by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will never be charged the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to University of North Carolina Wilmington can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
Just what financing solutions does UNCW provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Scroll down to learn how much school funding will be available to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. Some kinds of aid are clearly preferable to others, and outcomes differ across students.
At University of North Carolina Wilmington, 73% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance some 1976 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 55% | $6,674 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 54% | $3,616 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $5,694 |
| State/local grants | 17% | $3,220 |
| Federal student loans | 45% | $5,126 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. Here, roughly 50% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $7,448 (covering around 7189 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 50% | $7,448 |
| Federal Pell grants | 24% | $5,505 |
| Federal student loans | 36% | $6,385 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $6,438.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $12,618 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $16,217 |
| Over $75,000 | $24,428 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $20,109 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $19,472 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use UNCW’s net price calculator: www.uncw.edu/seahawk-life/money-matters/financial-aid/affording-your-education/net-price-calculator.
Graduating students at UNCW carry a median federal student debt of $15,178 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,178 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $19,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $206.73/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The figures below chart the debt distribution at UNCW.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,223 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,802 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,750 |
| Middle income | $15,000 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,300 |
| Independent students | $15,051 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at UNCW.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The aggregate figures below show how active the program is at UNCW:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 41127 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $790,837,192 |
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 615 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $4,090,406 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $6,651 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 50 |
| Total DoD amount | $112,238 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,245 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.