---
title: Western Carolina University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Cullowhee, NC
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $49,458 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $35,205 – $67,362 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $15,348 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 60% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $19,992 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 71% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.31× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $21,458 | derived |

**60% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $15,348 (≈ 31% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $19,961 to $97,321 across 53 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $97,321 | $36,847 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,703 | $31,000 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Doctoral Degree | $65,460 | $69,085 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $64,798 | $28,117 |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,214 | $25,550 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,362 | $17,500 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,202 | $26,000 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,197 | $22,457 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $57,173 | $25,250 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $55,835 | $16,418 |
| Public Administration. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,712 | $17,234 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Master's Degree | $55,207 | $22,818 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,769 | $27,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $53,571 | $22,410 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $47,954 | $41,000 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,032 | $25,090 |
| Chemistry. | Master's Degree | $45,194 | not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Master's Degree | $43,009 | $14,240 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $42,079 | $26,000 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $40,933 | $22,137 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $40,543 | $25,807 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $39,817 | $41,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,206 | $22,060 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,148 | $27,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,962 | $19,428 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,319 | $22,300 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,480 | $20,485 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,337 | $24,927 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,154 | $21,430 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,526 | $23,900 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,951 | $21,836 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,891 | $18,500 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,853 | $19,618 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,207 | $22,922 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,747 | $24,302 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,194 | $24,818 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,187 | $29,911 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,162 | $25,000 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,948 | $23,187 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,940 | $25,657 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,090 | $22,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,661 | $18,697 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,606 | $25,193 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,466 | $25,159 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,437 | $23,814 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,864 | $21,415 |
| Music. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,792 | $26,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,472 | $21,813 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,232 | $24,722 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,768 | not reported |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,479 | $23,250 |
| Anthropology. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,834 | $20,732 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,961 | $25,000 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Western Carolina University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?200004

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/western-carolina-university-nc.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`