North Carolina has 53 colleges with published admissions data — 16 public and 37 private. Acceptance rates range from 6% to 100%, with Duke University admitting the smallest share of applicants. The median net price — what students actually pay after grants — is $18,853 a year. Median earnings ten years after enrolling are $46,891.
Average annual net price after grants.
Graduate earnings relative to one year's net price.
Median earnings 10 years after entering.
Share finishing within six years.
| College | Acceptance | SAT range | In-state tuition | Net price | Earnings | Grad rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | 6% | 1500–1570 | $68,758 | $29,612 | $97,800 | 97% |
| Davidson College | 13% | 1400–1530 | $64,410 | $17,379 | $81,400 | 91% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 15% | 1390–1530 | $8,994 | $11,655 | $72,200 | 91% |
| Wake Forest University | 22% | 1410–1520 | $67,642 | $28,719 | $78,158 | 89% |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts | 30% | 1140–1370 | $9,477 | $14,906 | $38,357 | 78% |
| Saint Augustine's University | 34% | — | $16,896 | $24,313 | $35,730 | 25% |
| Carolina University | 40% | — | $17,575 | $20,828 | $32,864 | 22% |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 42% | 1300–1470 | $8,799 | $17,303 | $68,758 | 85% |
| Brevard College | 42% | 870–1220 | $32,280 | $23,509 | $43,545 | 49% |
| Johnson C Smith University | 45% | — | $21,300 | $20,894 | $42,680 | 34% |
| North Carolina A & T State University | 50% | 1020–1190 | $6,813 | $10,846 | $44,440 | 57% |
| Bennett College | 51% | 820–1060 | $19,140 | $28,299 | $36,654 | 25% |
| Livingstone College | 59% | — | $18,296 | $13,479 | $32,600 | 28% |
| Queens University of Charlotte | 62% | 1140–1340 | $45,846 | $30,857 | $57,673 | 61% |
| Mid-Atlantic Christian University | 62% | 830–1210 | $17,280 | $18,328 | $38,342 | 21% |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | 64% | 1230–1340 | $7,277 | $20,109 | $54,967 | 71% |
| Elizabeth City State University | 64% | 920–1080 | $6,536 | $6,364 | $40,026 | 44% |
| Elon University | 66% | 1130–1280 | $46,958 | $41,555 | $74,545 | 84% |
| Mars Hill University | 68% | — | $37,736 | $19,910 | $44,781 | 45% |
| Chowan University | 69% | — | $27,910 | $14,086 | $38,412 | 30% |
| Montreat College | 69% | — | $36,450 | $27,061 | $45,151 | 50% |
| Greensboro College | 70% | — | $21,000 | $17,882 | $46,566 | 46% |
| Warren Wilson College | 71% | — | $41,500 | $21,249 | $36,260 | 42% |
| Meredith College | 74% | 1098–1348 | $45,630 | $22,488 | $51,539 | 70% |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | 75% | 1000–1250 | $11,318 | $13,090 | — | 58% |
| Belmont Abbey College | 75% | 960–1200 | $19,500 | $24,639 | $47,937 | 47% |
| Methodist University | 75% | 1080–1250 | $41,250 | $24,704 | $48,050 | 44% |
| Catawba College | 75% | 1030–1300 | $34,300 | $17,879 | $48,793 | 47% |
| High Point University | 75% | 1110–1320 | $45,312 | $38,707 | $61,389 | 74% |
| University of Mount Olive | 76% | — | $27,366 | $18,853 | $47,139 | 52% |
| Salem College | 77% | 1066–1243 | $33,848 | $18,277 | $44,640 | 57% |
| Lees-McRae College | 77% | — | $33,250 | $28,340 | $43,415 | 42% |
| Gardner-Webb University | 77% | 975–1198 | $34,760 | $17,674 | $48,039 | 55% |
| Winston-Salem State University | 78% | 830–1020 | $6,126 | $13,479 | $45,344 | 47% |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 80% | 1140–1330 | $7,239 | $15,435 | $57,289 | 69% |
| Guilford College | 80% | 1120–1260 | $41,362 | $22,270 | $47,590 | 46% |
| North Carolina Wesleyan University | 80% | — | $35,736 | $17,432 | $45,873 | 42% |
| Shaw University | 80% | — | $17,538 | $16,512 | $34,409 | 22% |
| Western Carolina University | 82% | 1080–1270 | $4,630 | $13,315 | $49,458 | 60% |
| Fayetteville State University | 82% | 890–1090 | $4,353 | $7,892 | $40,144 | 39% |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University | 85% | — | $31,900 | $20,689 | $45,543 | 48% |
| North Carolina Central University | 87% | — | $6,699 | $15,359 | $42,968 | 42% |
| Campbell University | 87% | — | $41,600 | $24,516 | $54,886 | 61% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 89% | 1150–1355 | $7,661 | $10,965 | $48,160 | 56% |
| East Carolina University | 89% | 1070–1240 | $7,361 | $15,739 | $55,146 | 63% |
| Appalachian State University | 90% | 1120–1280 | $7,579 | $16,836 | $51,836 | 75% |
| Wingate University | 91% | 1010–1210 | $41,636 | $20,748 | $52,649 | 46% |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | 92% | 1170–1360 | $7,501 | $12,250 | $44,030 | 55% |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | 93% | 970–1200 | $3,648 | $10,260 | $43,407 | 44% |
| Barton College | 94% | — | $37,250 | $23,626 | $47,913 | 46% |
| William Peace University | 94% | 1080–1225 | $34,176 | $21,649 | $46,643 | 45% |
| Pfeiffer University | 96% | — | $35,070 | $19,076 | $51,562 | 35% |
| Chamberlain University-North Carolina | 100% | — | $20,785 | $38,436 | $92,405 | — |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Net price is the average annual cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Earnings are median earnings 10 years after entering. A dash means the figure isn’t published for that school.
Elizabeth City State University has the lowest average net price in North Carolina at $6,364 a year after grants and scholarships. Fayetteville State University ($7,892) is next.
Students who enrolled at Duke University report median earnings of $97,800 ten years after entering.
North Carolina has 53 colleges with published admissions data — 16 public and 37 private. Acceptance rates range from 6% to 100%.
The median in-state tuition at public colleges in North Carolina is $7,258 a year, before room, board and other costs.
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