North Carolina Central University Liberal Arts and General Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
  • Public university
  • Durham, NC
  • About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

North Carolina Central University liberal arts and general studies graduates earn less than graduates of most liberal arts and general studies programs nationally, $28,522 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $29,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $27,000. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,52215th percentile of 395 programs nationally
Median federal debt$29,0008th lowest of 12 North Carolina programs
Debt-to-earnings102%North Carolina median 84%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina liberal arts and general studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.

North Carolina Central UniversityOther North Carolina programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $307 a month, or 12.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (17 of 22) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Durham area are about 2% below the national average, so a $28,522 salary here buys what about $29,232 buys in a typical US city.

About North Carolina Central University

Liberal Arts and General Studies ranks 15th of 20 bachelor's programs at North Carolina Central University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,142), Computer and Information Science ($74,597), and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ($62,022).

Other liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs near Durham

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,522 one year after graduating. The median across liberal arts and general studies bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $32,546.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the liberal arts and general studies program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Related pages