What Kind of University It Is
Let’s start with the basics: University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public four-year institution. Carnegie, the federal system that classifies universities in the United States, places it among master’s universities with larger graduate programs. In its four-year, residential profile, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-operated housing, and at least half studied full time. In other words, it is a school with campus life, not one where everyone commutes from home.
One fact worth keeping in mind if your child is considering transferring here from another institution: Carnegie places it among schools that receive many transfer students. That does not tell you how many of your child’s credits will be accepted or which ones may be lost along the way. If transferring is part of the plan, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses count and which do not.
It also appears in Carnegie’s “inclusive” category, a label that groups together schools that did not report admissions scores and those that reported broadly accessible admissions. The label alone does not tell you which of the two applies here; later, when you see the admissions data, you will clearly see where it stands.
As for credential levels, IPEDS, the federal higher education data system, records that this institution offers up to a post-master’s certificate as its highest reported level. That is an institutional fact, not a promise that the exact major your child is interested in provides a path from undergraduate to graduate study. If that matters to your child’s plan, ask about it at the program level.
And one clarification is worth making at the outset because many families look for it: University of North Carolina at Pembroke has none of these three special designations. It is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, 138 do have at least one of the three. The fact that this school does not appear on those lists says nothing about which communities it serves today or how your child will feel there. Ask about that directly: what cultural centers exist, what student organizations are available, and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
Where It Stands, Literally
University of North Carolina at Pembroke is in Pembroke, in Robeson County, North Carolina. The area around the campus is a town, away from large urban areas. If your family does not live nearby, this means you will need to determine separately where your child would live and how they would get around. The location data only tells you where the school is; it does not tell you how far away your family lives or how long the trip takes. You will need to find that out yourself.
A Mid-Sized Community, With More Adults and More Women Than You Might Expect
In the fall of 2023, University of North Carolina at Pembroke had a total enrollment of 7,630 students. It is neither a tiny school nor a huge one: it falls within the official band of 5,000 to 9,999, one of the most common size ranges among its peers. But that larger number includes graduate enrollment: the total is divided between 5,485 undergraduate and 2,145 graduate students. If your child is entering to pursue a bachelor’s degree, the number that actually applies is 5,485, not 7,630.
Within that undergraduate population, there is something worth knowing before you picture the campus: 33 out of every 100 undergraduate students are between 25 and 64 years old. The classrooms include many adult students, not just young people straight out of high school. If your child enrolls directly from high school, ask what the schedules are like and what student life is like during the week; the data tells you students’ ages, not how they interact.
There are also more women than men among undergraduates: 62 out of every 100 students are women. And the great majority of first-time students, 82 out of every 100, reported living in North Carolina when they applied. Above all, it is a community from within the state.
As for Hispanic or Latino representation, 11 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, although the share is slightly above the midpoint among the institution’s 519 public, selective peer schools included in this census. Being a small minority does not rule the school out if your child is Latino; it does mean that, during a visit, you should ask what is concretely available for Latino students: a student group, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
How It Teaches: Calendar, Credits, and How Concentrated Its Offerings Are
The academic year at University of North Carolina at Pembroke is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is the traditional calendar most families already know.
The institution accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or that those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling; do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program and reports accepting credit for military training.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, it awarded 1,355 bachelor’s degrees across 21 academic program families. No family accounted for a large share: the largest, multidisciplinary studies, represented only 15 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. The offerings are broad, without one program dominating the others. Still, 21 active families do not mean 21 specific majors; each family groups several programs. Verify the specific program that interests your child.
As for instructional staff, the official ratio is 14 full-time-equivalent students for every full-time-equivalent instructional staff member. It is a low ratio compared with its peers. But be careful: this aggregate figure does not tell you the actual size of a first-year class or the method used to calculate it. Do not use it as a substitute for asking directly about the size of the classes that interest your child.
Structured Pathways and Opportunities
The institution reports several established academic pathways: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, noncredit developmental education, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the ability to complete preparation here in certain teacher specialization areas, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification. The fact that these pathways are reported as available does not tell you how accessible they are to any particular student; ask about the one that interests your child.
