Private for-profit · Community college

College of Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate: $23,108
Avg net price: 15%
Grad / completion: $19,235
Median earnings

College of Wilmington is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Wilmington, North Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 132 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 132 undergradsMidsize cityNear the coast

About Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington. The complex has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1858 and houses three performance venues, the Main Stage, the Grand Ballroom, and the Studio Theater. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Certificate
Nearest big city: 2 miles to Wilmington, NC
To the ocean: 3 miles
Nearest airport: 4 miles to Wilmington (ILM)

How College of Wilmington compares

Graduation rate15%

Higher than 2% · #88 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention80%

Higher than 64%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$19,235

Higher than 4% · #83 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$23,108

Cheaper than 23% · #80 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$9,423

Lower than 64%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 29%

Undergraduate enrollment132

Larger than 35%

Percentiles compare College of Wilmington with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women11688%
Men1612%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White71%
Black16%
Hispanic0.8%
Asian1.5%
Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 132
Student–faculty ratio: 20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 52%
First-generation students: 48%
Students over 25: 56%
Median family income: $8,736

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

Cost

In-state tuition: —
Room & board: —
Total cost of attendance: —
Average net price: $23,108

Outcomes

Graduated: 15%
First-year retention: 80%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $23,178
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $19,235
Median debt at graduation: $9,423
Students with federal loans: 47%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 23%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $100

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

$19,117

$30–48k

$22,403

$48–75k

—

$75–110k

$26,512

$110k+

$26,512

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.

Does the school pay you to attend?

College of Wilmington funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $19,235
Typical debt at graduation: $9,423
Debt vs. one year's pay: 49%
Out-earn a HS grad: 15%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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.

Campus climate

Summer high: 90°F
Winter low: 36°F
Annual rain: 60.1″
Annual snow: 0.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wilmington Intl AP, NC US station (3.7 mi from campus).

What College of Wilmington graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

40 grads$20k 1 yr$23k 5 yr$17k debt

40$19,962$23,204$16,500 Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services

26 grads$19k 1 yr$26k 5 yr$14k debt

26$18,705$25,890$14,311 Health and Medical Administrative Services

— grads— 1 yr$34k 5 yr— debt

——$34,192—

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 College of Wilmington

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of Wilmington side by side →

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Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $19k

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Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
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Students: 90
Tuition: —
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Colleges near College of Wilmington

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Wilmington, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 14,922 students

2 mi

Cape Fear Community College

Wilmington, NC · Public · Associate · 9,764 students

3 mi

Brunswick Community College

Bolivia, NC · Public · Associate · 1,211 students

22 mi

Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville

Jacksonville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 195 students

49 mi

Coastal Carolina Community College

Jacksonville, NC · Public · Associate · 2,724 students

49 mi

Southeastern Community College

Whiteville, NC · Public · Associate · 820 students

51 mi

James Sprunt Community College

Kenansville, NC · Public · Certificate · 799 students

51 mi

Bladen Community College

Dublin, NC · Public · Associate · 1,030 students

56 mi

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.