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East Carolina University (ECU) : Overview, Courses, Scholarships & Rankings

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About East Carolina University

Purple and gold ripple across town on game days, but the draw runs deeper. East Carolina University is known for strong academics in health, business, education, engineering, and the arts, with real-world learning in labs, studios, and community settings. Students find steady support through advising, tutoring, counseling, and a career center that actually picks up the phone. Libraries, makerspaces, performance halls, and a lively rec hub sit within easy reach.

Campus life feels spirited and down to earth. Clubs, service projects, and intramurals stay busy, while the Tar River, greenways, and local arts give room to breathe. The culture leans friendly and roll up your sleeves practical. Career prep draws on internships across eastern North Carolina and a reachable alumni network. Uptown Greenville adds coffee, music, and walkable hangouts. And Pirate Nation traditions run loud, with alumni like Sandra Bullock and Chris Johnson.

Key Institutional Details

Contact & Profile

Location
East 5th Street, Greenville, North Carolina, 27858, USA
Website
ecu.edu
Unit ID
198464

Academic & Institutional

Control
Public institution (funded by state or local government)
Accreditation
SACSCOC
Length of Study
Programs under 2 years (e.g. certificate or diploma)
Calendar System
Semester system (two main terms per year)
Award Levels
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (R)
Doctorate (P)
Other Award
Campus Setting
Located in a small city (population under 100,000)
Carnegie Classification
Doctoral - R2 (High Research)
Tuition & Fees
In-State
$7,361
Tuition $4,452 + Fee $2,909
Out-of-State
$23,638
Tuition $20,729 + Fee $2,909
Student Profile
Total Students 26,785
Undergraduate 19,857
Graduate/Other 6,928
Male: 10,601 Female: 16,184
Applications
Total Applicants 22,289
Admitted 20,073
Enrolled 3,941
Acceptance: 90.1% Yield: 19.6%
Staff
Total Staff 5,805
Full-time 5,271
Part-time 534
Full-time: 90.8% Part-time: 9.2%

Academic Programs & Fields of Study

East Carolina University (ECU) offers 164 degree programs across 26 major academic fields, graduating approximately 7,120 students annually. The most popular fields by graduate volume are Business (13 programs, 1,535 graduates), Health (36 programs, 1,496 graduates), Education (27 programs, 667 graduates), Biological Sciences (9 programs, 440 graduates) and Eng. Technologies (8 programs, 426 graduates). Explore program details, award levels, and graduate demographics below.

