Cheapest Colleges in North Carolina
Sticker prices at the 47 four-year colleges we rank in North Carolina run from $3,648 to $68,758 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $65,110 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 16 public colleges here charge a median of $7,258 a year, $2,682 (27%) below the national public median of $9,940. The 31 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $35,736, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke ranks first at $3,648, ahead of Fayetteville State University ($4,353) and Western Carolina University ($4,630).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in North Carolina
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; North Carolina has 47
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 47 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 4-year | $3,648 | $7,648 | $10,260 | 44% | 5,330 |
| 2 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 4-year | $4,353 | $8,353 | $7,892 | 37% | 5,762 |
| 3 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 4-year | $4,630 | $8,630 | $13,315 | 60% | 10,024 |
| 4 | Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 4-year | $6,126 | $16,782 | $13,479 | 48% | 4,170 |
| 5 | Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, NC Public · 4-year | $6,536 | $10,536 | $6,364 | 46% | 1,975 |
| 6 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 4-year | $6,699 | $19,735 | $15,359 | 44% | 6,081 |
| 7 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year | $6,813 | $20,673 | $10,846 | 56% | 12,182 |
| 8 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 4-year | $7,239 | $22,492 | $15,435 | 68% | 24,453 |
| 9 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 4-year | $7,277 | $24,152 | $20,109 | 71% | 14,922 |
| 10 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 4-year | $7,361 | $23,638 | $15,739 | 62% | 19,896 |
| 11 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 4-year | $7,501 | $24,849 | $12,250 | 55% | 2,910 |
| 12 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 4-year | $7,579 | $25,212 | $16,836 | 74% | 19,444 |
| 13 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year | $7,661 | $24,012 | $10,965 | 57% | 14,062 |
| 14 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 4-year | $8,799 | $32,847 | $17,303 | 85% | 27,371 |
| 15 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 4-year | $8,994 | $41,203 | $11,655 | 92% | 20,752 |
| 16 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC Public · 4-year | $9,477 | $27,211 | $14,906 | 78% | 945 |
| 17 | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $11,318 | — | $13,090 | 54% | 585 |
| 18 | Shaw University Raleigh, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,538 | — | $16,512 | 21% | 875 |
| 19 | Livingstone College Salisbury, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,296 | — | $13,479 | 26% | 924 |
| 20 | Belmont Abbey College Belmont, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,500 | — | $24,639 | 47% | 1,276 |
| 21 | Greensboro College Greensboro, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,000 | — | $17,882 | 43% | 708 |
| 22 | Johnson C Smith University Charlotte, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,300 | — | $20,894 | 34% | 1,244 |
| 23 | University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,366 | — | $18,853 | 50% | 1,796 |
| 24 | Chowan University Murfreesboro, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,910 | — | $14,086 | 29% | 603 |
| 25 | Lenoir-Rhyne University Hickory, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,900 | — | $20,689 | 49% | 1,359 |
| 26 | Brevard College Brevard, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,280 | — | $23,509 | 44% | 815 |
| 27 | Lees-McRae College Banner Elk, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $33,250 | — | $28,340 | 43% | 873 |
| 28 | William Peace University Raleigh, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,176 | — | $21,649 | 45% | 666 |
| 29 | Catawba College Salisbury, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,300 | — | $17,879 | 50% | 1,235 |
| 30 | Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,760 | — | $17,674 | 59% | 1,856 |
| 31 | Pfeiffer University Misenheimer, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,070 | — | $19,076 | 39% | 655 |
| 32 | North Carolina Wesleyan University Rocky Mount, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,736 | — | $17,432 | 41% | 1,214 |
| 33 | Montreat College Montreat, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,450 | — | $27,061 | 45% | 762 |
| 34 | Barton College Wilson, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,250 | — | $23,626 | 48% | 982 |
| 35 | Mars Hill University Mars Hill, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,736 | — | $19,910 | 43% | 1,044 |
| 36 | Methodist University Fayetteville, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,250 | — | $24,704 | 42% | 1,448 |
| 37 | Guilford College Greensboro, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,362 | — | $22,270 | 47% | 1,001 |
| 38 | Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,500 | — | $21,249 | 42% | 707 |
| 39 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,600 | — | $24,516 | 58% | 2,680 |
| 40 | Wingate University Wingate, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,636 | — | $20,748 | 47% | 2,668 |
| 41 | High Point University High Point, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,312 | — | $38,707 | 72% | 5,129 |
| 42 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,630 | — | $22,488 | 68% | 1,188 |
| 43 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,846 | — | $30,857 | 64% | 1,211 |
| 44 | Elon University Elon, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $46,958 | — | $41,555 | 84% | 6,452 |
| 45 | Davidson College Davidson, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $64,410 | — | $17,379 | 91% | 1,867 |
| 46 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $67,642 | — | $28,719 | 90% | 5,485 |
| 47 | Duke University Durham, NC Private nonprofit · 4-year | $68,758 | — | $29,612 | 96% | 6,442 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of North Carolina, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for North Carolina
Cheap colleges in North Carolina for out-of-state students
43 schools
Community colleges in North Carolina
27 schools
Best value colleges in North Carolina
42 schools
Highest graduate earnings in North Carolina
48 schools
Most affordable private colleges in North Carolina
32 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Georgia
43 schools
Cheapest colleges in Virginia
38 schools
Cheapest colleges in Tennessee
36 schools
All 92 colleges in North Carolina See the national version of this ranking