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2025 Best Psychology Schools in North Carolina

27 Colleges in North Carolina
3,946 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$40,723 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in psychology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #8 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 27 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for psychology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,946 degrees in psychology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Psychology School

Best Psychology Schools in North Carolina Your choice of psychology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Psychology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Psychology Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology
Master's Degrees in Psychology
Doctor's Degrees in Psychology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Psychology Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Psychology in North Carolina

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the psychology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Psychology

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$33,939 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in psychology has to check out Duke University. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 176 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program earn about $33,939 for their early career.

More information about a degree in psychology from Duke University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
333 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$30,395 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in psychology needs to take a look at North Carolina State University. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 333 psychology students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program earn an average of $30,395 for their early career.

More information about a degree in psychology from North Carolina State University

3
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$34,823 Median Starting Salary

Wake Forest University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in psychology. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 129 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, psychology degree recipients usually earn about $34,823 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from Wake Forest University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
353 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$27,484 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in psychology. Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 353 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, psychology degree recipients usually make an average of $27,484 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from Appalachian State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
422 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$30,359 Median Starting Salary

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were roughly 422 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program make an average of $30,359 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$32,265 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 287 psychology students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program make around $32,265 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in psychology from East Carolina University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
257 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$28,485 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were approximately 257 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $28,485.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
242 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$31,443 Median Starting Salary

UNCW is a large public university located in the city of Wilmington. A Best Colleges rank of #415 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were roughly 242 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program earn around $31,443 for their early career.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$27,505 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 147 psychology students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, psychology degree recipients usually make around $27,505 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from Western Carolina University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$36,668 Median Starting Salary

Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were about 111 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, psychology degree recipients usually make an average of $36,668 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from Elon University

Best Psychology Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Psychology Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 38 947
Mississippi 38 1,234
South Carolina 38 1,865
Florida 38 10,252
Virginia 38 6,716
Arkansas 38 1,012
Alabama 37 1,904
Kentucky 37 2,308
Georgia 37 4,335
Tennessee 37 2,446
Louisiana 37 1,686

View All Rankings >

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 3,583
Child Development & Psychology 178
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 151
Other Psychology 34

View All Psychology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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