2023 Best Schools in North Carolina
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 85 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in North Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in North Carolina for students working on their degree. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 8,043 degrees in .
On average, students take out $43,272 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Duke graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $83,388 during the early year of their career.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Forest University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3,051 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $71,439 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Wake Forest University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $67,369 during the early year of their career.
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The excellent programs at Elon University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in North Carolina. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Elon, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,002 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $71,465 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Elon graduates make an average of $50,463 annually.
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Out of the 85 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the # 4 spot on the list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 10,490 students in .
Degree recipients from UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of $35,562 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, UNC Chapel Hill graduates make an average of $61,361 annually.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Carolina State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Schools in North Carolina list. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,697 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $31,929 in student loans.After graduating from NC State, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $59,622 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #6, Meredith College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Meredith is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 535 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $59,014 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Meredith graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,537 during the early year of their career.
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Wake Technical Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in North Carolina ranking. Wake Technical Community College is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,381 degrees to qualified students.
Degree recipients from Wake Technical Community College accumulate an average of $20,140 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, Wake Technical Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $38,673 during the early year of their career.
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East Carolina University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Schools in North Carolina list. East Carolina University is a large public school located in Greenville, North Carolina that handed out 7,398 degrees in .
Degree recipients from ECU accumulate an average of $29,856 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, ECU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $51,931 during the early year of their career.
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Appalachian State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #9 on the list. Appalachian State is located in Boone, North Carolina and has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,253 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $25,698 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Appalachian State, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,340 during the early years of their career.
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South Piedmont Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in Polkton, North Carolina, the small public school awarded 531 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Once they receive their degree, South Piedmont Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $39,321 during the early year of their career.
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Central Piedmont Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #11 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 3,208 degrees in .
On average, students take out $20,042 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Central Piedmont Community College graduates make an average of $40,629 annually.
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #12 on the list. This large public school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 8,573 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UNC Charlotte accumulate an average of $27,702 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from UNC Charlotte, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $51,799 during the early years of their career.
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University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #13 on this year’s Best Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, the fairly large public school awarded 5,291 diplomas to qualifed students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $32,222 in student loans.After graduating from UNCW, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $46,164 during the early years of their career.
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Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in North Carolina ranking. JWU Charlotte is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 296 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $39,098 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, JWU Charlotte graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $36,024 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #15, Wingate University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in Wingate, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 827 degrees in .
On average, students take out $31,773 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Wingate graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,836 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #16, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. This fairly large public school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 4,867 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UNC Greensboro accumulate an average of $22,399 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from UNC Greensboro, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,595 during the early years of their career.
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Queens University of Charlotte landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 712 students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $41,775 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Queens graduates make an average of $59,654 annually.
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Alamance Community College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. This small public school is located in Graham, North Carolina, and it awarded 1,075 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,782 in student loans.After graduating from ACC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $37,585 during the early years of their career.
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High Point University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in High Point, North Carolina, and it awarded 1,546 degrees in .
After graduating from High Point, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $113,352 during the early years of their career.
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Craven Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Schools in North Carolina list. Located in New Bern, North Carolina, the small public school awarded 1,272 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Once they receive their degree, Craven Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $30,235 during the early year of their career.
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Montreat College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Located in Montreat, North Carolina, the very small private not-for-profit school handed out 208 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Montreat College graduates make an average of $29,234 annually.
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Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in North Carolina ranking. This small public school is located in Hudson, North Carolina, and it awarded 1,022 degrees in .
Degree recipients from CCCTI accumulate an average of $8,678 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, CCCTI graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,734 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #23, Gaston College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Dallas, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 2,418 students in .
On average, students take out $18,246 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Gaston College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $39,937 during the early years of their career.
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Belmont Abbey College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. BAC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Belmont, North Carolina. It awarded 299 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $38,337 in student loans.After graduating from BAC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,322 during the early years of their career.
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University of Mount Olive ranked #25 on this year’s Best Schools in North Carolina list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Mount Olive, North Carolina, and it awarded 614 degrees in .
On average, students take out $22,998 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from UMO, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $45,131 during the early years of their career.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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