BaccalaureatePublicHBCU

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·ecsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
44%
+5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,258
peer median 2,948
Avg net price
$6,364
-$9.2k vs Baccalaureate
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the University of North Carolina system.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
5,489
5,489 candidates competed
Admitted
3,525
64.2% acceptance rate
Enrolled
423
12.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
44%+5.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
24%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
44%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

5.6pp gap
Pell recipients
42%132 of 313
Non-Pell (all)
48%49 of 103
Subsidized loan, no Pell
37%11 of 30
No Federal Aid
52%38 of 73

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 34 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 27 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
34
Passing
7
20.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

34programs
  • Passing7 · 20.6%
  • No Data27 · 79.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
7
No data
27

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.

7
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+40.4%
$45,224 vs $32,203
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+50.3%
$48,398 vs $32,203
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+55.0%
$49,903 vs $32,203
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+55.7%
$50,146 vs $32,203
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+56.0%
$50,239 vs $32,203
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+66.5%
$53,625 vs $32,203
Computer Science
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+113.4%
$68,723 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

6
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
57%
$27,750 debt · $48,398 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
54%
$26,901 debt · $49,903 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
50%
$25,200 debt · $50,239 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
48%
$23,867 debt · $50,146 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
45%
$20,413 debt · $45,224 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
35%
$18,514 debt · $53,625 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1947Next review Jun 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 5

  1. Jan 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Dec 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Dec 2017Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,246
$30–48k$4,538
$48–75k$5,354
$75–110k$10,205
$110k+$15,663

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$6,364
-$9,197vs Baccalaureate median $15,561
Federal loans
54.0%
In-state tuition
$6,536
Out-of-state
$10,536

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,378 students received $8.6M in Pell grants, alongside $9.6M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,378
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.6M
$8,623,070 total
Direct Loans
$9.6M
2,368 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.1M
1,087 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.8M
1,121 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.0M
79 loan awards
Parent PLUS$782K
81 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 449 borrowers who entered repayment, 25 (5.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.5%
+3.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
449
Defaulted
25
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
16.3%
2017
12.8%
2018
12.9%
2019
5.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Elizabeth City State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs26
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

361 total completions
01Multi/Interdisciplinary
7721.3%
02Business
5013.9%
03Education
4913.6%
04Parks/Recreation
3710.2%
05Security/Protective
328.9%
06Transportation
298.0%
07Visual/Performing Arts
287.8%
08Biological Sciences
277.5%
09Psychology
195.3%
10Engineering Tech
133.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
2,258
12-mo unduplicated
2,649
Undergraduate
2,522
Graduate
127

Gender split

Men
48%1,279
Women
52%1,370

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
66.9%
White
17.4%
Two or more
6.0%
Hispanic
5.6%
Unknown
2.1%
Non-resident
1.1%
Asian
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
229
156 M · 73 W
Women athletes
31.9%
Athletic aid
$780K
Total student aid
Budget
$4.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$506K
$274K
Recruiting expense
$22K
$9K
Head-coach salaries
$63K
$33K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Football
120 M · —
$1.2M
Basketball
23 M · 28 W
$1.2M
Volleyball
— · 19 W
$214K
Softball
— · 17 W
$103K
Cross Country
7 M · 5 W
$39K
Tennis
— · 11 W
$33K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.00
13 offenses · 2,165 students

3-year trend

6.332 yrs ago5.121 yr ago6.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
37
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
33
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
6
Fondling
4
Aggravated assault
2
Burglary
1

By location

13total
  • On campus12
  • Public property1

Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

10
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
13 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Ethnicity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons60
Drugs230
Liquor128

Residence-hall fires

  • Viking Village1 fire
    Cooking1 injured · 0 deathsDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
97

Elizabeth City State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Elizabeth City State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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
SubjectElizabeth City State University
44%—2,258$6,364Baccalaureate
Bowie State University
38%72.4%6,353$19,298Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Christopher Newport University
72%86.0%4,454$23,015Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Coppin State University
26%45.8%2,210$9,977Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Delta State University
48%100.0%2,654$13,540Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Florida Memorial University
31%85.3%1,277$23,238Baccalaureate
Frostburg State University
50%89.2%4,104$16,715Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Lincoln University
44%65.7%1,670$14,977Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Mississippi Valley State University
27%92.4%2,205$9,686Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Norfolk State University
39%87.8%6,053$15,282Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
South Carolina State University
37%82.6%3,242$18,097Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs
Virginia State University
39%88.6%5,605$15,840Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median39%86.0%2,948$15,561

Institutions like Elizabeth City State

Explore the federal data for institutions in Elizabeth City State's comparison group.

IPEDS

Elizabeth City State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning
Reports to Academic Affairs
Phone
252-335-3400
Address
1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909

The mission of the office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, & Planning (IERP) is to provide leadership and support in developing and managing institutional data, and research. The office of IERP provides quantitative data to internal and external constituents in order to support research, forecasting, and trend analysis.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Fred Okanda
    Director
  • Amanda Brooks
    Associate Director of Design
  • Brian Jordan
    IT Business Intelligence Data Analyst
  • Lalithya Sajja
    Business Intelligence/Data Analyst I
  • Qin Shi
    IT Business Intelligence and Data Analyst I

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Elizabeth City State (6)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Zack Forde-Hawkins
  • Alex Haley
    Literature
  • Joshua Rashaad McFadden
  • Alice McGill
  • Kenny Williams (basketball, born 1969)
    Athletics
  • Shelly Willingham

Frequently asked questions about Elizabeth City State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Elizabeth City State.

What is the graduation rate at Elizabeth City State University?

Elizabeth City State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 44% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Elizabeth City State University?

Elizabeth City State University reports a total enrollment of 2,258 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Elizabeth City State University?

The average net price at Elizabeth City State University is $6,364 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Elizabeth City State University?

Elizabeth City State University's yield rate is 12.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Elizabeth City State University located?

Elizabeth City State University is located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina 27909.

Who runs Institutional Research at Elizabeth City State University?

Elizabeth City State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning, which reports to Academic Affairs.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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