Universities in North Carolina
10 indexed campuses in Southeast, 199,500 students in total. Ranked by the Campus Atlas quality index; tuition shown as the in-state / out-of-state band.
Top 10 by quality index
| # | Institution | City | Control | Students | Admitted | Tuition | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | Durham, NC | private | 17,500 | 5.1% | $62,000 | 88 |
| 2 | UNC Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | public | 37,000 | 16% | $9,000 / $39,500 | 75 |
| 3 | Wake Forest | Winston-Salem, NC | private | 8,500 | — | $59,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Davidson | Davidson, NC | private | 2,000 | — | $57,000 | 74 |
| 5 | NC State | Raleigh, NC | public | 36,000 | — | $9,000 / $32,000 | 64 |
| 6 | Elon | Elon, NC | private | 6,500 | — | $50,000 | 56 |
| 7 | UNC Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | public | 30,000 | — | $8,000 / $26,000 | 54 |
| 8 | East Carolina | Greenville, NC | public | 28,000 | — | $8,000 / $26,000 | 52 |
| 9 | Appalachian State | Boone, NC | public | 21,000 | — | $8,000 / $26,000 | 52 |
| 10 | NC A&T | Greensboro, NC | public | 13,000 | — | $8,000 / $26,000 | 52 |
Largest campuses
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · public · 37k students
The oldest public university in the country to award degrees, strong in business, journalism, medicine, data and public health.
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC · public · 36k students
Engineering, design and forestry inside the Research Triangle.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · public · 30k students
Banking-city campus: engineering, data science and architecture in the Carolina corridor.
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC · public · 28k students
Allied health, nursing and maritime studies in eastern North Carolina.
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC · public · 21k students
Mountain campus with outdoor, sustainability and engineering programs.
Duke University
Durham, NC · private · 18k students
Research powerhouse of the Research Triangle, pairing a top medical centre with strong public policy, business and computer science.
City clusters
- Chapel Hill1 campus · 37k students
- Raleigh1 campus · 36k students
- Charlotte1 campus · 30k students
- Greenville1 campus · 28k students
- Boone1 campus · 21k students
- Durham1 campus · 18k students
- Greensboro1 campus · 13k students
- Winston-Salem1 campus · 8.5k students
- Elon1 campus · 6.5k students
- Davidson1 campus · 2.0k students
Enrolment, tuition and acceptance figures are rounded planning values compiled in 2025/26 for orientation. Verify exact numbers with each university's official fact sheet before you apply.