Western Piedmont Community College
Morganton, North Carolina · Public
Graduate earnings
4of 5 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical North Carolina high-school graduate (about $34,059 a year). 1 falls short.
5 of 55 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 50: 45 with no earnings published and 5 with nothing reported.
Average net price, all families$6,448 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$6,448 a year
About $12,896 over 2 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $4,471 |
| $30k to $48k | $6,147 |
| $48k to $75k | $7,386 |
| $75k to $110k | $13,421 |
| All families (average) | $6,448 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical North Carolina high-school graduate ($34,059 a year).
5 of 55 programs could be assessed 9% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | $37,986 | +$3,927 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 141 |
| Criminal Justice | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $50,871 | +$16,812 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 35 |
| Nursing | Associate's Degree | $72,011 | +$37,952 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Dental Assisting and Hygiene | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $30,218 | -$3,841 | falls short | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Criminal Justice | Associate's Degree | $46,450 | +$12,391 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Cosmetology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 44 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 30 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 26 |
| Cosmetology | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Accounting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Business Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| American Sign Language | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Medical Assisting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Business Administration | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Legal Support Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Design | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Accounting | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Legal Support Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Precision Metalworking | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Precision Metalworking | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Medical Assisting | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Educational Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Design | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Physical and Occupational Therapy | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Graphic Communications | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Graphic Communications | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Computer and Information Science | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Computer and Information Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Healthcare Administration | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Healthcare Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| American Sign Language | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | Associate's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | Associate's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $34,059 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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