Duke University has the highest graduation rate, which is the percentage of graduate candidates who complete their degree or certificate within 150 percent of normal time (for example, within 6 years for 4-years BS degree). Its graduatation rate was 97% last year.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with 91% and Wake Forest University with 89% of graduation rates followed it in the ranking of North Carolina Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rate.
For the ranking, we exclude schools with fewer than 5,000 students.
The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $36,153 and graduate tuition & fees is $30,395 for the academic year 2024-2025.
For these well-regarded North Carolina Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rate, the average acceptance rate is 55.58% and the average SAT score is 1,313, indicating a moderately selective admissions process.
| School Name | Graduation Rate | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Yield | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Total Population | Students to Faculty Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - | Duke University Durham, NCPrivate, 4-year | 97.00% 2.00% | $68,758 | 58.84% | 5.71% | 1,540 | 17,499 | 5 to 1 |
| 2 - | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NCPublic, 4-year | 91.00% 1.00% | $41,203 ($8,994) | 45.45% | 15.34% | 1,480 | 32,438 | 15 to 1 |
| 3 - | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NCPrivate, 4-year | 89.00% 1.00% | $67,642 | 36.08% | 21.67% | 1,470 | 9,322 | 10 to 1 |
| 4 - | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NCPublic, 4-year | 85.00% 1.00% | $32,847 ($8,799) | 31.76% | 41.74% | 1,370 | 38,464 | 15 to 1 |
| 5 - | Elon University Elon, NCPrivate, 4-year | 84.00% 2.00% | $46,958 | 13.38% | 66.35% | 1,200 | 7,239 | 11 to 1 |
| 6 - | Appalachian State University Boone, NCPublic, 4-year | 75.00% 2.00% | $25,212 ($7,579) | 18.20% | 90.14% | 1,200 | 21,570 | 16 to 1 |
| 7 - | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NCPublic, 4-year | 71.00% 1.00% | $24,152 ($7,277) | 21.02% | 64.24% | 1,280 | 18,848 | 17 to 1 |
| 8 - | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NCPublic, 4-year | 69.00% 2.00% | $22,492 ($7,239) | 24.49% | 79.60% | 1,250 | 31,091 | 21 to 1 |
| 9 - | East Carolina University Greenville, NCPublic, 4-year | 63.00% 1.00% | $23,638 ($7,361) | 17.10% | 89.21% | 1,160 | 26,940 | 17 to 1 |
| 10 - | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NCPublic, 4-year | 60.00% 1.00% | $8,630 ($4,630) | 12.70% | 81.83% | 1,180 | 11,686 | 16 to 1 |
| Average | 78.40% | $36,153 ($7,411) | 27.90% | 55.58% | 1,313 | 21,510 | 14 to 1 |