Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Western Carolina University graduates experience steady earnings growth throughout their early careers. Median earnings progress from $43,085 six years after enrollment to $45,617 at eight years and $49,458 at ten years, demonstrating 14.8% growth between the six and ten-year marks.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings align with peer institutions — outcomes are in line with similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $21,868 in debt with typical earnings.
Western Carolina University students graduate with median debt of $21,868, which compares favorably to the peer median of $21,105 by only $763. Student debt ranges from $6,998 at the 25th percentile to $25,983 at the 75th percentile, showing controlled borrowing across income levels.
Western Carolina University delivers modestly below average return performance, ranking at the 39.5th percentile nationally. Graduates earn $127 beyond expectations compared to similar students, placing WCU at the 56.5th percentile for earnings uplift relative to student demographics.
Approximately 25.5% of Western Carolina University graduates continue to graduate or professional school, based on program mix analysis with high conf...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Program-level earnings reveal Western Carolina University's strength in technical and health-related fields. Applied Engineering Technologies leads with graduates earning $67,301, followed by Adult Health Nurse/Nursing at $65,830 and Analytical Chemistry at $58,765.
These programs demonstrate WCU's ability to deliver strong outcomes in high-demand career areas. Business programs show moderate earnings from $44,964 to $51,753, while social sciences range from $32,439 in Psychology to $58,649 in Public Administration.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution at Western Carolina University reveals meaningful variation in graduate outcomes. The spread between the 25th percentile ($35,205) and 75th percentile ($67,362) creates a 1.9:1 ratio, indicating that top performers earn nearly twice as much as those in the bottom quartile.
