Public Health at North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University's Public Health program charges $31,000 in debt for graduates who earn $38,198 their first year—outperforming the state median by about $900 while ranking in the 60th percentile among North Carolina public health programs. At first glance, this suggests solid positioning for an HBCU serving primarily Pell-eligible students.

The real story, however, is the gap between this program and North Carolina's top performers. Duke graduates earn $45,921 and North Carolina A&T graduates start at an impressive $58,660. That's a $20,000+ annual difference that compounds over a career. Meanwhile, NCCU's debt load sits at $31,000—higher than both state and national medians—creating a debt-to-earnings ratio that's workable at 0.81 but not generous for a field where many entry positions require master's degrees for advancement.

The critical caveat: this analysis draws from fewer than 30 graduates, making the data unreliable. A few atypical outcomes can skew averages dramatically in small cohorts. For a student committed to staying in North Carolina and interested in public health, this program offers slightly above-average outcomes at a highly accessible institution. But parents should verify these numbers improve with larger sample sizes and understand their child may need graduate school—and additional debt—to compete with peers from higher-performing programs in the state.