Western Carolina University Special Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Special Education and Teaching
- Public university
- Cullowhee, NC
- About 19 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Carolina University special education graduates earn about what special education graduates earn nationally, $41,376 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,485 in federal loans, less than at 84% of special education programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying special education 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 special education bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Carolina University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,900 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 special education 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 5% 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 $217 a month, or 6.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
91% of graduates (20 of 22) 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 $41,376 salary here buys what about $46,800 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 special education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
$56,770Median pay in North Carolina. 3,400 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 10,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Special Education Teachers, Middle School
$59,360Median pay in North Carolina. 2,470 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 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Interpreters and Translators
$50,030Median pay in North Carolina. 1,780 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Special Education Teachers, Preschool
$60,180Median pay in North Carolina. 640 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Western Carolina University
Special Education ranks 11th 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).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $41,376 one year after graduating and $43,364 five years after. The median across special education bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $42,830.
The median federal loan balance is $20,485, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 special education bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 58%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 91% (20 of 22) 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 special education 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