University Of North Carolina Wilmington

University of North Carolina Wilmington's published cost of attendance is $26,547, but need-based aid reshapes that figure across income levels. Low-income families pay approximately $10,778; middle-income families pay around $17,378; and higher-income families pay approximately $25,573.

Azimuth ranks University of North Carolina Wilmington #520 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

As a public regional university, UNC Wilmington offers tuition pricing aligned with North Carolina's public higher education structure. The institution participates in federal (Pell Grants, Direct Loans), state, and institutional aid programs.

Need-based aid covers a meaningful share of cost for most students, with the financial aid office working to close gaps between sticker price and what families actually pay. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $19,500, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $22,737; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $61,925, median federal debt of $19,500 projects to a monthly payment of about $220 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $61,925, placing University of North Carolina Wilmington in the 52.0 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,003 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing University of North Carolina Wilmington in the 23.3 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks University of North Carolina Wilmington #835 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. University of North Carolina Wilmington also sits in the 51.0 percentile for median low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions — a historical 10-year Scorecard measure not yet updated to the four-year horizon, with low-income graduates earning $42,700.

The earnings pattern at University of North Carolina Wilmington reflects its dominant concentration in Health and related professional fields. Nursing stands out as the program combining the broadest graduate cohort with strong four-year earnings, anchoring the institution's overall return profile.

Nursing, the largest program by scale with 739 graduates, delivers median four-year earnings of $86,606, and Azimuth ranks it #74 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration and Communication and Media Studies round out the most popular fields, with 666 and 210 graduates respectively.

Azimuth ranks On the higher-earning end, Business Administration #41 for median earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $75,512 — 1.11× the national benchmark for the field. Program mix across University of North Carolina Wilmington skews toward Business (18% of graduates), Social Sciences (6%), and Education (4%), a concentration in career-oriented disciplines that supports the institution's above-average return on investment relative to $65,228 at comparable institutions.

University of North Carolina Wilmington's program mix is anchored in health, business, and social-science fields — a signature that reflects the university's coastal regional identity and its strong ties to healthcare and public-sector employers in the Wilmington area. Health is the institution's primary concentration, accounting for 18% of graduates, followed by Social Sciences at 6% and Education at 4%.

Across 40 programs serving roughly 3,757 students annually, the university's degree output is broadly distributed, with no single field dominating to the exclusion of others. The program combining the largest cohort scale with the strongest earnings is Nursing, which anchors University of North Carolina Wilmington's economic signature among its graduates.

Among the most popular programs, Nursing program graduates 739 students and delivers median earnings of $86,606 four years after enrollment, with Azimuth ranking the program #74 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration and Communication and Media Studies are also among the largest programs by graduate count, with Business Administration earning $75,512 and Communication and Media Studies earning $54,315 at the four-year mark.

The highest-earning programs at University of North Carolina Wilmington cluster in health and applied-professional fields. Nursing leads on earnings, with 739 graduates earning median earnings of $86,606 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks the program #74 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Business Administration and Biology, General follow closely, with graduates earning $75,512 and $60,750 respectively at the four-year mark, reflecting the strong direct-to-workforce demand in health and applied-science fields. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with regional and national labor-market trends.