Business (13 programs, 1,535 graduates)
Business Administration, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Business Administration and Management 548
Bachelor's
Master's
52.0201
Marketing Management 284
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
52.1401
Finance, General 121
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
52.0801
Accounting 116
Bachelor's
Master's
52.0301
Entrepreneurship Studies 92
Bachelor's
Other Award
52.0701
Management Information Systems 89
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
52.1201
Sales Skills and Operations 88
Other Award
52.1804
Logistics and Supply Chain Management 61
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
52.0203
Hospitality Management 56
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
52.0901
Project Management 37
Postbac Cert.
52.0211
Organizational Leadership 33
Postbac Cert.
52.0213
Hospitality Management 8
Postbac Cert.
Master's
52.0999
International Business and Trade 2
Postbac Cert.
52.1101
Health (36 programs, 1,496 graduates)
Healthcare Professions, Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Registered Nursing 410
Bachelor's
Master's
51.3801
Public Health Education and Promotion 259
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Other Award
51.2207
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology 98
Bachelor's
Master's
51.0204
Nursing Practice 81
Doctorate (P)
51.3818
Medicine 80
Doctorate (P)
51.1201
Health Administration and Management 58
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
51.0701
Public Health 57
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (R)
51.2201
Dentistry 51
Doctorate (P)
51.0401
Community Health Counseling 41
Master's
51.1504
Therapeutic Recreation 36
Bachelor's
51.2309
Mental Health Counseling 35
Master's
51.1508
Physician Assistant 33
Master's
51.0912
Physical Therapy 32
Doctorate (P)
51.2308
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 28
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (R)
51.2310
Occupational Therapy 23
Master's
51.2306
Substance Abuse Counseling 19
Postbac Cert.
51.1501
Medical Informatics 19
Postbac Cert.
Master's
51.2706
Dietetics 19
Bachelor's
51.3101
Health Information Administration 18
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
51.0706
Environmental Health 16
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
51.2202
Maternal and Child Health 16
Other Award
51.2209
Trauma Counseling 12
Postbac Cert.
51.1513
Audiology 11
Doctorate (P)
51.0202
Marriage and Family Therapy 11
Master's
51.1505
Clinical Laboratory Science and Medical Technology 7
Bachelor's
51.1005
Nursing Education 5
Post-Master's
51.3203
Public Health Nursing 4
Postbac Cert.
51.3811
Nursing Science 3
Doctorate (R)
51.3808
Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 3
Post-Master's
51.3810
Allied Health Diagnostic and Treatment Professions 2
Postbac Cert.
51.0999
Medical Family Therapy 2
Doctorate (R)
51.1511
Rehabilitation Science 2
Doctorate (R)
51.2314
Clinical Nurse Specialist 2
Post-Master's
51.3813
Nursing Administration 1
Post-Master's
51.3802
Maternal and Child Health Nursing 1
Post-Master's
51.3806
Nurse Midwifery 1
Post-Master's
51.3807
Education (27 programs, 667 graduates)
Educational Sciences, Teaching Methods and Pedagogy
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Elementary Education 174
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
13.1202
Educational Leadership and Administration 118
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (R)
13.0401
Instructional Technology 31
Postbac Cert.
Master's
13.0501
Higher Education Teaching 31
Postbac Cert.
13.1214
Reading Teacher Education 31
Master's
13.1315
Mathematics Teacher Education 26
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
13.1311
Science Teacher Education 26
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
13.1316
Adult and Continuing Education Administration 23
Master's
13.0403
Kindergarten and Preschool Education 21
Bachelor's
13.1209
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 19
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
13.1314
Social Studies Teacher Education 19
Bachelor's
13.1318
Middle School Education and Teaching 18
Bachelor's
Master's
13.1203
Special Education Teaching 14
Bachelor's
13.1099
Music Teacher Education 14
Bachelor's
13.1312
Special Education Teaching 13
Bachelor's
13.1001
English as a Second Language (ESL) Teaching 12
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
13.1401
Art Education 11
Bachelor's
Master's
13.1302
English Language Arts Teacher Education 11
Bachelor's
13.1305
Education of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances 10
Postbac Cert.
13.1005
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 10
Postbac Cert.
13.1102
Teaching Students with Specific Learning Disabilities 9
Master's
13.1011
Drama and Dance Education 6
Bachelor's
13.1324
Foundations of Education 5
Postbac Cert.
13.0901
Health Occupations Teacher Education 5
Postbac Cert.
13.1327
Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education 4
Bachelor's
13.1308
Curriculum and Instruction 3
Master's
13.0301
Adult and Continuing Education 3
Postbac Cert.
13.1201
Biological Sciences (9 programs, 440 graduates)
Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Biomedical Research
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Biology and Biological Sciences 241
Bachelor's
Master's
26.0101
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 130
Bachelor's
26.0908
Biochemistry 29
Bachelor's
26.0202
Biological and Biomedical Sciences 21
Doctorate (R)
26.9999
Biomedical Sciences 6
Master's
26.0102
Biophysics 5
Doctorate (R)
26.0203
Molecular Biology 5
Master's
26.0204
Physiology and Pathology Sciences 2
Doctorate (R)
26.0999
Biostatistics 1
Postbac Cert.
26.1102
Eng. Technologies (8 programs, 426 graduates)
Applied Engineering Technologies and Technical Support
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Industrial Technology 166
Bachelor's
15.0612
Engineering Technologies, Other 165
Bachelor's
15.9999
Industrial Engineering Management 43
Bachelor's
Master's
15.1501
Drafting and Design Technology 21
Bachelor's
15.1301
Manufacturing Engineering Technology 15
Bachelor's
15.0613
Quality Control Technology 6
Postbac Cert.
15.0702
Construction Engineering Technology 6
Master's
15.1001
Occupational Safety and Health Technology 4
Master's
15.0701
Social Sciences (11 programs, 370 graduates)
Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science Studies
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Criminology 183
Bachelor's
Master's
45.0401
Political Science and Government 55
Bachelor's
45.1001
Applied and Public Sociology 31
Bachelor's
45.1102
Economics 28
Bachelor's
45.0601
Anthropology 26
Bachelor's
Master's
45.0201
National Security Policy 14
Master's
45.0902
Sociology 10
Bachelor's
Master's
45.1101
Geography 9
Bachelor's
Master's
45.0701
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 6
Master's
45.0603
Cultural Anthropology 4
Other Award
45.0204
Forensic Anthropology 4
Other Award
45.0205
Psychology (4 programs, 334 graduates)
Psychological Sciences, Mental Health and Behavioral Studies
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
General Psychology 296
Bachelor's
Master's
42.0101
Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology 15
Postbac Cert.
42.2708
Health Psychology 14
Doctorate (R)
42.2810
School Psychology 9
Master's
42.2805
Communication (1 programs, 296 graduates)
Media Communications, Journalism and Public Relations
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 296
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
09.0101
Liberal Arts (1 programs, 233 graduates)
Liberal Arts Education, General Studies and Humanities
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Liberal Arts and Sciences 233
Bachelor's
24.0101
Computer & IT (8 programs, 225 graduates)
Computer Science, Information Technology and Cybersecurity
Program Name Graduates Gender Distribution Award Levels CIP Code
Computer Science 93
Bachelor's
Master's
11.0701
Information Technology 45
Bachelor's
11.0103
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications 31
Postbac Cert.
Master's
11.0901
Data Modeling and Database Administration 28
Postbac Cert.
11.0802
Information Science 13
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
11.0401
Information Systems Security and Auditing 10
Postbac Cert.
11.1003
Computer Game Programming 3
Other Award
11.0204
Web and Digital Multimedia Design 2
Postbac Cert.
11.0801

