North Carolina · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's

Carolina University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 424 undergraduate students. 53 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Carolina University

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

PEER OUTLIER · WARNING-29%

Private nonprofit bachelor's-predominant peer

10-year earnings at Carolina University are 29% below the private nonprofit bachelor's-predominant peer median ($32.9k vs $46.2k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE-57%

150%-time completion

150%-time completion at Carolina University fell 57% between 2021 and 2024 (50.0% → 21.6%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE-37%

100%-time completion

100%-time completion at Carolina University fell 37% between 2021 and 2024 (30.8% → 19.3%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+22%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at Carolina University rose 22% between 2021 and 2024 ($14.4k → $17.6k).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. North Carolina

Each tile compares this institution to the North Carolina median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$32,864+7% · 6→10y
North Carolina median $36,030
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$30,657
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
29.2%-52% · '16→'24
North Carolina median 46.1%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$11,005+62% · '16→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
424+56% · '16→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
56.4%-22% · '16→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
34.0%+11% · '16→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$16,000+82% · '16→'24
out-of-state $16,000
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

4.5%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $11,005 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $32,864 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 20162024460
49629520162024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 2016202421.6%
50%22%20162024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 20162020$20,287
$22,513$12,49820162020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
COMPLETION · 150% · 20162024-52%

Carolina University · completion · 150% fell

44.7% → 21.6%

COMPLETION · 100% · 20162024-44%

Carolina University · completion · 100% fell

34.2% → 19.3%

RETENTION · 20162024-22%

Carolina University · retention fell

72.3% → 56.4%

UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 20162024+56%

Carolina University · undergrad enrollment rose

295 → 460

IN-STATE TUITION · 20162024+82%

Carolina University · in-state tuition rose

$9,650 → $17,575

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20162024+82%

Carolina University · out-of-state tuition rose

$9,650 → $17,575

MEDIAN DEBT · 20162020+62%

Carolina University · median debt rose

$12,498 → $20,287

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20162024-100%

Carolina University · cohort default rate fell

18.0% → 0.0%

SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS

Ranked by 5-year earnings

Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

1 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS · CIP 39

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Carolina University

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
-$138,163
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Doesn’t reach breakeven within the horizon
graduationyear 0year 39
Cost per year
$18,906
HS-only baseline · NC
$35,600
Years to complete
4
CIP family
39

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

Carolina University graduates earn $X” — not “Carolina University makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Carolina University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →