State Rankings
Best Colleges in North Carolina
Top colleges in North Carolina ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes, updated 2026.
Top Colleges in North Carolina
Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.
| State # | School | Grad Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill#16 national | $72,200 |
| 2 | Davidson College Davidson#18 national | $81,400 |
| 3 | Duke University Durham#31 national | $97,800 |
| 4 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem#73 national | $78,158 |
| 5 | NC State Raleigh#108 national | $68,758 |
| 6 | Elon University Elon#111 national | $74,545 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte#334 national | $57,289 |
| 8 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington#366 national | $54,967 |
| 9 | High Point University High Point#416 national | $61,389 |
| 10 | Appalachian State University Boone#458 national | $51,836 |
| 11 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte#522 national | $57,673 |
| 12 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem#531 national | $38,357 |
| 13 | East Carolina University Greenville#579 national | $55,146 |
| 14 | Meredith College Raleigh#625 national | $51,539 |
| 15 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Concord#690 national | $58,708 |
| 16 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro#698 national | $44,440 |
| 17 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee#829 national | $49,458 |
| 18 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro#856 national | $48,160 |
| 19 | Campbell University Buies Creek#1095 national | $54,886 |
| 20 | Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem#1205 national | $45,344 |
| 21 | Catawba College Salisbury#1226 national | $48,793 |
| 22 | Wake Technical Community College Raleigh#1254 national | $41,769 |
| 23 | Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City#1466 national | $40,026 |
| 24 | Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs#1470 national | $48,039 |
| 25 | Cape Fear Community College Wilmington#1472 national | $38,654 |
| 26 | Johnston Community College Smithfield#1474 national | $37,310 |
| 27 | Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte#1485 national | $37,865 |
| 28 | University of Mount Olive Mount Olive#1499 national | $47,139 |
| 29 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville#1542 national | $44,030 |
| 30 | South Piedmont Community College Polkton#1565 national | $37,308 |
| 31 | Durham Technical Community College Durham#1582 national | $36,142 |
| 32 | Wingate University Wingate#1618 national | $52,649 |
| 33 | Stanly Community College Albemarle#1656 national | $36,686 |
| 34 | Surry Community College Dobson#1680 national | $36,012 |
| 35 | Pitt Community College Winterville#1714 national | $37,259 |
| 36 | Haywood Community College Clyde#1742 national | $34,770 |
| 37 | Cleveland Community College Shelby#1754 national | $33,755 |
| 38 | Central Carolina Community College Sanford#1773 national | $33,525 |
| 39 | Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury#1783 national | $34,936 |
| 40 | Nash Community College Rocky Mount#1814 national | $34,912 |
| 41 | Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville#1817 national | $31,861 |
| 42 | Gaston College Dallas#1834 national | $35,386 |
| 43 | Craven Community College New Bern#1838 national | $34,231 |
| 44 | Wayne Community College Goldsboro#1841 national | $34,148 |
| 45 | Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson#1858 national | $34,515 |
| 46 | Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville#1861 national | $36,337 |
| 47 | Vance-Granville Community College Henderson#1869 national | $34,304 |
| 48 | Southwestern Community College Sylva#1871 national | $34,145 |
| 49 | Rockingham Community College Wentworth#1877 national | $32,480 |
| 50 | Sampson Community College Clinton#1895 national | $33,409 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.
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