How much debt do UNC Asheville business administration graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $17,492, which ranks 2nd lowest of 36 business administration bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $185 a month over 10 years.

Is a business administration degree from UNC Asheville worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 39% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UNC Asheville Business Administration (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UNC Asheville business administration graduates stay in North Carolina?

Most do. 79% (54 of 68) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Business Administration, Management and Operations
Public university
Asheville, NC
About 47 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UNC Asheville business administration graduates earn about what business administration graduates earn nationally, $44,945 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,492 in federal loans, less than at 93% of business administration programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying business administration degrees in North Carolina.

First-year earnings$44,94547th percentile of 1,105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,58428% more than year one

Median federal debt$17,4922nd lowest of 36 North Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings39%North Carolina median 60%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	UNC Asheville	North Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$44,945	$43,451	$45,396
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,584	$55,111	$62,714
Median federal debt at graduation	$17,492	$26,992	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	39%	60%	55%
Programs compared		37	1,105

Five years out, UNC Asheville graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,473 more than the North Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina business administration program

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

UNC AshevilleOther North Carolina programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 28% between the first and fifth year.

UNC Asheville grads, year 1$44,945

UNC Asheville grads, year 5$57,584

All North Carolina business administration grads, year 5$55,111

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,695 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$44,707Median debt $18,178

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$49,402Median debt $15,842

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $185 a month, or 4.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

79% of graduates (54 of 68) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Asheville area are about 3% below the national average, so a $44,945 salary here buys what about $46,572 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to business administration, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$101,950

Median pay in North Carolina. 63,740 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $48,340Top 10%: $238,230

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$62,340

Median pay in North Carolina. 35,830 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $43,880Top 10%: $97,900

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

$47,760

Median pay in North Carolina. 39,890 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 113,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $32,030Top 10%: $77,110

Project Management Specialists

$100,820

Median pay in North Carolina. 36,200 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 76,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $61,570Top 10%: $164,050

About UNC Asheville

In-state tuition and fees	$7,501 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,849 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,250 / year
Admission rate	92%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	2,910

Business Administration ranks 4th of 20 bachelor's programs at UNC Asheville by first-year earnings. The top three are Engineering ($73,410), Accounting ($53,705), and Computer Science ($48,076).

Other business administration bachelor's programs near Asheville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UNC AshevilleAsheville, NC · public		$44,945	$17,492
Mars Hill UniversityMars Hill, NC · private nonprofit	15 mi	$37,725	$27,506
Brevard CollegeBrevard, NC · private nonprofit	28 mi	$30,761	$27,000
North Greenville UniversityTigerville, SC · private nonprofit	39 mi	$41,041	$24,343
Tusculum UniversityGreeneville, TN · private nonprofit	40 mi	$48,874	$27,093
Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC · public	41 mi	$39,513	$23,495
Furman UniversityGreenville, SC · private nonprofit	48 mi	$49,008	$19,500
East Tennessee StateJohnson City, TN · public	49 mi	$37,041	$19,725
Milligan UniversityMilligan, TN · private nonprofit	50 mi	$39,752	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,945 one year after graduating and $57,584 five years after. The median across business administration bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $43,451.

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 business administration program.

Sources

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

Business Administration bachelor's programs in North Carolina, ranked37 programs by pay and debt Business Administration bachelor's programs in the US, ranked1,105 programs by pay and debt All UNC Asheville programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt