Cost & financial aid brief
University of North Carolina Wilmington Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of North Carolina Wilmington cost after financial aid?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, University of North Carolina Wilmington reported that first-year aid recipients with need had an average 57% of need met for the 2025-26 academic year. Their average need-based grant was $9,950, and their average aid package was $11,920.
The university reported 1,213 first-year students determined to have need and 95 whose need was fully met. For the 2025-26 academic year, merit aid went to 386 first-year students, averaging $3,055.
For the average aid recipient, the published cost of $26,547 becomes an average net price of $20,109, a sticker-to-net gap of $6,438. Aid covers about 24% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Average net prices are lower in lower-income bands and higher in upper-income bands, showing aid targeting by income rather than a promise for an individual package.
The published cost of attendance at University of North Carolina Wilmington is $26,547. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients pay—is $10,778 for families earning under $30,000, $17,378 for the middle band earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $25,573 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,795. Azimuth ranks the university #514 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 24% of the published cost, leaving an overall average net price of $20,109. That figure is $4,475 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $19,500 in federal student loans, which is $576 below the peer median of $20,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $22,737.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of North Carolina Wilmington, federal borrowing is common: 86.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $19,500.
The median sits $576 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $22,737.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 52% of graduates borrowed from any source, including 50% who held federal loans and 12% who had private loans. Average cumulative borrowing per borrower was $27,014; federal borrowers averaged $18,786 and private borrowers averaged $37,181.
The strongest Azimuth pillar at University of North Carolina Wilmington is mobility, yet the return figures are less favorable. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $61,925 four years after completion, in the 57th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, also sits lower. Graduates earn about $9,958 less than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that measure in the 19th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios put downside earnings at $44,314, typical earnings at $61,925, and upside earnings at $86,065.
Median federal debt of $19,500 is $576 below the peer median of $20,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings below expectations and debt below peers point in different directions.
Among Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing was $22,737, a figure separate from federal student loan borrowers. Median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $22,737
- Estimated parent payment
- $289/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $22,737
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $289/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $511/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $61,925, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
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.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.