The Grade File › Colleges › North Carolina
North Carolina Colleges by the Numbers
57 four-year North Carolina colleges — click any for its profile: acceptance rates, SAT ranges, tuition for all 57, with North Carolina medians up top.
North Carolina has 57 four-year colleges with full admissions profiles here — from North Carolina State University at Raleigh at 27,371 undergraduates down to campuses a fraction of that size. The most selective door in the state is Duke University at 5.7% admitted; the most open is Chamberlain University-North Carolina at 100%. Published in-state tuition runs from $3,648 at the cheapest campus to $68,758 at the most expensive — a $65,110 spread inside North Carolina alone.
North Carolina's ten-year earnings benchmark of $45,873 sits 15% below the national median for college-goers. In North Carolina, 14 schools don't look at test scores at all, while 2 — including Cabarrus College of Health Sciences — still require them.
Each North Carolina school links to its profile — admissions, cost, earnings. To see where you stand in North Carolina, bring your saved calculator numbers.
North Carolina medians
| Acceptance rate | Tuition (in-state) | Median earnings (10 yr) | 6-yr graduation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75.1% | $19,500 | $45,873 | 46.7% |
Medians across 60 active bachelor's-degree institutions in North Carolina; the table below lists the 57 with complete admissions records.
All North Carolina colleges in our data
| College | City | Acceptance | SAT middle 50% | Tuition (in) | Undergrads | Median earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State University | Boone | 90.1% | 1100–1280 | $7,579 | 19,444 | $51,836 |
| Barton College | Wilson | 94.2% | — | $37,250 | 982 | $47,913 |
| Belmont Abbey College | Belmont | 74.7% | 940–1190 | $19,500 | 1,276 | $47,937 |
| Bennett College | Greensboro | 50.7% | 858–946 | $19,140 | 178 | $36,654 |
| Brevard College | Brevard | 42.2% | 870–1220 | $32,280 | 815 | $43,545 |
| Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord | 23.4% | 970–1060 | $16,550 | 712 | $58,708 |
| Campbell University | Buies Creek | 87.2% | not considered | $41,600 | 2,680 | $54,886 |
| Carolina University | Winston-Salem | 39.5% | not considered | $17,575 | 460 | $32,864 |
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte | 59.9% | — | $18,882 | 533 | $64,624 |
| Catawba College | Salisbury | 75.2% | 1010–1186 | $34,300 | 1,235 | $48,793 |
| Chamberlain University-North Carolina | Charlotte | 100% | — | $20,785 | 202 | $92,405 |
| Chowan University | Murfreesboro | 68.8% | 880–1145 | $27,910 | 603 | $38,412 |
| Davidson College | Davidson | 13.4% | 1360–1510 | $64,410 | 1,867 | $81,400 |
| Duke University | Durham | 5.7% | 1510–1570 | $68,758 | 6,442 | $97,800 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | 89.2% | 1050–1200 | $7,361 | 19,896 | $55,146 |
| Elizabeth City State University | Elizabeth City | 64.2% | — | $6,536 | 1,975 | $40,026 |
| Elon University | Elon | 66.3% | 1143–1305 | $46,958 | 6,452 | $74,545 |
| Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville | 82.2% | 855–1045 | $4,353 | 5,762 | $40,144 |
| Gardner-Webb University | Boiling Springs | 77.2% | 1040–1260 | $34,760 | 1,856 | $48,039 |
| Greensboro College | Greensboro | 70.1% | not considered | $21,000 | 708 | $46,566 |
| Guilford College | Greensboro | 80% | 1010–1250 | $41,362 | 1,001 | $47,590 |
| High Point University | High Point | 75.3% | 1110–1300 | $45,312 | 5,129 | $61,389 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte | Charlotte | 79.9% | 920–1140 | $42,419 | 1,184 | $43,418 |
| Johnson C Smith University | Charlotte | 45.2% | not considered | $21,300 | 1,244 | $42,680 |
| Lees-McRae College | Banner Elk | 76.8% | — | $33,250 | 873 | $43,415 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University | Hickory | 84.6% | not considered | $31,900 | 1,359 | $45,543 |
| Livingstone College | Salisbury | 59.3% | not considered | $18,296 | 924 | $32,600 |
| Louisburg College | Louisburg | 55.8% | not considered | $24,120 | 402 | $34,818 |
| Mars Hill University | Mars Hill | 67.9% | not considered | $37,736 | 1,044 | $44,781 |
| Meredith College | Raleigh | 74.2% | 1110–1260 | $45,630 | 1,188 | $51,539 |
| Methodist University | Fayetteville | 75.1% | 1110–1220 | $41,250 | 1,448 | $48,050 |
| Mid-Atlantic Christian University | Elizabeth City | 62.2% | — | $17,280 | 132 | $38,342 |
| Montreat College | Montreat | 69.2% | not considered | $36,450 | 762 | $45,151 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | 49.9% | 960–1190 | $6,813 | 12,182 | $44,440 |
| North Carolina Central University | Durham | 87% | 980–1100 | $6,699 | 6,081 | $42,968 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | 41.7% | 1300–1460 | $8,799 | 27,371 | $68,758 |
| North Carolina Wesleyan University | Rocky Mount | 80.2% | not considered | $35,736 | 1,214 | $45,873 |
| Pfeiffer University | Misenheimer | 96% | not considered | $35,070 | 655 | $51,562 |
| Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte | 62.1% | 1110–1300 | $45,846 | 1,211 | $57,673 |
| Saint Augustine's University | Raleigh | 33.8% | not considered | $16,896 | 172 | $35,730 |
| Salem College | Winston-Salem | 76.7% | 1078–1315 | $33,848 | 423 | $44,640 |
| Shaw University | Raleigh | 80.2% | not considered | $17,538 | 875 | $34,409 |
| Southeastern College-Charlotte | Charlotte | 93.7% | not considered | $25,080 | 252 | $31,548 |
| University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive | 75.8% | ACT 17–22 | $27,366 | 1,796 | $47,139 |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | Asheville | 91.9% | 1170–1350 | $7,501 | 2,910 | $44,030 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | 15.3% | 1370–1530 | $8,994 | 20,752 | $72,200 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | 79.6% | 1110–1320 | $7,239 | 24,453 | $57,289 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | 88.5% | 1100–1280 | $7,661 | 14,062 | $48,160 |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke | 93.3% | — | $3,648 | 5,330 | $43,407 |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston Salem | 30% | 1150–1350 | $9,477 | 945 | $38,357 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | 64.2% | 1220–1360 | $7,277 | 14,922 | $54,967 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | 21.7% | 1390–1510 | $67,642 | 5,485 | $78,158 |
| Warren Wilson College | Swannanoa | 71.3% | ACT 25–30 | $41,500 | 707 | $36,260 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | 81.8% | 1050–1260 | $4,630 | 10,024 | $49,458 |
| William Peace University | Raleigh | 94.3% | 1140–1280 | $34,176 | 666 | $46,643 |
| Wingate University | Wingate | 91.1% | 990–1270 | $41,636 | 2,668 | $52,649 |
| Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem | 78.3% | 820–1050 | $6,126 | 4,170 | $45,344 |
Scores shown are among students who submitted them; "not considered" schools ignore tests entirely. Wondering where your own numbers fit? TheGPA calculator andSAT score calculator give you the other half of this table.
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01.