Admissions: Almost Everyone Who Applies Gets In, but Almost No One Who Gets In Decides to Attend
This is where the numbers begin to tell a layered story, and it is worth reading the whole story before drawing conclusions.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke does not have open admissions: it reviews certain elements before saying yes. Of nine possible admissions considerations, it marks four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the university’s required college-preparatory curriculum, and an English proficiency exam when applicable. Other elements are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, the personal essay, and letters of recommendation. The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, this directly affects you: the English proficiency exam is marked as required when applicable. Ask about it now, not when you are already putting the application together.
Now for the outcome numbers. In the 2023 cycle, University of North Carolina at Pembroke received 7,635 first-time applications and offered admission to 7,052 applicants. That is 92 out of every 100 applicants admitted, a very high percentage compared with its 519 public, selective peers: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, admitted an equal or smaller share. Even with this openness, 583 applicants did not receive an offer that year. For most applicants, admission here is likely. But likely is not guaranteed, and the complete application must be submitted on time.
Here is the twist every family should know: out of every 100 students admitted, only 13 enrolled. Put another way, out of every 8 young people who received a yes, about one ended up attending. That is a low rate compared with its peers. And do not read it as a mark against the school: the federal record does not say why each person made their decision. Many admitted students may have had other, more convenient offers, or another school may have offered them a better net price. What this does tell you is that what happens to those other admitted students does not predict what your child will be offered. Wait for your child’s letter with the actual net price, and use that number to decide whether this school stays on the list.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid without them. In fact, among enrolled students, practically no one submitted SAT scores—fewer than 1 out of every 100. That does not tell you whether the school uses scores for scholarships or course placement when they are submitted; those are separate questions.
What Happens to Those Who Transfer From Here to Another Institution
Among the full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 30 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing a degree here. That is a high share compared with its peers. At the same time, many students also transfer in: 784 students entered in the fall of 2023 after previously studying at another institution. There is something important that almost no family knows: a student who transfers to another school does not count as a graduate of University of North Carolina at Pembroke, even if that student completes a degree elsewhere. Remember this when you compare graduation rates later in this article. And the fact that many students transfer does not mean they did poorly here; the report counts the movement, not each person’s outcome.
Money: What They Advertise and What Students Actually Pay
At University of North Carolina at Pembroke, among 198 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $7,922. Among 68 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $10,905; among 35 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $15,323. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lower-income band (198 students) and the average for the higher-income band (35 students) is $7,401. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $9,687.
The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for students with low income, the average net price was $7,922 in the 2022-23 academic year.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Financial Aid: Most Receive Something, but Not Everyone Does, and a Percentage Is Not the Same as an Average
At University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 65 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—a grant or scholarship. That is a majority, but not everyone. Among the 519 peer schools, this share falls in the group’s lowest quartile. Among those who did receive this aid, the average for the year was $6,293.
There is a common trap that many families fall into without realizing it: the percentage (65 out of every 100) and the average ($6,293) should not be multiplied by each other. One describes how many received something; the other describes how much those who received it got. They are two different questions with two different denominators.
In addition, 48 out of every 100 students received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families with demonstrated need. That is a moderately high share compared with other schools, and it is a sign that there is substantial structural support here for families that qualify.
When your child’s aid letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, which is where families become confused about what the year will actually cost them.
Loans: Neither Most Students nor Just a Few
43 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the 2022-23 school year. Among those who borrowed, each received an average of $6,378 that year. That is a middle-range share compared with its peers: neither among the schools with the most student borrowers nor among those with the fewest.
This data is not your data. It belongs to other families. This percentage does not determine which of the two groups—those with a loan or those without one—your child falls into; your child’s own financial aid letter does. And that average covers only one year and only federal student loans: it does not include what parents might borrow separately, credit card debt, or total debt accumulated by graduation. Wait for the letter before ruling this school out or committing to it.
The institution also reports offering an installment payment plan for tuition, if that helps your family organize its budget throughout the year.
