2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina
93
Colleges
$47,290
Avg Salary*
53%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
There are lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Top North Carolina Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 93 colleges and universities across North Carolina to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on over 20 objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as student-to-faculty ratio, average graduate earnings, and graduation rate.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Top Colleges in North Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Duke University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in North Carolina for overall quality.Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,654 students in 2020-2021.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $93,115 during the early years of their career..
Full Duke University Report
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in North Carolina. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,948 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UNC Chapel Hill is $61,915 during the early years of their career.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Report
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in North Carolina list means Wake Forest University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,875 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Wake Forest University make an average of $74,968 a year.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Elon University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in North Carolina. Elon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elon, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,958 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $64,238 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on Elon University
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at North Carolina State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in North Carolina. North Carolina State University is a large public school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 10,643 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. During the early years of their career, graduates from NC State make an average of $61,353 a year.
Read full report on North Carolina State University
East Carolina University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the large public school handed out 7,432 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from ECU make an average of $47,403 a year.
Read full report on East Carolina University
University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges in North Carolina list. This large public school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 8,764 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from UNC Charlotte go into careers with an average salary of $52,252 during the early years of their career.
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Appalachian State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Appalachian State is a large public school situated in Boone, North Carolina. It awarded 5,301 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $45,602 during the early years of their career..
Full Appalachian State University Report
University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #9. UNCW is a fairly large public school situated in Wilmington, North Carolina. It awarded 5,264 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $49,739 during the early years of their career..
Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report
With a ranking of #10, Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina list. JWU Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 419 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from JWU Charlotte make an average of $41,977 a year.
Read full report on Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
With a ranking of #11, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, the fairly large public school handed out 4,984 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UNC Greensboro make an average of $44,195 a year.
Full University of North Carolina at Greensboro Report
High Point University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #12. High Point University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in High Point, North Carolina that handed out 1,215 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $48,534 during the early years of their career..
Read full report on High Point University
Meredith College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges in North Carolina list. Meredith is a private not-for-profit institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 562 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Meredith make an average of $43,646 a year.
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Wake Technical Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Wake Technical Community College is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8,408 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Wake Technical Community College go into careers with an average salary of $37,589 during the early years of their career.
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Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #15. Western Carolina University is a fairly large public school located in Cullowhee, North Carolina that handed out 3,186 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from WCU go into careers with an average salary of $43,366 during the early years of their career.
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Central Piedmont Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Central Piedmont Community College is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,084 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $32,469 during the early years of their career..
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With a ranking of #17, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina list. Gardner - Webb is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It awarded 1,141 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Gardner - Webb make an average of $42,248 a year.
Full Gardner - Webb University Report
Queens University of Charlotte ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in North Carolina list.Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 846 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Queens is $52,880 during the early years of their career.
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Cleveland Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #19. Cleveland Community College is a small public school located in Shelby, North Carolina that handed out 840 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from Cleveland Community College make an average of $28,499 a year.
Read full report on Cleveland Community College
Guilford Technical Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Jamestown, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,911 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Guilford Technical Community College make an average of $31,781 per year during the early years of their career.
Full Guilford Technical Community College Report
Forsyth Technical Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,569 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Forsyth Tech go into careers with an average salary of $30,809 during the early years of their career.
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Wingate University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Located in Wingate, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 856 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,233 during the early years of their career..
Full Wingate University Report
Campbell University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking. Campbell is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It awarded 1,648 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Campbell is $49,601 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Campbell University
Beaufort County Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #24. This small public school is located in Washington, North Carolina, and it awarded 630 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $29,004 during the early years of their career..
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Fayetteville Technical Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 3,625 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FTCC make an average of $28,838 per year during the early years of their career.
Read full report on Fayetteville Technical Community College
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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