Western Carolina University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in History
- Public university
- Cullowhee, NC
- About 45 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Carolina University history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $34,909 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,004 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. It is one of the higher-paying history degrees in North Carolina.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all history bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Carolina University graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,392 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina history 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 44% between the first and fifth year.
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 $2,313 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $254 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $9,235.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
81% of graduates (34 of 42) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of North Carolina outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $34,909 salary here buys what about $39,485 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 history, 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$173,870Median pay in North Carolina. 6,010 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Tour and Travel Guides
$32,570Median pay in North Carolina. 1,650 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Museum Technicians and Conservators
$39,290Median pay in North Carolina. 450 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Western Carolina University
History ranks 21st of 41 bachelor's programs at Western Carolina University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($69,067), Nursing ($68,774), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($67,003).
Other history bachelor's programs near Cullowhee
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,909 one year after graduating and $50,346 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $33,219.
The median federal loan balance is $24,004, which ranks 6th lowest of 11 history bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $254 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.
Most do. 81% (34 of 42) 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 history 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