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Western Carolina University

⌖ Cullowhee, NC · 62 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$171,730 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

37.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
−74%Modeled 10-year ROI
$51,153Observed earnings · year 5
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$171,730at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$233,2600
2
4
6
8
−$171,73010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 37.9 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$4,630
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$8,630
Sticker price
Average net price$13,315
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$19,992
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$13,315Average net price / year
$19,992Cost of attendance
$21,868Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$232/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$51,153Median earnings · year 5 after completion
60.3%Completion rate
81.8%Admission rate
10,024Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$8,816
$30–48k$10,012
$48–75k$12,605
$75–110k$17,060
$110k+$17,992
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$51,153
Year 6$43,085
Year 10$49,458
Full-time retention
79.1%
Part-time retention
61.9%
Completion within 200% of normal time
62.2%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

64thEarnings percentile
53thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$54,249Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$24,004Median federal debt across categories that report debt
13%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$40,015Year 1
$54,667Year 4
$51,153Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$122,8112Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$100,8073Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$86,8534Construction Engineering Technology/Technician · Bachelor's Degree$83,9545Engineering, General · Bachelor's Degree$82,5006Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$79,5337Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's Degree$79,4418Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General · Bachelor's Degree$78,801

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in NC

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Greensboro, NC

North Carolina A&T State University

Annual net price
$10,846
Observed earnings · year 5
$49,710
Modeled 10-year ROI
-79%
Open college profile →Boone, NC

Appalachian State University

Annual net price
$16,836
Observed earnings · year 5
$51,728
Modeled 10-year ROI
-73%
Open college profile →Winston-Salem, NC

Winston-Salem State University

Annual net price
$13,479
Observed earnings · year 5
$55,548
Modeled 10-year ROI
-55%
Open college profile →Greensboro, NC

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Annual net price
$10,965
Observed earnings · year 5
$48,436
Modeled 10-year ROI
-85%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree$122,811Not available
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree$100,807Not available
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree$86,853$27,000
Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's Degree$83,954$27,000
Engineering, GeneralBachelor's Degree$82,500$25,550
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$79,533$23,163
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's Degree$79,441$23,154
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralBachelor's Degree$78,801$25,250
Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's Degree$77,673Not available
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral Degree$77,060Not available
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's Degree$77,046Not available
Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's Degree$75,418Not available
Public AdministrationMaster's Degree$72,948Not available
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesMaster's Degree$71,161Not available
Public AdministrationBachelor's Degree$70,331$18,375
Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's Degree$68,241Not available
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's Degree$65,010$23,835
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree$63,641Not available
Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's Degree$62,128$23,000
Public HealthBachelor's Degree$61,698$26,343
Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree$61,346$20,000
MathematicsBachelor's Degree$59,885$27,000
MarketingMaster's Degree$58,995Not available
Social WorkMaster's Degree$58,911Not available
Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's Degree$58,467$29,911
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree$58,076$23,625
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$57,713$23,495
MarketingBachelor's Degree$56,568$23,508
Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's Degree$56,344Not available
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree$55,903$21,461
Education, GeneralMaster's Degree$54,249Not available
Security Science and TechnologyBachelor's Degree$54,246$21,500
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition ServicesBachelor's Degree$53,622$24,905
Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's Degree$52,183$21,287
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree$52,077$25,000
Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's Degree$51,558Not available
ChemistryBachelor's Degree$51,213$20,824
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree$50,761$25,000
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$50,180$26,037
Social WorkBachelor's Degree$50,025$25,857
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsBachelor's Degree$49,898$24,000
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicyBachelor's Degree$49,834$21,962
Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's Degree$49,798$26,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$48,350$23,250
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree$48,232$25,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree$47,105$24,714
Special Education and TeachingBachelor's Degree$47,031$20,485
SociologyBachelor's Degree$46,195$23,250
English Language and Literature, GeneralMaster's Degree$46,104Not available
AnthropologyBachelor's Degree$45,809$22,595
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree$45,079$25,000
MusicBachelor's Degree$44,014$27,000
Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's Degree$43,954$25,000
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree$43,322$18,500
Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree$43,029$26,000
HistoryBachelor's Degree$42,698$24,004
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities ManagementBachelor's Degree$41,786$22,252
Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree$40,831Not available
Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree$40,744$23,250
Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's Degree$34,516$26,000
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's DegreeNot available$31,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's DegreeNot available$26,000

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.