Lenoir Community College
Public Community College in Kinston, NC. Six-year graduation rate 36%. Median 10-year earnings $33,866.
Ten-year median earnings of $33,866 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 36% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 36% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. First-year retention is 65% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. A 22% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 47% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,311 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $7,539 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $3,261 at $0–30k against $10,681 at $75–110k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 75% get grants averaging $8,684, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 175 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $3,261 |
| $30–48k | $3,366 |
| $48–75k | $5,973 |
| $75–110k | $10,681 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Lenoir County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)