UNC Asheville Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Economics
- Public university
- Asheville, NC
- About 9 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UNC Asheville economics graduates earn less than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $28,301 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,791 in federal loans, less than at 76% of economics programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the North Carolina median of $46,425.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all economics bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, UNC Asheville graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,887 less than the North Carolina median. Several North Carolina programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina economics program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.
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 92% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
96% of graduates (24 of 25) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Asheville area are about 3% below the national average, so a $28,301 salary here buys what about $29,326 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$57,650Median pay in North Carolina. 28,620 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 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
$78,410Median pay in North Carolina. 30,700 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Data Scientists
$119,090Median pay in North Carolina. 11,430 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Social Science Research Assistants
$63,710Median pay in North Carolina. 2,930 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About UNC Asheville
Economics ranks 7th 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).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $28,301 one year after graduating and $54,370 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $46,425.
The median federal loan balance is $18,791, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 economics bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other North Carolina programs before deciding.
Most do. 96% (24 of 25) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.
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 economics 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