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University of North Carolina Wilmington: Rankings, Cost & Majors

159 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
64% Acceptance Rate

University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution in Wilmington, North Carolina enrolling 14,922 undergraduates. It accepts 64% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 71%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #361 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 7%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is University of North Carolina Wilmington Ranked?

University of North Carolina Wilmington ranks #361 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 7%.

#361 Best Colleges in Nation
#9 Best Colleges in NC
University of North Carolina Wilmington ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

University of North Carolina Wilmington was awarded 159 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

College Factual ranked University of North Carolina Wilmington as #361 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.

Within the state, University of North Carolina Wilmington holds the #9 spot on the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking.

See all of the rankings for University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of North Carolina Wilmington?

64% Acceptance Rate
66% Of Accepted Are Women
5% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at University of North Carolina Wilmington is a competitive 64%, so make sure you take your application seriously when putting it together. Even leaving out a minor detail could be a reason to move you to the rejection pile.

Average Test Scores

About 5% of students accepted to University of North Carolina Wilmington submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 620 and 680. Math scores were between 610 and 660.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of North Carolina Wilmington  ( 620 to 680 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of North Carolina Wilmington  ( 610 to 660 )
200
800

University of North Carolina Wilmington received ACT scores from 12% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 24 and 29.

ACT Composite Scores for University of North Carolina Wilmington  ( 24 to 29 )
1
36

Learn more about University of North Carolina Wilmington admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at University of North Carolina Wilmington?

17 to 1 Student to Faculty
72% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

With a student to faculty ratio of 17 to 1, University of North Carolina Wilmington is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of North Carolina Wilmington is 72%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  72 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of North Carolina Wilmington?

88% Freshmen Retention
71% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

University of North Carolina Wilmington has a freshmen retention rate of 88%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  88 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At University of North Carolina Wilmington the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 71%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  71 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

How Diverse Is University of North Carolina Wilmington?

14,922 Undergraduate Students
19.3% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
63.7% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 14,922 undergraduates at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

How Much Does University of North Carolina Wilmington Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
36% Take Out Loans
$25,540 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of University of North Carolina Wilmington is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for University of North Carolina Wilmington

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$10,778 $12,572 $17,378 $24,046 $25,573

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of University of North Carolina Wilmington, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At University of North Carolina Wilmington, approximately 36% of students took out student loans averaging $6,385 a year. That adds up to $25,540 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of North Carolina Wilmington.

How Much Do U of North Carolina Wilmington Graduates Earn?

$54,967 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from University of North Carolina Wilmington make around $54,967 per year during the early years of their employment. This is good news for future University of North Carolina Wilmington graduates since it is 12% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for University of North Carolina Wilmington Graduates

See which majors at University of North Carolina Wilmington make the most money.

Where Is University of North Carolina Wilmington Located?

North Carolina State
14,922 Undergraduate Students
Midsize City Campus Setting

University of North Carolina Wilmington is an public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Location of University of North Carolina Wilmington

Contact information for University of North Carolina Wilmington are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403-5963
Phone: 9109623000
Website: www.uncw.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Wilmington
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Wilmington-NC/UNCW/8357990919
Twitter: twitter.com/uncwilmington

What Majors Does University of North Carolina Wilmington Offer?

23 Majors With Completions
10,936 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 23 majors graduated from University of North Carolina Wilmington. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 5,468 NA
Nursing 953 $66,953
Business Administration & Management 812 $39,700
Management Sciences & Methods 336 NA
General Psychology 318 $26,585
Health & Physical Education 192 NA
General Biology 184 $31,283
Communication & Media Studies 179 $29,926
Teacher Education Grade Specific 178 $36,642
Health/Medical Admin Services 178 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at University of North Carolina Wilmington along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does University of North Carolina Wilmington Offer Online Classes?

66% Take At Least One Class Online
11% Take All Classes Online

9,848 students took at least one online class at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Interested in comparing University of North Carolina Wilmington? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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