Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Students comparing University of North Carolina Wilmington on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Wilmington, North Carolina14,922 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

University of North Carolina Wilmington: U.S. News ranks it #198 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #440 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #179 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #492 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 14,922 undergraduates, admits 64.2% of applicants, and posts a 70.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $24,152; aid recipients pay $20,109 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,967.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
64.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,109

48% below the $38,420 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$54,967

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
70.6%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1230–1340

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where North Carolina Wilmington ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#198of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#440of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#179of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#492of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: North Carolina Wilmington's position moves 76 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About North Carolina Wilmington

University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution in Wilmington, North Carolina. Federal data show 88.2% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,109 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $38,420 sticker cost against $20,109 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of North Carolina Wilmington on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$7,277

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$24,152

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$14,268

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $38,420 a year, but the average family pays $20,109 — a 48% difference. 23.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run North Carolina Wilmington's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    88.2%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    14,922

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    North Carolina Wilmington: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $24,152 and on-campus room and board is $14,268, for a published total of $38,420 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,109.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 64.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte

    Charlotte, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of North Carolina at Charlotte: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #236 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #191 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #298 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #297 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #1170 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 24,453 undergraduates, admits 79.6% of applicants, and posts a 69.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,492; aid recipients pay $15,435 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,289.

    Acceptance rate
    79.6%
    Average net price
    $15,435
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,289
    6-yr graduation rate
    69.0%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#236 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#191 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    24,453 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    Edinburg, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: U.S. News ranks it #213 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #449 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #4 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #256 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #223 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 28,666 undergraduates, admits 94.2% of applicants, and posts a 50.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,827; aid recipients pay $4,831 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,620.

    Acceptance rate
    94.2%
    Average net price
    $4,831
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,620
    6-yr graduation rate
    50.9%
    US News · National universities#213 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#449 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#4 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    28,666 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Kentucky

    Lexington, KYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Kentucky: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #233 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #694 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #258 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #205 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #795 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 24,763 undergraduates, admits 92.9% of applicants, and posts a 71.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $34,140; aid recipients pay $18,851 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,025.

    Acceptance rate
    92.9%
    Average net price
    $18,851
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $59,025
    6-yr graduation rate
    71.4%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#233 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#694 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    24,763 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare North Carolina Wilmington against these