About
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. It is unique in North Carolina in that it hosts schools of medicine, dentistry, and engineering at the same university.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 230 Title IV programs, 82 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 148 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing82 · 35.7%
- No Data148 · 64.3%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 30
Action history · 51
- Aug 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTM) - Programs leading to a Master's Degree
- May 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- May 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- May 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary WithdrawalCommission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
- May 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 7,850 students received $45.7M in Pell grants, alongside $124.8M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 6,409 borrowers who entered repayment, 110 (1.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at East Carolina
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 11
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus46
- Non-campus3
- Public property1
Includes 26 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race1
- Religion1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
East Carolina vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions East Carolina selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectEast Carolina University | 63% | — | 26,940 | $16,514 | R2 Research |
Ball State University | 62% | 85.5% | 21,089 | $15,898 | R2 Research |
Central Michigan University | 59% | 89.8% | 14,488 | $16,041 | R2 Research |
Florida Atlantic University | 63% | 66.1% | 31,607 | $8,001 | R2 Research |
Illinois State University | 65% | 88.2% | 21,546 | $18,996 | R2 Research |
Kent State University at Kent | 64% | 86.3% | 26,374 | $19,614 | R1 Research |
Northern Arizona University | 61% | 89.6% | 28,467 | $14,922 | R2 Research |
Ohio University-Main Campus | 65% | 85.0% | 26,323 | $20,413 | R1 Research |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas | 51% | 96.2% | 32,911 | $10,011 | R1 Research |
Utah State University | 57% | 92.5% | 28,904 | $12,869 | R1 Research |
Washington State University | 60% | 86.6% | 25,685 | $14,401 | R1 Research |
Western Michigan University | 58% | 84.6% | 16,744 | $18,701 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 62% | 86.6% | 26,349 | $15,970 |
East Carolina Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
IR at ECU has primary responsibility for preparing and submitting data and official reports to ensure the University’s compliance with the UNC System as well as other state, regional and federal reporting mandates.
Visit IR office page- Beverly R. King Ph.D.Director
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (4)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookFact Book2013The Fact Book is a digital publication of East Carolina University that compiles statistics, procedures, and organizational charts, covering aspects like spending, student demographics, and contact information for student services. The 2012-2013 issue is part of a series of annual reports preserved digitally by the University's archives.digital.lib.ecu.edu
- GlossaryGlossary of ECU and Academic TermsThe glossary provides explanations for common terms related to academic life at East Carolina University. It covers a wide range of topics from advising, degree requirements, and academic status definitions to support resources such as career services and libraries. It includes procedures related to appeals, registration, and withdrawal as well as services and tools available to enhance student success.parents.ecu.edu
- Strategic planFuture focused. Innovation driven.2023East Carolina University's strategic plan, 'Future focused. Innovation driven.', covers 2023-2028 and aims to enhance student success, public service, and regional transformation. Key themes focus on student experiences, community engagement, and economic mobility. The plan also places strong emphasis on workforce success and improving rural health access, aligned with ECU's commitment to being a model for regional development and innovation.strategicplan.ecu.edu
Notable alumni of East Carolina (10)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- John A. Allison IVBusiness
- Marc BasnightPolitics
- Linda McMahonBusiness
- Vince McMahonBusiness
- Sandra BullockArts and Entertainment
- LaShawn MerrittAthletics
- Robert Burren MorganPolitics
- Beth GrantArts and Entertainment
- Emily ProcterArts and Entertainment
- Kevin WilliamsonArts and Entertainment
Frequently asked questions about East Carolina University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about East Carolina.
What is the graduation rate at East Carolina University?
How many students attend East Carolina University?
What is the average net price at East Carolina University?
What is the yield rate at East Carolina University?
Where is East Carolina University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at East Carolina University?
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about East Carolina University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card