Public · Community college

Wayne Community College

Goldsboro, North Carolina · Small city

15%
Transfer rate: $2,245
Avg net price: 49%
Grad / completion: $34,148
Median earnings

Wayne Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Goldsboro, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 2,739 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,739 undergradsSmall cityCold winters

About Goldsboro, North Carolina

Goldsboro, originally Goldsborough, is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. Around 1787, when Wayne County was formed, a town named Waynesborough grew around the county's courthouse. In 1787, William Whitfield III (son of William Whitfield II) and his son were appointed "Directors and Trustees" Cliffs of the Neuse State Park is a state park located near the city. It covers 751 acres (3.04 km2) along the southern banks of the Neuse River. It has a swimming area, several hiking trails, fishing areas, a nature museum, and picnic areas. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 47 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean: 51 miles
Nearest airport: 35 miles to Pitt-Greenville (PGV)

How Wayne Community College compares

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 36% · #38 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention67%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,148

Higher than 46% · #34 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$2,245

Cheaper than 98% · #10 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$6,500

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment2,739

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Wayne Community College 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

Women1,68862%
Men1,05138%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White47%
Black25%
Hispanic23%
Asian0.9%
Other or multiracial3.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,739
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 37%
First-generation students: 47%
Students over 25: 33%
Median family income: $21,064
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $54,990
Endowment: $4,068,101

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $2,566
Out-of-state tuition: $8,710
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,600
Total cost of attendance: $11,096
Average net price: $2,245

Outcomes

Graduated: 49%
First-year retention: 67%
Transferred to another college: 15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,900
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $34,148
Median debt at graduation: $6,500
Students with federal loans: 0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

49%

First-generation

23%

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: No
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$1,371

$30–48k

$2,169

$48–75k

$3,271

$75–110k

$4,601

$110k+

$7,179

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

12%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$785

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 12% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $785. 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 147 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): $34,148
Typical debt at graduation: $6,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 19%
Out-earn a HS grad: 36%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$31,619

Men

$40,340

Men out-earn women by $8,721 (28%) 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: 32°F
Annual rain: 52.5″
Annual snow: 2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Goldsboro AG 1 N, NC US station (3.3 mi from campus).

What Wayne Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

215 grads$26k 1 yr$39k 5 yr$6k debt

215$26,028$39,302$5,500 Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

118 grads$18k 1 yr$32k 5 yr— debt

118$17,672$32,044—Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

70 grads— 1 yr$48k 5 yr— debt

70—$47,523—Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

64 grads— 1 yr$28k 5 yr— debt

64—$28,203—Precision Metal WorkingCert.

63 grads— 1 yr$42k 5 yr— debt

63—$42,329—Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

54 grads— 1 yr$41k 5 yr— debt

54—$40,650—Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCert.

40 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

40———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

38 grads$62k 1 yr$67k 5 yr— debt

38$61,774$67,390—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

35 grads$17k 1 yr$32k 5 yr— debt

35$17,469$32,396—Design and Applied ArtsCert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

29 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

29———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———

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 Wayne Community College

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

College of the Albemarle

Public

Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Distant town · 37 mi to Norfolk

Students: 2,001
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 31%
Earnings: $33k

Johnston Community College

Public

Smithfield, North Carolina · Fringe town · 26 mi to Raleigh

Students: 3,453
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 24%
Earnings: $37k

Durham Technical Community College

Public

Durham, North Carolina · Large city · 2 mi to Durham

Students: 3,890
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $36k

Craven Community College

Public

New Bern, North Carolina · Distant town · 78 mi to Wilmington

Students: 1,989
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Vance-Granville Community College

Public

Henderson, North Carolina · Distant town · 32 mi to Durham

Students: 1,665
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Nash Community College

Public

Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,689
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $35k

Colleges near Wayne Community College

University of Mount Olive

Mount Olive, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,796 students

15 mi

Wilson Community College

Wilson, NC · Public · Associate · 1,373 students

23 mi

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC · Public · Associate · 3,453 students

23 mi

Barton College

Wilson, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 982 students

23 mi

Lenoir Community College

Kinston, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,469 students

24 mi

James Sprunt Community College

Kenansville, NC · Public · Certificate · 799 students

32 mi

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC · Public · Certificate · 5,317 students

32 mi

Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design

Greenville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students

35 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.