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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