Private nonprofit · University

North Carolina Wesleyan University

Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Small city

80.2%
Admit rate
$17,432
Avg net price
42%
Graduation rate
$45,873
Median earnings

North Carolina Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Rocky Mount, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 1,214 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,214 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division III with football · USA South Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. After English colonists and indigenous allies waged the Tuscarora War in the early 1700s; most survivors migrated to the North. The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences hosts the Maria V. Howard Arts Center, a Children's Museum and Science Center, and a community theater. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
51 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean
53 miles
Nearest airport
34 miles to Pitt-Greenville (PGV)

How North Carolina Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity80.2%

More selective than 44% · #38 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 26% · #41 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention59%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,873

Higher than 26% · #29 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$17,432

Cheaper than 62% · #22 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,214

Larger than 43%

Percentiles compare North Carolina Wesleyan 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

1,371students
  • Undergraduate1,21489%
  • Graduate15711%

Undergraduates by gender

1,214undergrads
  • Women73561%
  • Men47939%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White20%
  • Black36%
  • Hispanic3.0%
  • Other or multiracial40%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,214
Graduate enrollment
157
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
50%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
32%
Median family income
$24,995
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$59,373
Endowment
$13,726,892

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

Admissions

Admission rate
80.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$35,736
Room & board
$13,348
Books & supplies
$400
Total cost of attendance
$49,974
Average net price
$17,432

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)
42%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
59%
Transferred to another college
35%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,939
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,873
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
64%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
31%

About 13% 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
29%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
44%

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
826
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Housing charge (year)
$5,698
Meal plan (year)
$7,096
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
USA South Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
433 (310 men · 123 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 (10)

Football145
Soccer83
Baseball45
Basketball33
Tennis32
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)28
Softball24
Volleyball19
Lacrosse13
Golf11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
19

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,419 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.

7.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year6.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
5.7
Rape
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Fondling
0.3

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
$16,114
$30–48k
$14,020
$48–75k
$16,017
$75–110k
$20,403
$110k+
$22,379

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
$71,338

$16,017/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.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,606
average award, among those who get one

North Carolina Wesleyan University discounts heavily: 98% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,606. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 246 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)
$45,873
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
54%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$45,707
Men
$46,385

Men out-earn women by $678 (1%) 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
48.6″
Annual snow
2.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rocky MT 8 Ese, NC US station (10.2 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 North Carolina Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near North Carolina Wesleyan 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.