Statistics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Statistics graduates from peer institutions typically earn around $60,000 in their first year—a solid starting point, though notably below what similar programs across North Carolina report (where the median sits at $76,000). Duke's statistics graduates command nearly $100,000, while even NC State produces earnings around $54,000. UNC-Chapel Hill's highly selective environment and strong academic reputation suggest this program could perform closer to the state's upper range, but without school-specific data, that remains an educated guess rather than a certainty.

The estimated debt of roughly $20,000 creates a healthy 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would owe about four months of their first-year salary. That's manageable territory regardless of where actual outcomes land. Statistics as a field offers versatility—graduates move into data science, analytics, finance, and research roles—which provides some cushion if initial earnings skew lower than hoped.

For a selective public university charging in-state tuition, this looks like reasonable value even using conservative estimates. The real question is whether UNC-Chapel Hill's program delivers outcomes closer to Duke's premium or NC State's more modest figures. Given the school's academic profile, expectations should lean optimistic, but you're making this decision without the program-specific proof.