Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina

118 Colleges
$48,405 Avg Salary
$20,881 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Health Professions School for You

In 2020-2021, health professions students earned 18,617 degrees and certificates from a North Carolina school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 118 schools in North Carolina to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Health Professions program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for health professions majors pursuing a .

#1

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

Our analysis found East Carolina University to be the most popular school for health professions students who want to pursue a degree in North Carolina. ECU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Greenville.

Health Professions majors at ECU take out an average of $25,687 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $289.

Full Health Professions at East Carolina University Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for health professions students. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, health professions graduates from UNC Chapel Hill take out $17,420 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina list. UNCW is a fairly large public school located in the city of Wilmington.

While working on their degree, health professions majors at UNCW accumulate an average of around $22,985 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $301, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Health Professions at University of North Carolina at Wilmington Report

#4

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Duke carry an average student debt load of $18,542.

Full Health Professions at Duke University Report

The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Charlotte helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best health professions schools in North Carolina. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, health professions graduates from UNC Charlotte take out $24,781 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $166, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Health Professions at University of North Carolina at Charlotte Report

#6

Gaston College

Dallas, NC

Gaston College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina ranking. Gaston College is a small public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Dallas.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Gaston College carry an average student debt load of $13,084.

Full Health Professions at Gaston College Report

Wake Technical Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular health professions programs. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, health professions majors at Wake Technical Community College accumulate an average of around $29,620 in student debt.

Read More…

Western Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for health professions students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.

On average, health professions graduates from WCU take out $24,939 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $199.

Read More…

#9

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC

Pitt Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina list. Pitt Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Winterville.

Health Professions majors at Pitt Community College take out an average of $21,645 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Health Professions at Pitt Community College Report

#10

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC

Winston - Salem State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for health professions students. It came in at #10 on the list. WSSU is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.

Health Professions majors at WSSU take out an average of $27,762 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $110.

Read full report on Health Professions at Winston - Salem State University

Forsyth Technical Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular health professions programs. Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from Forsyth Tech carry an average student debt load of $20,894.

Read full report on Health Professions at Forsyth Technical Community College

With a ranking of #12, Appalachian State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for health professions students. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone.

On average, health professions graduates from Appalachian State take out $22,400 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $169, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Health Professions majors at UNC Greensboro take out an average of $23,294 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $151.

Read More…

Fayetteville Technical Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for health professions students. It came in at #14 on the list. FTCC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

After completing their degree, health professions graduates from FTCC carry an average student debt load of $16,251.

Full Health Professions at Fayetteville Technical Community College Report

Guilford Technical Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the midsize suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, health professions graduates from Guilford Technical Community College take out $20,932 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #16, Central Piedmont Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for health professions students. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.

The average amount in student loans that health professions majors at Central Piedmont Community College take out is $16,011.

Read More…

Davidson County Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular health professions programs. Located in the rural area of Thomasville, DCCC is a public school with a small student population.

On average, health professions graduates from DCCC take out $14,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Health Professions at Davidson County Community College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Health Professions Schools in North Carolina award.

Rank College Location
18 Campbell University Buies Creek, NC
19 Miller-Motte College Wilmington Wilmington, NC
20 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury, NC
21 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC
22 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
23 Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC

Best Health Professions Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Health Professions Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 5,590
South Carolina 7,283
Florida 49,046
Virginia 17,510
Arkansas 6,286
Mississippi 6,374
Louisiana 7,992
Alabama 12,636
Kentucky 10,991
Georgia 15,658
Tennessee 13,576

Health Professions Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596
Health Sciences & Services 35,945
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,833
Mental & Social Health Services 29,053
Medicine 28,629
Dental Support Services 26,399
Communication Sciences 22,298
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 20,393
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 18,901
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,210
Other Health Professions 7,984
Dentistry 6,770
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 6,158
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,115
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,564
Chiropractic 2,658
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,089
Optometry 1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 1,775
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 960
Medical Science 909
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 294
Alternative Medical Support Services 227
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 68

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.