Admission Requirements & Test Scores

Comprehensive overview of admission criteria, standardized test score ranges, and application requirements for prospective students at East Carolina University (ECU).

Application Requirements

Secondary School GPA
Required
Secondary School Rank
Neither required nor recommended
Secondary School Record
Required
College Preparatory Program
Required
Recommendations
Neither required nor recommended
Formal Demonstration of Competencies
Neither required nor recommended
English Proficiency Test (TOEFL)
Required
Personal Statement or Essay
Required
Standardized Test Scores
SAT Scores
The SAT is a standardized college admission test measuring reading, writing, and math skills. Scores range from 400-1600 (combined Evidence-Based Reading & Writing + Math sections).
Composite Score Range
1050 - 1200
25th-75th percentile
Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 530 - 610
Median: 570
Math 520 - 590
Median: 560
ACT Scores
The ACT is a standardized test for college admissions assessing English, math, reading, and science reasoning. Scores range from 1-36 (composite of all sections).
Composite Score Range
20 - 26
25th-75th percentile
English 18 - 24
Median: 21
Math 18 - 25
Median: 22

Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Test score ranges represent the middle 50% of admitted students (25th-75th percentile). Requirements may vary by program.

Tuition, Fees & Estimated Costs

Overview of tuition rates, housing, and other annual education expenses for undergraduate and graduate students

Estimated Total Cost
(In-state)
$24,331
Estimated Total Cost
(Out-state)
$40,608
In-state Tuition (incl. fees)
$7,361
Tuition and fees for students residing in-state
Out-of-state Tuition (incl. fees)
$23,638
Tuition and fees for non-resident students
Room & Board
$11,000 (on) / $11,034 (off)
Housing and meal plan expenses
Books & Supplies
$1,794
Average yearly cost of books and study materials
Other Expenses
$4,176
Miscellaneous personal and institutional expenses
Other Expenses (with family)
$4,491
Estimated cost for students living with family
Graduate In-state Tuition (incl. fees)
$7,658
Graduate tuition rates for in-state students
Graduate Out-of-state Tuition (incl. fees)
$20,807
Graduate tuition rates for non-resident students

Financial Aid & Student Support

Summary of scholarships, grants, student loans, and financial aid statistics for undergraduate students

17%
FTFT Aid Recipients
Avg. Grant
$8,836
Avg. Loan
$8,473
Avg. Federal Loan
$5,249
Additional
Students with Any Grant
2,108
Students who received any type of grant aid
Students with Any Loan
2,045
Students who received any type of loan-based aid
Students with Federal Grant
1,554
Students who received a federal grant
Avg. Institutional Grant
$3,595
Average amount of institutional grant awarded

Student Success Metrics

Graduation rates and post-graduation earnings to help assess student outcomes and long-term value of education.

