COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · DURHAM, NC

Is North Carolina Central University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A North Carolina Central University degree clears +$422K in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Durham, North Carolina, priced as a North Carolina resident — earnings rolled up from 23 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

North Carolina Central University · Durham, NC

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$422K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$44,238
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · North Carolina resident
$6,542
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$19,578
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$85,208
FREOPP program coverage
23 programs
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

North Carolina Central University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and North Carolina’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 23 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is North Carolina Central University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: North Carolina Central University clears +$422K in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $85,208 and median earnings of $44,238 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at North Carolina Central University?
North Carolina Central University's annual sticker tuition is $6,542 for North Carolina residents and $19,578 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $85,208 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of North Carolina Central University?
Over 4 years, North Carolina Central University's sticker cost of attendance is $85,208 — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at North Carolina prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $44,238.
What is out-of-state tuition at North Carolina Central University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at North Carolina Central University is $19,578, versus $6,542 for North Carolina residents — a premium of $13,036 a year.
How long until a North Carolina Central University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$422K ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for North Carolina Central University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices North Carolina Central University as a North Carolina resident — non-resident tuition is a different trade (see the out-of-state tax in North Carolina). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is North Carolina Central University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/north-carolina-central-university