Borrowing and outcomes
Student debt at North Carolina colleges
Across the 80 North Carolina colleges that report both figures, median federal student debt at graduation is $22,375, and a median of 53.6% of students take federal loans. Those two numbers belong together: the dollar figure describes only the students who borrowed, so it means something quite different at a college where most students borrow than at one where few do.
Which student-debt number this is
This page measures debt at graduation, by college: what students who borrowed had taken in federal loans by the time they finished at a particular North Carolina institution. Most published “average student debt in North Carolina” figures measure something else, the total balance carried by borrowers who live in North Carolina, which includes graduate-school borrowing and years of accrued interest and is therefore much larger. Both are real; they answer different questions. Use this one to compare colleges, not to estimate a lifetime balance.
Median debt at graduation
$22,375
Middle half: $15,917 to $25,829
Median share who borrow
53.6%
Across 80 colleges
Illustrative monthly payment
$254/mo
10-year standard plan at 6.52%
North Carolina colleges by median federal debt at graduation
Lowest median debt first, showing 60 of 80 colleges (29 public, 51 private). This is a sort of one reported figure, not a ranking and not a recommendation. Every row shows the borrower share beside the dollar amount because neither number means much alone.
| College | Median federal debt | Share who borrow | Illustrative payment | Earnings 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC · Public two-year | $9,500 | 3.2% | $108/mo | $38,654 |
| MyComputerCareer at Raleigh, Raleigh, NC · Private two-year | $9,500 | 89.8% | $108/mo | Not reported |
| Southeastern College-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC · Private two-year | $9,500 | 93% | $108/mo | $31,548 |
| Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem, NC · Public two-year | $10,000 | 18.1% | $114/mo | $34,139 |
| Davidson-Davie Community College, Thomasville, NC · Public two-year | $10,500 | 15.7% | $119/mo | $36,337 |
| Wilson Community College, Wilson, NC · Public two-year | $10,500 | 5.9% | $119/mo | $32,973 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville, NC · Public two-year | $11,500 | 18.1% | $131/mo | $31,861 |
| Nash Community College, Rocky Mount, NC · Public two-year | $11,500 | 5% | $131/mo | $34,912 |
| Pitt Community College, Winterville, NC · Public two-year | $11,977 | 11.1% | $136/mo | $37,259 |
| Louisburg College, Louisburg, NC · Private two-year | $12,000 | 66.6% | $136/mo | $34,818 |
| Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC · Public two-year | $12,000 | 15.5% | $136/mo | $41,769 |
| Duke University, Durham, NC · Private four-year | $13,000 | 16.3% | $148/mo | $97,800 |
| NASCAR Technical Institute, Mooresville, NC · Private two-year | $13,124 | 63.5% | $149/mo | $52,873 |
| Manna University, Fayetteville, NC · Private four-year | $13,450 | 27% | $153/mo | Not reported |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC · Public four-year | $14,000 | 18.3% | $159/mo | $72,200 |
| Durham Technical Community College, Durham, NC · Public two-year | $14,750 | 7.2% | $168/mo | $36,142 |
| Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC · Public two-year | $14,901 | 24% | $169/mo | $33,934 |
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences, Charlotte, NC · Public four-year | $15,337 | 44.5% | $174/mo | $64,624 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Asheville, NC · Public two-year | $15,528 | 8.2% | $176/mo | $36,048 |
| Edgecombe Community College, Tarboro, NC · Public two-year | $15,917 | 18.8% | $181/mo | $33,267 |
| Miller-Motte College-Fayetteville, Fayetteville, NC · Private two-year | $15,917 | 43.9% | $181/mo | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, NC · Private two-year | $15,917 | 43.8% | $181/mo | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-Raleigh, Raleigh, NC · Private two-year | $15,917 | 64.4% | $181/mo | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC · Private four-year | $15,917 | 64.6% | $181/mo | $31,102 |
| Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, Concord, NC · Private four-year | $16,000 | 87.1% | $182/mo | $58,708 |
| Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, NC · Private four-year | $17,375 | 86.6% | $197/mo | $43,415 |
| Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC · Private four-year | $18,000 | 71.1% | $205/mo | $33,696 |
| Davidson College, Davidson, NC · Private four-year | $18,688 | 11.1% | $212/mo | $81,400 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC · Public four-year | $19,500 | 36.1% | $222/mo | $54,967 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Raleigh, NC · Public four-year | $20,121 | 34% | $229/mo | $68,758 |
| Appalachian State University, Boone, NC · Public four-year | $20,231 | 37.6% | $230/mo | $51,836 |
| Carolina University, Winston-Salem, NC · Private four-year | $20,287 | 50.7% | $231/mo | $32,864 |
| Elon University, Elon, NC · Private four-year | $20,500 | 24.5% | $233/mo | $74,545 |
| University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC · Public four-year | $20,500 | 39% | $233/mo | $44,030 |
| Chamberlain University-North Carolina, Charlotte, NC · Private four-year | $20,919 | 74.3% | $238/mo | $92,405 |
| Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, NC · Public four-year | $21,463 | 53.3% | $244/mo | $40,026 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC · Public four-year | $21,500 | 41.1% | $244/mo | $57,289 |
| Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC · Private four-year | $21,500 | 14.6% | $244/mo | $78,158 |
| Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC · Public four-year | $21,868 | 43.6% | $249/mo | $49,458 |
| William Peace University, Raleigh, NC · Private four-year | $22,250 | 62.3% | $253/mo | $46,643 |
| Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC · Private four-year | $22,500 | 39% | $256/mo | $54,886 |
| East Carolina University, Greenville, NC · Public four-year | $22,750 | 40.4% | $259/mo | $55,146 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC · Public four-year | $22,858 | 44.6% | $260/mo | $48,160 |
| Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC · Public four-year | $22,987 | 45.9% | $261/mo | $40,144 |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston Salem, NC · Public four-year | $23,870 | 46.6% | $271/mo | $38,357 |
| Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, NC · Private four-year | $24,222 | 54.9% | $275/mo | $48,039 |
| High Point University, High Point, NC · Private four-year | $24,575 | 36% | $279/mo | $61,389 |
| Brevard College, Brevard, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 70.5% | $284/mo | $43,545 |
| Catawba College, Salisbury, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 59.8% | $284/mo | $48,793 |
| Meredith College, Raleigh, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 54.9% | $284/mo | $51,539 |
| North Carolina Wesleyan University, Rocky Mount, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 63% | $284/mo | $45,873 |
| Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 44.5% | $284/mo | $57,673 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC · Public four-year | $25,000 | 42.6% | $284/mo | $43,407 |
| Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 56.4% | $284/mo | $36,260 |
| Wingate University, Wingate, NC · Private four-year | $25,000 | 53.9% | $284/mo | $52,649 |
| Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC · Public four-year | $25,000 | 62.3% | $284/mo | $45,344 |
| St. Andrews University, Laurinburg, NC · Private four-year | $25,250 | 69% | $287/mo | $45,606 |
| Greensboro College, Greensboro, NC · Private four-year | $25,607 | 66.9% | $291/mo | $46,566 |
| Carolina College of Biblical Studies, Fayetteville, NC · Private four-year | $25,750 | 25.9% | $293/mo | $24,581 |
| Montreat College, Montreat, NC · Private four-year | $25,813 | 67.4% | $293/mo | $45,151 |
The illustrative payment assumes the standard 10-year federal repayment plan at 6.52%, the U.S. Department of Education, fixed rate for undergraduate Direct Loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. It is an illustration, not a quote.
What the North Carolina borrowing data shows
- Across the 80 North Carolina colleges reporting both figures, median federal debt at graduation is $22,375 and the median borrower share is 53.6%. The middle half of these colleges falls between $15,917 and $25,829.
- On the standard 10-year federal repayment plan at 6.52%, $22,375 works out to about $254 a month for 10 years. That is an illustration of one repayment plan, not a quote: income-driven plans produce very different payments, and a real borrower's loans carry the rate in force in each year they borrowed.
- The borrower share varies far more than the dollar figure. At Cape Fear Community College 3.2% of students take federal loans; at Southeastern College-Charlotte it is 93%. Read the two numbers together — a low median at a college where almost nobody borrows describes the few who did, not the typical student.
- Median earnings ten years after entry, across the 78 North Carolina colleges here that report it, is $44,235. That figure covers students who received federal aid and reflects the mix of programs and students at each college, not the effect of attending it.
How these figures were built
Every number comes from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard / IPEDS), as carried in CampusPin’s committed snapshot of 2026-08-13. Nothing is recomputed, modelled, or imputed.
An institution appears here only if it reports bothmedian federal debt at graduation and the share of students receiving federal loans. Median debt without the borrower share is the misleading half of the statistic, so a college reporting one and not the other is excluded rather than shown incomplete. Institutions sharing an identical debt, borrower-share and earnings tuple are also excluded, because that pattern means one record’s series was attached to several colleges upstream and the figure cannot be attributed to a single school.
Federal loans only. Private loans, parent PLUS borrowing, and money families pay without borrowing are not in this data, so real household borrowing is higher than these figures. Median debt describes students who borrowed and completed, not all students. Figures reflect a prior cohort and lag the current academic year by one to two federal reporting cycles.
Frequently asked questions
- How much student debt do North Carolina college graduates have?
- Across the 80 North Carolina colleges that report both figures, the median federal loan debt at graduation is $22,375, and a median of 53.6% of students take federal loans. Individual colleges range from $9,500 to $32,500. These are federal loans only, so households that also used private or parent PLUS loans borrowed more than this.
- Does a low average debt figure mean a college is affordable?
- Not on its own. Median debt describes only the students who borrowed and completed. A college where 15% of students borrow can post a low median while most families pay a high price out of pocket, and a college where most students borrow can post a modest median because its price is genuinely low. Always read the dollar figure together with the share who borrow, which is why this page never shows one without the other.
- Is this every college in North Carolina?
- No. This page covers the 80 North Carolina institutions in CampusPin's dataset that report BOTH median debt at graduation and the borrower share. A college reporting only one of the two is excluded rather than shown with half the statistic. CampusPin's dataset is also not the complete federal Title IV universe.
- Why is this lower than the average student debt figure I have seen for North Carolina?
- Because they measure different things. This page reports median federal debt AT GRADUATION for students at North Carolina colleges. The widely published state figures report the total federal balance carried by borrowers who RESIDE in a state, which includes graduate-school borrowing and years of accrued interest on loans taken long ago, so it is substantially higher. Neither is wrong. Use debt at graduation to compare colleges against each other, and the residence figure to understand what people in a state currently owe.
- What is not counted in these figures?
- Private student loans, parent PLUS borrowing, and money families pay without borrowing are all outside this data, so real household cost is higher than the numbers here. The figures also reflect a prior graduating cohort and lag the current academic year by one to two federal reporting cycles.
Limitations of this data
- Median debt covers FEDERAL loans only. Private loans, parent PLUS borrowing, and money families pay without borrowing are not included, so real household cost is higher than this figure.
- It describes students who BORROWED and completed, not all students. Read it together with the borrower share on the same row.
- Figures reflect a prior cohort and lag the current academic year by one to two federal reporting cycles.
- Median earnings ten years out covers students who received federal financial aid, and reflects the mix of programs and students at each institution, not the effect of attending it.
- Reflects institutions in CampusPin's dataset, NOT the full federal Title IV universe.
More South states
Cost and outcomes in North Carolina
- Affordable colleges in North Carolina
- All colleges in North Carolina
- Compare debt across every state
- What college costs at your family income
- Research: college cost vs. outcomes
- Research: where college costs more than a family can borrow
- FAFSA lower earnings list: 14 North Carolina schools flagged now (27 in December 2025)
Keep going on CampusPin
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Federal reporting is updated annually. Report a data issue.
Data sources & methodology
Debt, borrower-share, and earnings figures for North Carolina colleges come from federal collections reported by each institution.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Student Debt at North Carolina Colleges. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/student-debt/north-carolina