Private nonprofit · University

Chowan University

Murfreesboro, North Carolina · Remote rural

68.8%
Admit rate
$14,086
Avg net price
30%
Graduation rate
$38,412
Median earnings

Chowan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Murfreesboro, North Carolina (remote rural setting), enrolling 603 undergraduates. It has a Southern Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 603 undergradsRemote ruralAccessible · 69% admitNCAA Division II with football · Gulf South ConferenceCold wintersNear the coast

About Murfreesboro, North Carolina

Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The first European known to visit the area was John White of the Roanoke Colony in the 16th century. It was also visited by an expedition from Jamestown, Virginia, in the 17th century. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
53 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean
22 miles
Nearest airport
58 miles to Pitt-Greenville (PGV)

How Chowan University compares

Selectivity68.8%

More selective than 66% · #20 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 11% · #48 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention71%

Higher than 33%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,412

Higher than 11% · #46 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$14,086

Cheaper than 77% · #13 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$29,491

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment603

Larger than 25%

Percentiles compare Chowan 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

675students
  • Undergraduate60389%
  • Graduate7211%

Undergraduates by gender

603undergrads
  • Women30951%
  • Men29449%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White28%
  • Black48%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
603
Graduate enrollment
72
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
57%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$25,410
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$63,306
Endowment
$31,989,307

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 161 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina47%
  • Other U.S. states42%
  • International11%

A regional draw: about 47% of first-years come from North Carolina, the rest from elsewhere.

11% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
68.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$27,910
Room & board
$10,734
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$39,027
Average net price
$14,086

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)
30%
Graduated on time (4 years)
19%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
39%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$30,096
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,412
Median debt at graduation
$29,491
Students with federal loans
57%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
19%
Low-income (Pell)
28%
First-generation
28%

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
1,518
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Gulf South Conference
Varsity athletes
479 (347 men · 132 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 (11)

Football146
Soccer65
Lacrosse52
Baseball51
Basketball51
Swimming26
Volleyball23
Softball21
Tennis16
Golf15
Cross Country13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
20.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (675 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.

14reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.7
Aggravated assault
3.0
Rape
2.3
Fondling
2.3
Robbery
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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.

< $30k
$13,726
$30–48k
$10,950
$48–75k
$14,549
$75–110k
$14,565
$110k+
$19,713

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.

Est. total to a degree
$66,117

$14,549/year × about 4.5 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$16,584
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Chowan University itself, averaging $16,584, 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 215 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)
$38,412
Typical debt at graduation
$29,491
Debt vs. one year's pay
77%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

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.

Women
$34,645
Men
$41,849

Men out-earn women by $7,204 (21%) 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
29°F
Annual rain
49.6″
Annual snow
2.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Murfreesboro, NC US station (1.5 mi from campus).

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 Chowan University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Chowan University side by side →

Colleges near Chowan University

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.