Community Colleges in North Carolina
27 community colleges in North Carolina meet our size floor, charging between $1,944 and $4,112 a year in tuition and fees, a difference of $2,168 between the cheapest and the priciest.
The median college charges $2,553, $1,993 (44%) below the national community college median of $4,546. The median net price is $6,481, above the median tuition, because net price also counts books, transportation and living costs that tuition leaves out. That is why a community college can show a net price higher than its sticker price.
Vance-Granville Community College ranks first at $1,944, ahead of Rockingham Community College ($1,966) and Durham Technical Community College ($1,986).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public community colleges and state colleges whose main award is the associate degree
- 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
- State colleges that also grant a few bachelor's degrees but mostly award associate degrees are included and marked in the table
- This page is published only when at least 10 schools qualify; North Carolina has 27
- 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 27 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Vance-Granville Community College Henderson, NC Public · 2-year | $1,944 | $6,552 | $3,286 | 50% | 1,665 |
| 2 | Rockingham Community College Wentworth, NC Public · 2-year | $1,966 | $6,574 | $2,060 | 32% | 1,065 |
| 3 | Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC Public · 2-year | $1,986 | $6,594 | $1,664 | 40% | 3,890 |
| 4 | Craven Community College New Bern, NC Public · 2-year | $2,022 | $6,630 | $3,289 | 47% | 1,989 |
| 5 | South Piedmont Community College Polkton, NC Public · 2-year | $2,022 | $6,630 | $6,675 | 37% | 1,833 |
| 6 | McDowell Technical Community College Marion, NC Public · 2-year | $2,032 | $6,640 | $7,784 | 53% | 608 |
| 7 | Sandhills Community College Pinehurst, NC Public · 2-year | $2,040 | $6,648 | $4,157 | 50% | 2,539 |
| 8 | College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City, NC Public · 2-year | $2,242 | $7,652 | $2,253 | 37% | 2,001 |
| 9 | Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC Public · 2-year | $2,276 | $6,884 | $7,200 | 31% | 7,113 |
| 10 | Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC Public · 2-year | $2,320 | $7,696 | $15,002 | 31% | 9,260 |
| 11 | Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC Public · 2-year | $2,427 | $7,803 | $10,528 | 35% | 2,741 |
| 12 | Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC Public · 2-year | $2,512 | $8,656 | $9,461 | 46% | 2,724 |
| 13 | Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC Public · 2-year | $2,526 | $6,526 | $10,810 | 42% | 2,393 |
| 14 | Brunswick Community College Bolivia, NC Public · 2-year | $2,553 | $8,697 | $9,009 | 43% | 1,211 |
| 15 | Wilson Community College Wilson, NC Public · 2-year | $2,572 | $8,716 | $3,064 | 33% | 1,373 |
| 16 | Haywood Community College Clyde, NC Public · 2-year | $2,580 | $8,724 | $6,723 | 40% | 849 |
| 17 | Robeson Community College Lumberton, NC Public · 2-year | $2,581 | $8,725 | $2,892 | 31% | 1,551 |
| 18 | Southeastern Community College Whiteville, NC Public · 2-year | $2,600 | $8,744 | $9,148 | 47% | 820 |
| 19 | Halifax Community College Weldon, NC Public · 2-year | $2,608 | $8,752 | $9,040 | 38% | 723 |
| 20 | Bladen Community College Dublin, NC Public · 2-year | $2,618 | $8,762 | $9,551 | 28% | 1,030 |
| 21 | Mitchell Community College Statesville, NC Public · 2-year | $2,641 | $8,785 | $6,481 | 23% | 1,948 |
| 22 | Western Piedmont Community College Morganton, NC Public · 2-year | $2,650 | $8,794 | $6,448 | 43% | 1,339 |
| 23 | Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC Public · 2-year | $2,711 | $8,855 | $5,446 | 42% | 3,237 |
| 24 | Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC Public · 2-year | $2,748 | $8,892 | $9,610 | 34% | 9,764 |
| 25 | Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC Public · 2-year | $2,756 | $8,900 | $1,776 | 32% | 3,453 |
| 26 | Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC Public · 2-year | $2,792 | $8,936 | $3,345 | 29% | 15,067 |
| 27 | Southwestern Community College Sylva, NC Public · 2-year | $4,112 | $13,184 | $5,207 | 53% | 1,249 |
How to compare these colleges
Community college tuition is often quoted at the in-district or in-state rate, and the out-of-state column shows what a nonresident would pay. Colleges marked as also granting some bachelor's degrees are state colleges that mostly award associate degrees. If you plan to transfer, check the receiving university's transfer agreements before choosing on price alone.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for North Carolina
Cheapest colleges in North Carolina
47 schools
Cheap colleges in North Carolina for out-of-state students
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Best value colleges in North Carolina
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Highest graduate earnings in North Carolina
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Most affordable private colleges in North Carolina
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Same list in nearby states
Community colleges in Tennessee
13 schools
Community colleges in California
87 schools
Community colleges in Texas
42 schools
All 92 colleges in North Carolina See the national version of this ranking