62%
Graduation Rate
Percentage of students who successfully graduate from the institution
82%
First-Year Retention Rate
Percentage of first-year students who continue for a second year
Median Earnings Over Time
$37,968 – $78,746
Salary Range (25th–75th Percentile, 10 Years)
$37,968 (25th %) $78,746 (75th %)
*Median Salary After 10 Years: $55,146
Median Salary After 6 Years
$46,420
Average annual earnings of former students six years after starting college.
Median Salary After 10 Years
$55,146
Average annual earnings of former students ten years after starting college.

Loan Burden & Repayment Outcomes

Breakdown of loan repayment rates and student debt levels by income and dependency status.

3-Year Loan Repayment Rate
63.3%
Share of borrowers who repaid loans within 3 years
Repayment Rate (Graduates Only)
72.7%
Repayment rate among students who completed their program
Median Student Loan Debt
$22,750
Median federal loan debt of undergraduate completers at time of graduation.
Repayment by Income
Low 49.6%
Middle 63.6%
High 74.3%
Repayment by Dependency
Dependent 65.8%
Independent 52.4%

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about East Carolina University (ECU)

How much does it cost to attend East Carolina University (ECU)?

The annual tuition at East Carolina University (ECU) is $7,361 for in-state students and $23,638 for out-of-state students. When including room and board, books, and other expenses, the total estimated cost is approximately $24,331 for in-state students and $40,608 for out-of-state students. Additional costs include room and board $11,000 (on) / $11,034 (off) and books and supplies $1,794.

Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2022-2023 academic year. Tuition and cost estimates are approximate and may not include all fees, personal expenses, or transportation costs.

What academic programs and degree levels does East Carolina University offer?

East Carolina University (ECU) offers 164 academic programs across 26 major fields of study, with available degree levels: Bachelor's, Postbac Cert., Master's, Post-Master's, Doctorate (Research), Doctorate (Professional), Other Award.

Most popular program areas include:

  • Business Administration, Marketing and Entrepreneurship (13 programs)
  • Healthcare Professions, Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice (36 programs)
  • Educational Sciences, Teaching Methods and Pedagogy (27 programs)
  • Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Biomedical Research (9 programs)
  • Applied Engineering Technologies and Technical Support (8 programs)

Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated, not all offered programs.

What is the acceptance rate for East Carolina University?

East Carolina University (ECU) has an 90.1% acceptance rate and a 19.6% yield rate, making it moderately selective.

Admission statistics breakdown:

  • Total applicants: 22,289
  • Students admitted: 20,073
  • Students enrolled: 3,941

Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Admission statistics may vary by program and application cycle.

What financial aid and scholarships are available at East Carolina University?

East Carolina University (ECU) provides financial aid to 17% of first-time, full-time students, with average grants of $8,836 and average loans of $8,473.

Average financial aid amounts by type:

  • Pell grants: $5,356
  • State/Local grants: $3,192
  • Institutional grants: $3,595
  • Federal loans: $5,249

The university supports 2,108 students with grants and 2,045 students with loans annually.

Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Financial aid amounts and percentages may vary by program, enrollment status, and individual circumstances.

What is the average salary for East Carolina University graduates?

East Carolina University (ECU) graduates earn a median salary of $46,420 after 6 years and $55,146 after 10 years.

The salary range 10 years after graduation spans from $37,968 (25th percentile) to $78,746 (75th percentile).

Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Salary data reflects graduates who received federal financial aid (approximately 60% of all graduates). Actual earnings may vary significantly based on program, location, and individual circumstances.

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