Private nonprofit · University
Carolina University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Large city
- 39.5%
- Admit rate
- $20,828
- Avg net price
- 22%
- Graduation rate
- $32,864
- Median earnings
Carolina University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 460 undergraduates. It has a Other religious affiliation.
About Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Followers of the Moravian Church had interacted with Cherokees. The city of Winston-Salem is a product of the merging of the two neighboring towns of Winston and Salem in 1913. Old Salem is a restored Moravian settlement founded in 1766. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Winston-Salem, NC
- To the ocean
- 179 miles
- Nearest airport
- 17 miles to Piedmont Triad (GSO) · major hub
How Carolina University compares
More selective than 90% · #7 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 7% · #53 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 10%
Higher than 5% · #54 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 46% · #35 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 73%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 20%
Percentiles compare Carolina University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate46052%
- Graduate42048%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women22348%
- Men23752%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White28%
- Black18%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian2.0%
- Other or multiracial40%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 460
- Graduate enrollment
- 420
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 37%
- First-generation students
- 33%
- Students over 25
- 19%
- Median family income
- $32,421
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $48,663
- Endowment
- $386,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 39.5%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $17,575
- Room & board
- $12,400
- Books & supplies
- $2,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $32,680
- Average net price
- $20,828
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 22%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 19%
- First-year retention
- 56%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,657
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,864
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,287
- Students with federal loans
- 45%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 63%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 225
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 49%
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NAIA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 259 (181 men · 78 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (5)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (880 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$22,993/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Carolina University itself, averaging $9,091, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 82 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $32,864
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,287
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 62%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 46%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $22,563 (100%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 43.2″
- Annual snow
- 3.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winston Salem Rynlds AP, NC US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What Carolina University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Carolina University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carolina University side by side →
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary
El Dorado Hills, California · Large suburb · 24 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 198
- Admission
- 41%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $35k
Saint Augustine's University
Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city · 1 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 172
- Admission
- 34%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $36k
Trinity College of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida · Large city · 9 mi to Jacksonville
- Students
- 386
- Admission
- 53%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 907
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $37k
Ohio Christian University
Circleville, Ohio · Fringe rural · 25 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 862
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $40k
Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana · Large city · 3 mi to New Orleans
- Students
- 1,063
- Admission
- 42%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $39k
Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi · Distant town · 43 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 467
- Admission
- 49%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $32k
Colleges near Carolina University
Salem College
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 423 students
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Winston Salem, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 945 students
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 4,170 students
Winston Salem Barber School
Winston-Salem, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 29 students
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC · Public · Associate · 7,113 students
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,485 students
Carolina Christian College
Winston Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 52 students
Empire Beauty School-Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












