Cheap Colleges in North Carolina for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $6,526 and $41,203 a year in tuition and fees at the 43 public colleges and universities we rank in North Carolina, a gap of $34,677 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $8,752, $4,034 (32%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $2,650, so the typical out-of-state premium is $6,102, with nonresidents charged 3.3 times the in-state price.
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute ranks first at $6,526, ahead of Vance-Granville Community College ($6,552) and Rockingham Community College ($6,574).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 43
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 43 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC Public · 2-year | $6,526 | $2,526 | $10,810 | 42% | 2,393 |
| 2 | Vance-Granville Community College Henderson, NC Public · 2-year | $6,552 | $1,944 | $3,286 | 50% | 1,665 |
| 3 | Rockingham Community College Wentworth, NC Public · 2-year | $6,574 | $1,966 | $2,060 | 32% | 1,065 |
| 4 | Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC Public · 2-year | $6,594 | $1,986 | $1,664 | 40% | 3,890 |
| 5 | Craven Community College New Bern, NC Public · 2-year | $6,630 | $2,022 | $3,289 | 47% | 1,989 |
| 6 | South Piedmont Community College Polkton, NC Public · 2-year | $6,630 | $2,022 | $6,675 | 37% | 1,833 |
| 7 | McDowell Technical Community College Marion, NC Public · 2-year | $6,640 | $2,032 | $7,784 | 53% | 608 |
| 8 | Sandhills Community College Pinehurst, NC Public · 2-year | $6,648 | $2,040 | $4,157 | 50% | 2,539 |
| 9 | Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC Public · 2-year | $6,884 | $2,276 | $7,200 | 31% | 7,113 |
| 10 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 4-year | $7,648 | $3,648 | $10,260 | 44% | 5,330 |
| 11 | College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City, NC Public · 2-year | $7,652 | $2,242 | $2,253 | 37% | 2,001 |
| 12 | Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC Public · 2-year | $7,696 | $2,320 | $15,002 | 31% | 9,260 |
| 13 | Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC Public · 2-year | $7,803 | $2,427 | $10,528 | 35% | 2,741 |
| 14 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 4-year | $8,353 | $4,353 | $7,892 | 37% | 5,762 |
| 15 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 4-year | $8,630 | $4,630 | $13,315 | 60% | 10,024 |
| 16 | Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC Public · 2-year | $8,656 | $2,512 | $9,461 | 46% | 2,724 |
| 17 | Brunswick Community College Bolivia, NC Public · 2-year | $8,697 | $2,553 | $9,009 | 43% | 1,211 |
| 18 | Wilson Community College Wilson, NC Public · 2-year | $8,716 | $2,572 | $3,064 | 33% | 1,373 |
| 19 | Haywood Community College Clyde, NC Public · 2-year | $8,724 | $2,580 | $6,723 | 40% | 849 |
| 20 | Robeson Community College Lumberton, NC Public · 2-year | $8,725 | $2,581 | $2,892 | 31% | 1,551 |
| 21 | Southeastern Community College Whiteville, NC Public · 2-year | $8,744 | $2,600 | $9,148 | 47% | 820 |
| 22 | Halifax Community College Weldon, NC Public · 2-year | $8,752 | $2,608 | $9,040 | 38% | 723 |
| 23 | Bladen Community College Dublin, NC Public · 2-year | $8,762 | $2,618 | $9,551 | 28% | 1,030 |
| 24 | Mitchell Community College Statesville, NC Public · 2-year | $8,785 | $2,641 | $6,481 | 23% | 1,948 |
| 25 | Western Piedmont Community College Morganton, NC Public · 2-year | $8,794 | $2,650 | $6,448 | 43% | 1,339 |
| 26 | Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC Public · 2-year | $8,855 | $2,711 | $5,446 | 42% | 3,237 |
| 27 | Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC Public · 2-year | $8,892 | $2,748 | $9,610 | 34% | 9,764 |
| 28 | Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC Public · 2-year | $8,900 | $2,756 | $1,776 | 32% | 3,453 |
| 29 | Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC Public · 2-year | $8,936 | $2,792 | $3,345 | 29% | 15,067 |
| 30 | Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, NC Public · 4-year | $10,536 | $6,536 | $6,364 | 46% | 1,975 |
| 31 | Southwestern Community College Sylva, NC Public · 2-year | $13,184 | $4,112 | $5,207 | 53% | 1,249 |
| 32 | Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 4-year | $16,782 | $6,126 | $13,479 | 48% | 4,170 |
| 33 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 4-year | $19,735 | $6,699 | $15,359 | 44% | 6,081 |
| 34 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year | $20,673 | $6,813 | $10,846 | 56% | 12,182 |
| 35 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 4-year | $22,492 | $7,239 | $15,435 | 68% | 24,453 |
| 36 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 4-year | $23,638 | $7,361 | $15,739 | 62% | 19,896 |
| 37 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 4-year | $24,012 | $7,661 | $10,965 | 57% | 14,062 |
| 38 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 4-year | $24,152 | $7,277 | $20,109 | 71% | 14,922 |
| 39 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 4-year | $24,849 | $7,501 | $12,250 | 55% | 2,910 |
| 40 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 4-year | $25,212 | $7,579 | $16,836 | 74% | 19,444 |
| 41 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC Public · 4-year | $27,211 | $9,477 | $14,906 | 78% | 945 |
| 42 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 4-year | $32,847 | $8,799 | $17,303 | 85% | 27,371 |
| 43 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 4-year | $41,203 | $8,994 | $11,655 | 92% | 20,752 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for North Carolina
Cheapest colleges in North Carolina
47 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
Cheap colleges in Georgia for out-of-state students
27 schools
Cheap colleges in Tennessee for out-of-state students
23 schools
Cheap colleges in Virginia for out-of-state students
23 schools
All 92 colleges in North Carolina See the national version of this ranking