolina at Pembroke acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke admits 93.3% of applicants, a rate that sits above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 8,526 first-year applicants and admitted 8,278, with 899 enrolling.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
93.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
970
Reported average
1056
Approximate upper endpoint
1200

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 / University of North Carolina at Pembroke briefing

What are the largest majors at University of North Carolina at Pembroke?[12]

The largest programs at University of North Carolina at Pembroke have moderate earnings, while the highest-earning fields are much smaller. Business Administration and Management awards 189 degrees a year and posts median earnings of $55,233 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #300 nationally within its field. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies is the second-largest at 179 degrees awarded, with earnings of $62,355.

Criminal Justice awards 150 degrees and earns $50,382; Azimuth ranks it #151 nationally, the strongest rank among the university's larger programs. By contrast, Computer Science graduates earn $80,579 from just 28 degrees awarded a year.

Nursing is close behind at $78,674, with 71 degrees awarded. Across all fields, 12.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke has 15 nationally ranked bachelor's programs. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies leads the list, ranked #28 in its field and #1 in North Carolina, with 179 degrees awarded and median earnings of $62,355 four years after completion.

The largest programs tell a different story. Business Administration and Management awards 189 degrees a year, the most on campus, and graduates earn a median of $55,233.

The highest earnings come from smaller programs. Computer Science graduates earn a median of $80,579, from just 28 degrees a year.

Nursing is the largest of the high-earning fields, with 71 degrees and median earnings of $78,674.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke awards bachelor's degrees across 15 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 19 with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 14.7% of degrees awarded, followed by Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 13.3% and Social Sciences at 11.7%.

The largest single programs are Business Administration and Management at 189 degrees awarded, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 179, and Criminal Justice at 150. The highest-ranked program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, which graduates earn a median of $62,355 four years after completion and ranks #1 in North Carolina within its field.

Social Work is another strong performer, with 57 degrees awarded, median earnings of $52,344 four years after completion, and an Azimuth rank of #113 nationally within its field. The highest-earning programs are a different set.

Computer Science graduates report median earnings of $80,579 four years after completion, from 28 degrees awarded. Nursing is both high-earning and larger, with 71 degrees awarded and median earnings of $78,674.

The pattern is one of broad access across the social sciences and business, with the strongest earnings concentrated in a few technical and professional programs. 12.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 189 degrees awarded
$55,233
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 179 degrees awarded
$62,355
Criminal Justice and Corrections 150 degrees awarded
$50,382
Sociology 144 degrees awarded
$44,935
Biology, General 105 degrees awarded
$48,285
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 103 degrees awarded
$44,669

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 / University of North Carolina at Pembroke briefing

What colleges are similar to University of North Carolina at Pembroke?[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 University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Admissions peerCoker University94.0% admitted
Comparison with University of North Carolina at Pembroke
MeasureUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeCoker University
Peer earnings · 4 years$49,668$47,935-$1,733 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Average annual net price$10,260$20,286+$10,026 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke · higher cost
Admission rate93.3%94.0%
Nearby alternativeWilliam Peace UniversityNearby option · NC
Comparison with University of North Carolina at Pembroke
MeasureUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeWilliam Peace University
Peer earnings · 4 years$49,668$51,163+$1,495 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Average annual net price$10,260$21,649+$11,389 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke · higher cost
Admission rate93.3%94.3%
Higher-earnings alternativeCalifornia State University-East Bay$72,596 earnings
Comparison with University of North Carolina at Pembroke
MeasureUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeCalifornia State University-East Bay
Peer earnings · 4 years$49,668$72,596+$22,928 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Average annual net price$10,260$9,320-$940 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke · lower cost
Admission rate93.3%97.4%
Explore California State University-East Bay →
Lower-cost alternativeFayetteville State University$7,892 average net price
Comparison with University of North Carolina at Pembroke
MeasureUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeFayetteville State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$49,668$51,687+$2,019 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Average annual net price$10,260$7,892-$2,368 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke · lower cost
Admission rate93.3%82.2%
Explore Fayetteville State University →
Similar profileNorfolk State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of North Carolina at Pembroke
MeasureUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeNorfolk State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$49,668$52,371+$2,703 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Average annual net price$10,260$15,282+$5,022 vs University of North Carolina at Pembroke · higher cost
Admission rate93.3%87.8%
Explore Norfolk 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