Private nonprofit · University

Shaw University

Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city

80.2%
Admit rate
$16,512
Avg net price
22%
Graduation rate
$34,409
Median earnings

Shaw University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Raleigh, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 875 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 875 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division II with football · Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

About Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Bath, the oldest town in North Carolina, was the first nominal capital of the colony from 1705 until 1722, when Edenton took over the role. The colony had no permanent institutions of government until the new capital, New Bern, was established in 1743. The Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek hosts major international touring acts. In 2011, the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater opened (now sponsored as the Red Hat Amphitheater), which hosts numerous concerts primarily in the summer months. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean
91 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) · major hub

How Shaw University compares

Selectivity80.2%

More selective than 44% · #37 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 7% · #52 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention52%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,409

Higher than 5% · #53 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$16,512

Cheaper than 66% · #18 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$32,500

Lower than 2%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment875

Larger than 34%

Percentiles compare Shaw 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

962students
  • Undergraduate87591%
  • Graduate879%

Undergraduates by gender

875undergrads
  • Women49456%
  • Men38144%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White1.7%
  • Black72%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
875
Graduate enrollment
87
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
66%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$21,406
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$45,369
Endowment
$14,298,337

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
$17,538
Room & board
$9,210
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$30,861
Average net price
$16,512

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)
10%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$26,148
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,409
Median debt at graduation
$32,500
Students with federal loans
71%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
11%

About 12% 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
10%
First-generation
17%

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
773
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
88%
Housing charge (year)
$4,040
Meal plan (year)
$4,900
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
323 (185 men · 138 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 (9)

Football111
Soccer73
Basketball34
Softball25
Track and Field (Outdoor)24
Cross Country20
Tennis16
Volleyball13
Bowling7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
12.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
19
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (964 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.

12reported offenses a year
6.3 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
3.0
Burglary
3.0
Robbery
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.3
Rape
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
$16,236
$30–48k
$16,276
$48–75k
$21,145
$75–110k
$110k+
$24,966

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
$102,120

$21,145/year × about 4.8 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.

90%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,688
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 90% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,688. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 193 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)
$34,409
Typical debt at graduation
$32,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
94%
Out-earn a HS grad
38%

Typical debt would take roughly 9.4 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
$34,004
Men
$34,653

Men out-earn women by $649 (2%) 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
91°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
49.4″
Annual snow
4.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Raleigh State Univ, NC US station (3.7 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 Shaw University

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

Colleges near Shaw 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.