Campus Life: Housing, ROTC, Sports, Library, and Support
University of North Carolina at Pembroke does have its own housing, and it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—which does not mean that no individual program has that requirement; ask if it applies to your child. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,848 students. It also offers meal plans, including a large plan with a fixed number of meals per week. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available; ask in writing about the rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list.
If your child is interested in ROTC, this school lists two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not listed. Being listed in the report is not the same as being accepted, and it does not indicate whether the program is completed on this campus or at another nearby campus; ask about the program by name before building a plan around it.
In sports, the university competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The affiliation belongs to the school, not your child: if your child wants to play, contact the coach for the sport directly and ask about roster space, division, and whether athletic aid is available.
The library operates with paid staff and annual spending that exceeded the $100,000 threshold recorded by the federal government. It has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. The data does not say who provides assistance, during which hours, or whether someone is available to guide your child’s research; ask directly.
The institution also reports distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the most recent fall, 36 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes remotely, a high share compared with its peers. This describes the undergraduate population as a whole, not your child’s specific major: one major may be offered almost entirely online and another almost entirely on campus.
Reported services and support include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for those completing their programs, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, a recognized student veterans organization, and a published webpage for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not guarantee their quality or their actual scope; it is starting information for asking further questions.
Outcomes: How Many Stay, How Many Graduate, and How Long It Takes
This is probably the chapter that carries the most weight in any family’s decision, and also the one that requires the most care to avoid reading more into the data than it says.
Of the full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, comprising 676 students, 71 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled here or had already completed a bachelor’s degree one year later. This figure falls below the majority of its 519 peers. Among part-time students in that same fall cohort, the result was much lower, at 11 out of every 100—but these are two completely different groups of people and should not be compared as though they measured the same thing.
Now, graduation. Of the 1,022 first-time, full-time students who entered a bachelor’s degree program in 2017, 455 had earned a degree from this school six years later. That is 45 out of every 100, nearly half and half. At four years—the timeframe most families budget for—the figure is only 28 out of every 100, 17 points less than at six years. The 17-point gap measures how much the share with a bachelor’s degree increased between the four-year and six-year checkpoints for the same cohort. The data does not say how many semesters each person attended and does not report tuition, rent, or wages. Compared with its peers, this six-year graduation rate falls below the group’s midpoint.
And it is worth remembering what we saw earlier in admissions: a student who transfers to another school and finishes there does not count as a University of North Carolina at Pembroke graduate in this figure. With an outward transfer rate of 30 out of every 100, some of those “nongraduates” may have completed their degrees elsewhere. The data does not distinguish them.
A longer view, over eight years, using a different annual cohort—2,089 students who entered between 2015 and 2016, including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those with prior experience—shows that 48 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from here by August 2023. The same calculation, performed separately for students with Pell Grants, gives exactly the same number: 48 out of every 100. This places the institution in the lowest quartile of its peers on this measure. The fact that the figure is identical for Pell students and the total does not mean the path was the same for everyone; it only means the final outcome matched.
Before making any commitment, it is worth asking in writing how long students typically take to complete the specific program that interests your child, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if the path takes longer. More than any institutional average, that is the question that truly protects the family budget.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now have a fairly complete picture of what official data allows you to see about University of North Carolina at Pembroke: a public, mid-sized university with very accessible admissions but few admitted students who ultimately decide to enroll; with a low sticker price compared with its peers and a net price that tends to fall even further for lower-income families; with a community where Latinos are a small minority but where most students receive some form of aid; and with retention and graduation rates that fall below those of its peers, although part of that difference is explained by students who transfer and finish elsewhere.
None of this tells you whether this is your child’s university. That depends on three things this article cannot know: what your child wants to study and what they have accomplished so far, how far from home your family is willing for your child to live, and how much you can and want to pay. What you can do now is bring this information into that family conversation with clarity, without inflated expectations or unnecessary fear. Verify what is still missing—the English exam if applicable, the AP credit equivalencies, this year’s housing rate, and the actual completion time for the program of interest—and combine it with what your child wants and what your family can afford. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single article.
Source note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS and the United States Department of Education, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 reports for University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Best College Aid does not represent University of North Carolina at Pembroke or any government agency; this article organizes public data to help families understand it.