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North Carolina State University

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North Carolina State University Overview

North Carolina State University is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life.

What Is North Carolina State University Known For?

6,262 Undergraduate Awards
$33,469 Avg Cost After Aid
46% Acceptance Rate
  • Students at NC State have an easier time paying back their loans. The school's student loan default rate is only 3%, compared to the national rate of 10.1%.
  • The highest award offered at NC State is the doctor's degree.
  • In 2017-2018, 87% of the faculty were full-time.
  • After graduation, NC State bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $52,500 a year. That's about 29% more than their peers at other schools.

Best Schools

North Carolina State University Rankings

We have ranked NC State as #201 out of 2,587 colleges and universities in the country in our 2022 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 113 colleges in North Carolina, it is ranked at #6.

Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.

NC State has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#54 Best Graduate Certificate Schools Tweet It - Post It
#58 Best Associate Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#157 Best Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#199 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It

Program Level Awards

These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at NC State.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#1 Best Agricultural Public Services Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Forestry Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Textile Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#6 Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#6 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#17 Best Health & Physical Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#20 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure & Fitness Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#28 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#42 Best Computer & Information Sciences Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#121 Best Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It

Awards From Around the Web

The following table lists some notable awards NC State has earned from around the web.

Rank Ranking Name Source
#1 Best Forestry Schools College Factual
#1 Best Textile Engineering Schools College Factual
#22 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools College Factual
#22 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools College Factual
#88 Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools College Factual
#172 Best Business Schools Business Degree Central

Where Is North Carolina State University?

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Contact details for NC State are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 2101 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27695-7001
Phone: 919-515-2011
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ncstate
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ncstate

How Do I Get Into NC State?

You can apply to NC State online at: commonapp.org/

Admission Requirements for NC State

Submission Required?
High School GPA recommended
High School Rank recommended
High School Transcript required
College Prep Program required
Recommendations neither required nor recommended
SAT or ACT Scores required
TOEFL required

How Hard Is It To Get Into NC State?

46% Acceptance Rate
54% Of Accepted Are Women
49% Submit SAT Scores
The acceptance rate of North Carolina State University is 46%. While it may not be as selective as some schools, it does screen its applicants very carefully. Do what you can to stand out among others in the pool of applicants!

Approximately 46% of accepted students are men and 54% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 43%, and the acceptance rate for women is 49%.

Average Test Scores

About 49% of students accepted to NC State submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 610 and 690. Math scores were between 620 and 720.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for North Carolina State University  ( 610 to 690 )
200
800

SAT Math Scores for North Carolina State University  ( 620 to 720 )
200
800
NC State received ACT scores from 50% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 25 and 33. Math scores were between 25 and 31. Composite scores were between 27 and 32.

ACT English Scores for North Carolina State University  ( 25 to 33 )
1
36
ACT Math Scores for North Carolina State University  ( 25 to 31 )
1
36
ACT Composite Scores for North Carolina State University  ( 27 to 32 )
1
36

Can I Afford North Carolina State University?

$33,469 Net Price
42% Take Out Loans
2.9% Loan Default Rate
The overall average net price of NC State is $33,469. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At NC State, approximately 42% of students took out student loans averaging $7,042 a year. That adds up to $28,168 over four years for those students.

The student loan default rate at NC State is 2.9%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.

North Carolina State University Undergraduate Student Diversity

22,929 Full-Time Undergraduates
49% Women
25% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
There are 26,150 undergraduate students at NC State, with 22,929 being full-time and 3,221 being part-time.

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There are also 9,892 graduate students at the school.

Gender Diversity

Of the 22,929 full-time undergraduates at NC State, 51% are male and 49% are female.

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Racial-Ethnic Diversity

The racial-ethnic breakdown of North Carolina State University students is as follows.

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 1,826
Black or African American 1,368
Hispanic or Latino 1,539
White 15,731
International Students 704
Other Races/Ethnicities 1,761

Geographic Diversity

North Carolina students aren't the only ones who study at North Carolina State University. At this time, 42 states are represented by the student population at the school.

Over 103 countries are represented at NC State. The most popular countries sending students to the school are India, China, and South Korea.

Online Learning at North Carolina State University

9,971 Took All Classes Online
32,700 Took At Least One Class Online
59.0% Avg Growth Over 4 Years
There are 1 bachelor’s degree and 17 master’s degree programs available online at NC State. In 2019-2020, 32,700 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at NC State has changed over the last few years.

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This school is the 4th most popular in North Carolina for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.

Online Affordability Rankings of NC State

The following table shows how NC State is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.

