Raleigh's transfer workhorse
at North Carolina community-college prices
You're weighing whether to start at Wake Tech — North Carolina's largest community college — before finishing a bachelor's at a UNC-system school. The decision hinges on transfer-out rates, what you'll owe when you leave, and what earnings actually look like a decade out.
24,609 undergrads, 30% transfer out by year 8, median $42k 10-yr earnings, $12,000 median debt, $2,076 in-state tuition.
A Raleigh CC at real scale with a transfer-out rate above the typical range
Wake Tech enrolls 24,609 undergrads in Raleigh, making it North Carolina's largest community college. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%, sitting above the typical CC range, and median earnings land at $42k ten years out. Liberal Arts and Sciences dominates program volume at 1,458 completions, with Information Technology (1,031) and Business Administration (586) rounding out the transfer-ready core. In-state tuition is $2,076, net price is $8,759, and median debt is $12,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate. For Triangle-area students planning a bachelor's at a UNC-system school, Wake Tech is a serious, low-cost starting point.
Wake Technical Community College enrolls 24,609 undergraduates in Raleigh, making it North Carolina's largest community college. About 67% attend part-time, which shapes every timeline and completion number. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 30% — a meaningful signal that students actually reach the transfer step, and one that sits well above the typical community-college range. Liberal Arts and Sciences leads by a wide margin at 1,458 completions, with Information Technology at 1,031 and Business Administration at 586 rounding out the transfer-ready academic core. In-state tuition is $2,076 and net price is $8,759. Median borrower debt is $12,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate, and median earnings ten years after enrollment are $41,769. For a Triangle-area student planning a bachelor's, Wake Tech offers real scale, a functional transfer rate, and a clean debt profile — provided you commit to a course plan that treats the first two years as transfer prep, not an endpoint.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 1,458 |
| Information Technology. | 1,031 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 586 |
| Accounting and Finance. | 499 |
| Graphic Design. | 234 |
| Game and Interactive Media Design. | 219 |
| Electrician. | 170 |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching. | 162 |
| Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician. | 155 |
| Medical Office Management/Administration. | 152 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where North Carolina transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Wake Technical Community College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data makes a strong case. Wake Tech's eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%, which sits above the typical community-college band and signals that students actually reach the transfer step at meaningful volume. In-state tuition is just $2,076 annually, net price lands at $8,759, and median borrower debt is $12,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate — a clean cost picture for a North Carolina resident. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $41,769. About 67% of students attend part-time, which will stretch a two-year plan for many learners, so build the timeline with that reality in mind. For Raleigh-area students planning a bachelor's at a UNC-system school, Wake Tech is a credible, low-cost starting point — provided you enter with a clear transfer plan and treat the first two years as pre-transfer coursework, not a terminal credential.
- How does Wake Tech's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- Wake Tech's eight-year transfer-out rate is 30%. National research places the typical community-college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so Wake Tech sits clearly above that band — a real outlier on the positive side. An additional 1% of students were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 32% had completed a credential at Wake Tech itself. That mix — 30% transferred, 32% completed, 1% still enrolled — means roughly two-thirds of the cohort reached some concrete outcome by year eight, which is a strong signal for a CC with 67% part-time attendance. Part-time students transfer at lower rates nationally because life circumstances compete with academic momentum, so Wake Tech is posting above-average transfer volume despite a population that usually pulls the number down.
- What programs does Wake Tech teach at meaningful scale?
- Wake Tech's top programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (1,458), Information Technology (1,031), Business Administration and Management (586), Accounting and Finance (499), Graphic Design (234), Game and Interactive Media Design (219), Electrician (170), Early Childhood Education (162), Automobile Mechanics Technology (155), and Medical Office Management (152). The top four programs — Liberal Arts, IT, Business, and Accounting — are all transfer-friendly tracks that map cleanly onto UNC-system bachelor's pathways, and together they account for the bulk of program volume. Alongside that academic core, Wake Tech runs substantial applied programs in Graphic Design, Game and Interactive Media, Electrician, and Automotive Mechanics. That breadth is unusual at this scale: students aiming at a four-year transfer and students pursuing a skilled trade both find real infrastructure here.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.