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Most Selective Universities in North Carolina

Rankings based on government-verified data for qualifying institutions in North Carolina.

50 results
# Institution Tuition Avg Earnings Grad Rate Acceptance Rate
1 Duke University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$65,805 $85,792 96% 7%
2 Davidson College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$60,300 $62,866 92% 15%
3 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Public NC ROI
$8,989 $57,057 92% 19%
4 Wake Forest University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$64,758 $67,722 90% 22%
5 Shaw University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$17,176 $26,148 17% 31%
6 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Public NC ROI
$9,477 $24,537 81% 33%
7 Bennett College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$19,140 $23,153 20% 34%
8 Carolina University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$16,000 $30,657 30% 34%
9 Brevard College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$31,250 $34,401 38% 40%
10 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Public NC ROI
$8,895 $57,623 85% 40%
11 Johnson C Smith University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$20,480 $31,478 38% 43%
12 North Carolina A & T State University
Public NC ROI
$6,748 $36,638 56% 46%
13 Saint Augustine's University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$16,896 $26,999 27% 59%
14 Montreat College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$33,860 $39,763 41% 66%
15 Chamberlain University-North Carolina
Private For-Profit NC ROI
$19,686 $84,533 N/A 67%
16 Elon University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$44,536 $58,082 83% 67%
17 Queens University of Charlotte
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$43,285 $48,170 67% 68%
18 Winston-Salem State University
Public NC ROI
$6,735 $40,557 49% 69%
19 Elizabeth City State University
Public NC ROI
$3,412 $33,776 46% 71%
20 Chowan University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$27,110 $30,096 27% 72%
21 University of North Carolina Wilmington
Public NC ROI
$7,317 $46,972 73% 74%
22 Livingstone College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$18,296 $24,024 26% 74%
23 Meredith College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$43,936 $45,293 66% 75%
24 Methodist University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$39,664 $40,540 41% 75%
25 Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$17,280 $29,887 43% 76%
26 Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$10,646 $0 49% 77%
27 High Point University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$44,208 $50,955 69% 77%
28 Warren Wilson College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$40,290 $27,723 44% 78%
29 Catawba College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$33,400 $36,912 54% 78%
30 University of Mount Olive
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$25,950 $43,026 48% 78%
31 Mars Hill University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$37,270 $35,680 41% 78%
32 North Carolina Wesleyan University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$35,536 $38,939 39% 78%
33 Fayetteville State University
Public NC ROI
$3,969 $37,831 39% 80%
34 University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Public NC ROI
$7,214 $48,812 69% 80%
35 Lenoir-Rhyne University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$30,900 $44,799 51% 81%
36 Lees-McRae College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$31,140 $41,599 45% 81%
37 Guilford College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$41,140 $40,401 49% 84%
38 Wingate University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$40,196 $43,992 51% 85%
39 Western Carolina University
Public NC ROI
$4,532 $43,085 60% 87%
40 Gardner-Webb University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$33,450 $43,996 57% 87%
41 Salem College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$32,236 $38,496 59% 87%
42 Appalachian State University
Public NC ROI
$7,541 $43,663 74% 89%
43 University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Public NC ROI
$7,593 $39,869 58% 90%
44 East Carolina University
Public NC ROI
$7,361 $46,420 64% 90%
45 Belmont Abbey College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$19,500 $43,816 47% 90%
46 North Carolina Central University
Public NC ROI
$6,542 $35,967 45% 91%
47 Greensboro College
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$20,400 $36,462 41% 92%
48 University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Public NC ROI
$3,571 $37,126 45% 92%
49 University of North Carolina Asheville
Public NC ROI
$7,461 $36,947 57% 94%
50 Campbell University
Private Non-Profit NC ROI
$40,410 $45,511 56% 94%

About This Ranking

This ranking is based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which provides comprehensive information about colleges and universities across the country.

Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data for the ranking criteria are included.

Frequently Asked Questions

The top Most Selective university in North Carolina is Duke University, followed by Davidson College. Rankings are based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

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