Major Tuition for In-State Students Tuition for Out-of-State Students
Systems Theory #1 #1
Animal Science #1 #1
Nuclear Engineering #1 #4
Textile Engineering #1 #1
Agricultural Public Services #1 #4
Manufacturing Engineering #1 #7
Nutrition Science #4 #13
Chemical Engineering #4 #7
Statistics #4 #4
Soil Sciences #4 #1
Agricultural Engineering #4 #4
Plant Sciences #7 #4
Materials Engineering #7 #4
Forestry #7 #4
Computer Systems Networking #7 #13
Recreation Administration #7 #16
Other Engineering #9 #15
Environmental Engineering #10 #7
Natural Resources Conservation #10 #13
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering #13 #19
Mathematics & Statistics #19 #31
Civil Engineering #19 #25
General Engineering #20 #35
Mechanical Engineering #22 #28
Electrical Engineering #22 #37
Industrial Engineering #22 #31
Natural Resources & Conservation #25 #43
Computer Science #25 #40
Human Development & Family Studies #28 #40
Computer Engineering #31 #37
Engineering-Related Fields #34 #72
Engineering Technologies #36 #90
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences #40 #58
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies #49 #88
Computer & Information Sciences #64 #133
Accounting #67 #163

Online Growth Rankings of NC State

The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at North Carolina State University was 59.0%. This is the #600 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at NC State regardless of major.

The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of NC State majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.

Major 1-Year Growth Rate
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 6%
Agricultural Public Services 29%
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 20%
Animal Science 12%
Architecture & Related Services 22%
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 6%
Biotechnology 52%
Business Administration & Management 6%
Business, Management & Marketing 11%
Communication & Journalism 3%
Computer & Information Sciences 6%
Computer Science 9%
Education 16%
Educational Administration 19%
Educational Assessment 49%
Engineering Technologies 4%
Environmental Design 20%
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 61%
General Education 47%
General Engineering 17%
Human Development & Family Studies 61%
International Studies 29%
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 11%
Liberal Arts General Studies 11%
Manufacturing Engineering 5%
Mathematics 5%
Mathematics & Statistics 7%
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies 14%
Natural Resources & Conservation 2%
Natural Resources Conservation 21%
Other Engineering 33%
Plant Sciences 25%
Public Administration 49%
Public Administration & Social Service 5%
Public Relations & Advertising 10%
Social Sciences 20%
Student Counseling 41%
Systems Theory 8%
Teacher Education Grade Specific 4%
Teacher Education Subject Specific 5%

The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at NC State ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at NC State.

Major Growth Rate Rank
Biomedical Engineering #1
Animal Science #1
Plant Sciences #1
Agricultural Engineering #1
Environmental Design #1
Textile Engineering #1
Systems Theory #1
Agricultural Public Services #4
International Studies #4
Educational Assessment #4
Natural Resources Conservation #4
Architecture & Related Services #4
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering #4
Manufacturing Engineering #7
Natural Resources & Conservation #7
Other Engineering #7
Mathematics #7
Mathematics & Statistics #7
Biotechnology #7
Electrical Engineering #7
General Engineering #10
Computer Engineering #16
Public Relations & Advertising #19
Computer Systems Networking #20
Student Counseling #22
Geography & Cartography #22
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations #22
Computer Science #23
Biological & Biomedical Sciences #25
Public Administration #32
Human Development & Family Studies #34
General Education #35
Engineering-Related Fields #36
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences #42
Engineering #43
Curriculum & Instruction #63
Communication & Journalism #70
Engineering Technologies #71
Instructional Media Design #83
Teacher Education Subject Specific #91
Social Sciences #92
Educational Administration #97
Public Administration & Social Service #98
Teacher Education Grade Specific #104
Accounting #110
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies #118
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities #151
Liberal Arts General Studies #151
Computer & Information Sciences #184
Education #319
Business Administration & Management #354
Business, Management & Marketing #469

When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.

North Carolina State University Undergraduate Concentrations

The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.

