North Carolina Best College Rankings
Duke University ranked first and Wake Forest University ranked second in North Carolina college rankings. The 2025 average tuition & fees of the North Carolina best colleges is $21,406 for North Carolina residents and $30,971 for out-of-state students. The average acceptance rate is 67.76% and the average SAT score is 1,203. The average number of student population is 8,729 and the average student to faculty ratio is 14 to 1.
Below statements summarize the average statistics of tuition, admission, and more academic factors for North Carolina best colleges. For the statistics, we only include 4 years colleges such as national universities and liberal arts colleges.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $30,971 and Duke University has the highest tuition & fees of $68,758 and University of North Carolina at Pembroke has the lowest tuition & fees of $7,648.
- The average graduate tuition & fees is $20,967 and Duke University has the highest tuition & fees of $66,523 and Greensboro College has the lowest tuition & fees of $4,524.
- The average SAT score is 1,203 and Duke University has the highest SAT score of 1,540 and Bennett College has the lowest score of 925.
- The average acceptance rate is 67.76% and Duke University has the tightest (lowest) rate of 6% and Pfeiffer University has the loosest (lowest) rate of 96%.
- The average student population is 8,729 and North Carolina State University at Raleigh has the most students of 38,464 and Bennett College has the fewest students of 180.
- The average graduation rate is 56.89% and Duke University has the highest rate of 97% and Carolina University has the lowest rate of 22%.
North Carolina Best Colleges Comparison
The below table compares the 36 best colleges in North Carolina with important academic factors. You can sort the table by touching/clicking a column name that you want to sort.
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University Durham, NC | $68,758 | $66,523 | 1,540 | 5.7% | 17,499 | 97% | 5 to 1 |
| 2 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | $67,642 | $39,141 | 1,470 | 21.7% | 9,322 | 89% | 10 to 1 |
| 3 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | $64,430 | - | 1,460 | 13.4% | 1,869 | 91% | 8 to 1 |
| 4 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | $41,203 | $31,408 | 1,480 | 15.3% | 32,438 | 91% | 15 to 1 |
| 5 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | $32,847 | $32,874 | 1,370 | 41.7% | 38,464 | 85% | 15 to 1 |
| 6 | Elon University Elon, NC | $46,958 | $22,086 | 1,200 | 66.4% | 7,239 | 84% | 11 to 1 |
| 7 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $45,846 | $15,526 | 1,220 | 62.1% | 1,599 | 61% | 9 to 1 |
| 8 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC | $41,600 | $16,347 | - | 87.2% | 4,963 | 61% | 13 to 1 |
| 9 | Salem College Winston-Salem, NC | $33,848 | $6,600 | 1,160 | 76.7% | 549 | 57% | 9 to 1 |
| 10 | University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, NC | $27,366 | $18,700 | - | 75.8% | 2,109 | 52% | 17 to 1 |
| 11 | Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC | $41,500 | $21,200 | - | 71.3% | 791 | 42% | 12 to 1 |
| 12 | Guilford College Greensboro, NC | $41,362 | $14,880 | 1,180 | 80.0% | 1,180 | 46% | 12 to 1 |
| 13 | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC | $11,318 | $6,516 | 1,110 | 74.6% | 3,220 | 58% | 9 to 1 |
| 14 | Greensboro College Greensboro, NC | $21,000 | $4,524 | - | 70.1% | 967 | 46% | 10 to 1 |
| 15 | Lenoir-Rhyne University Hickory, NC | $31,900 | $13,020 | - | 84.6% | 2,256 | 48% | 15 to 1 |
| 16 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $22,492 | $23,072 | 1,250 | 79.6% | 31,091 | 69% | 21 to 1 |
| 17 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC | $25,212 | $25,241 | 1,200 | 90.1% | 21,570 | 75% | 16 to 1 |
| 18 | Johnson C Smith University Charlotte, NC | $21,300 | $20,770 | - | 45.2% | 1,302 | 34% | 12 to 1 |
| 19 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC | $45,630 | $14,020 | 1,185 | 74.2% | 1,465 | 70% | 10 to 1 |
| 20 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC | $24,152 | $24,198 | 1,280 | 64.2% | 18,848 | 71% | 17 to 1 |
| 21 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC | $20,673 | $21,168 | 1,100 | 49.9% | 14,311 | 57% | 20 to 1 |
| 22 | Strayer University-North Carolina Greensboro, NC | $13,920 | $15,135 | - | - | 3,037 | 33% | 47 to 1 |
| 23 | Carolina University Winston-Salem, NC | $17,575 | $12,550 | - | 39.5% | 880 | 22% | 17 to 1 |
| 24 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC | $23,638 | $20,807 | 1,160 | 89.2% | 26,940 | 63% | 17 to 1 |
| 25 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC | $24,012 | $23,329 | 1,205 | 88.5% | 18,012 | 56% | 18 to 1 |
| 26 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC | $8,630 | $18,595 | 1,180 | 81.8% | 11,686 | 60% | 16 to 1 |
| 27 | Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC | $34,750 | $12,125 | 1,085 | 77.2% | 3,104 | 55% | 12 to 1 |
| 28 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC | $19,735 | $20,946 | - | 87.0% | 8,579 | 42% | 16 to 1 |
| 29 | Pfeiffer University Misenheimer, NC | $35,070 | $12,240 | - | 96.0% | 889 | 35% | 11 to 1 |
| 30 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC | $8,353 | $17,856 | 990 | 82.2% | 7,107 | 38% | 20 to 1 |
| 31 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC | $24,849 | $24,615 | 1,255 | 91.9% | 3,056 | 54% | 13 to 1 |
| 32 | Methodist University Fayetteville, NC | $41,250 | $47,895 | 1,170 | 75.1% | 1,822 | 44% | 11 to 1 |
| 33 | Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC | $16,782 | $17,132 | 930 | 78.3% | 4,782 | 47% | 15 to 1 |
| 34 | Wingate University Wingate, NC | $42,576 | $11,864 | 1,100 | 91.1% | 3,458 | 46% | 15 to 1 |
| 35 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC | $7,648 | $19,987 | 1,080 | 93.3% | 7,674 | 44% | 14 to 1 |
| 36 | Bennett College Greensboro, NC | $19,140 | - | 925 | 50.7% | 180 | 25% | 7 to 1 |
| Average | $30,971 | $20,967 | 1,203 | 67.8% | 8,729 | 57% | 14 to 1 |
North Carolina Colleges by Ranking and School Type