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.
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
More selective than 44% · #38 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 26% · #41 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 12%
Higher than 26% · #29 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 62% · #22 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 34%
Lower than 50%
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
- Undergraduate1,21489%
- Graduate15711%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rocky MT 8 Ese, NC US station (10.2 mi from campus).
What North Carolina Wesleyan 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 North Carolina Wesleyan University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare North Carolina Wesleyan University side by side →
Emory & Henry University
Emory, Virginia · Fringe rural · 91 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 1,078
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1135
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
Grace College and Theological Seminary
Winona Lake, Indiana · Distant town · 37 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 1,464
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1119
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $45k
Huntington University
Huntington, Indiana · Distant town · 22 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 1,082
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1052
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $47k
Muskingum University
New Concord, Ohio · Distant rural · 67 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,376
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1017
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $48k
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan · Midsize city · 4 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
- 1,298
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Graceland University-Lamoni
Lamoni, Iowa · Remote rural · 69 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 798
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near North Carolina Wesleyan University
Nash Community College
Rocky Mount, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,689 students
Edgecombe Community College
Tarboro, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,397 students
Wilson Community College
Wilson, NC · Public · Associate · 1,373 students
Barton College
Wilson, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 982 students
Halifax Community College
Weldon, NC · Public · Associate · 723 students
Louisburg College
Louisburg, NC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 402 students
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 19,896 students
Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design
Greenville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 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.