Major Basic Certificate Associate’s Bachelor’s Graduate Certificate Master’s Doctor’s TOTAL
Business Administration & Management 3 0 665 61 244 0 973
Computer Science 0 0 232 6 281 28 547
Mechanical Engineering 0 0 288 0 83 21 392
General Biology 0 0 336 0 0 0 336
Electrical Engineering 0 0 156 6 122 43 327
Textile Engineering 0 0 213 8 60 28 309
Computer Engineering 37 0 132 0 97 9 275
Accounting 0 0 155 0 117 0 272
General Psychology 0 0 234 0 10 22 266
Animal Science 2 0 218 4 26 6 256
Civil Engineering 0 0 121 0 66 19 206
Communication & Media Studies 0 0 199 0 0 0 199
Chemical Engineering 0 0 132 0 45 20 197
Natural Resources Conservation 0 0 129 5 28 7 169
Teacher Education Grade Specific 0 0 62 17 86 0 165
Statistics 0 0 59 0 78 26 163
Agricultural Economics & Business 2 56 104 0 0 0 162
Industrial Engineering 0 0 88 0 52 14 154
Biomedical Engineering 0 0 128 0 13 10 151
Social Work 0 0 66 0 82 0 148
Political Science & Government 0 0 145 0 0 0 145
General English Literature 0 0 101 0 24 0 125
Computer Software & Applications 0 0 0 0 119 0 119
Nutrition Science 0 0 95 0 17 3 115
Educational Administration 0 0 0 0 86 20 106
Recreation Administration 0 0 48 16 37 4 105
International Studies 28 0 76 0 0 0 104
Business/Managerial Economics 0 0 102 0 0 0 102
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 0 0 73 0 17 9 99
Teacher Education Subject Specific 0 0 65 0 20 13 98
History 0 0 74 0 21 1 96
Plant Sciences 10 0 54 1 18 12 95
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 0 0 0 0 93 2 95
Forestry 0 0 73 0 13 9 95
Materials Engineering 0 0 47 0 26 17 90
Health & Physical Education 0 0 89 0 0 0 89
Design & Applied Arts 0 0 70 0 19 0 89
Student Counseling 0 0 0 21 59 7 87
Applied Mathematics 0 0 36 0 37 12 85
Zoology 0 0 58 0 11 11 80
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 0 0 69 0 10 0 79
Mathematics 0 0 59 4 5 11 79
Physics 0 0 41 0 19 14 74
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 0 0 64 0 3 2 69
General Engineering 0 0 49 0 16 0 65
Agricultural Engineering 0 0 49 1 9 5 64
Sociology 0 0 43 0 11 9 63
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 4 0 48 0 7 3 62
Science, Technology & Society 0 0 62 0 0 0 62
Botany/Plant Biology 1 0 40 0 9 9 59
Manufacturing Engineering 0 0 0 0 58 0 58
Geography & Cartography 0 0 0 58 0 0 58
Nuclear Engineering 0 0 19 0 15 23 57
Biotechnology 9 0 0 26 21 0 56
Computer Systems Networking 0 0 0 0 56 0 56
Chemistry 0 0 40 0 1 15 56
Liberal Arts General Studies 5 0 27 5 17 0 54
Agricultural Production 0 52 1 0 0 0 53
General Agriculture 0 23 26 0 0 0 49
Environmental Engineering 0 0 33 0 15 0 48
Marketing 0 0 0 47 0 0 47
Public Administration 0 0 0 11 29 7 47
Environmental Design 0 0 30 11 0 5 46
General Architecture 0 0 30 16 0 0 46
Criminology 0 0 46 0 0 0 46
Educational Assessment 0 0 0 29 0 14 43
Horticulture 0 34 4 0 0 0 38
Finance & Financial Management 0 0 0 38 0 0 38
Systems Theory 0 0 0 0 37 1 38
Curriculum & Instruction 0 0 0 0 32 5 37
Fine & Studio Arts 0 0 35 0 0 0 35
Genetics 0 0 24 0 2 7 33
Food Science Technology 0 0 15 0 13 3 31
Human Development & Family Studies 0 0 0 17 14 0 31
Architectural Sciences & Technology 0 0 0 0 30 0 30
Anthropology 0 0 24 0 6 0 30
Economics 0 0 0 0 19 11 30
Geological & Earth Sciences 0 0 28 0 0 0 28
International Relations & National Security 0 0 0 2 26 0 28
Environmental Control Technology 2 0 23 0 0 0 25
Operations Research 0 0 0 0 18 6 24
Writing Studies 0 0 0 0 24 0 24
Agricultural Public Services 0 0 7 1 11 2 21
Public Relations & Advertising 0 0 0 6 14 0 20
Natural Resource Management 0 0 10 2 8 0 20
General Education 0 0 19 0 0 0 19
Other Science Technologies/Technicians 0 0 19 0 0 0 19
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 0 0 17 0 0 0 17
Instructional Media Design 0 0 0 0 16 0 16
Arts & Media Management 0 0 16 0 0 0 16
Agricultural Mechanization 0 0 15 0 0 0 15
Landscape Architecture 0 0 0 0 15 0 15
Philosophy 0 0 14 0 0 0 14
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 0 0 0 0 13 0 13
Construction Engineering 0 0 13 0 0 0 13
Soil Sciences 3 0 0 0 6 3 12
Other Physical Science 0 0 0 0 8 4 12
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 0 0 0 0 0 9 9
Other Education 0 0 0 0 0 8 8
Religious Studies 0 0 7 0 0 0 7
Other Engineering 0 0 0 1 5 0 6
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 0 0 0 0 1 4 5
Pharmacology & Toxicology 0 0 0 0 2 3 5
Special Education 0 0 0 1 3 0 4
Public Health 0 0 0 3 0 0 3
Ethnic Studies 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
Food Processing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Engineering-Related Fields 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 106 165 5,991 424 2,731 556 9,973

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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