In North Carolina, there are a total of 588,109 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 486,793 attend public colleges and universities, while 101,316 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in North Carolina, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.
Explore Largest North Carolina Colleges with the Most Students, where 38,464 students are enrolled at North Carolina State University at Raleigh, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.
Following closely, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks second with 32,438 students, while University of North Carolina at Charlotte holds the third spot at 31,091. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.
The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $29,162 and graduate tuition & fees is $28,722 for the academic year 2024-2025.
At these High Enrollment North Carolina Colleges, the average acceptance rate is 60.62%, and the average SAT score is 1,277, making them not only cost-effective but also accessible options for a wide range of students.
Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest North Carolina online colleges.
| School Name | Total Population | Undergraduate | Graduate | Men | Women | Online Enrollment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NCPublic, 4-year | 38,464 1,141 | 28,422 (73.89%) | 10,042 (26.11%) | 19,373 (50.37%) | 19,091 (49.63%) | 2,954 (7.68%) |
| 2 - | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NCPublic, 4-year | 32,438 204 | 20,885 (64.38%) | 11,553 (35.62%) | 12,821 (39.52%) | 19,617 (60.48%) | 1,858 (5.73%) |
| 3 - | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NCPublic, 4-year | 31,091 793 | 24,868 (79.98%) | 6,223 (20.02%) | 15,223 (48.96%) | 15,868 (51.04%) | 2,925 (9.41%) |
| 4 - | East Carolina University Greenville, NCPublic, 4-year | 26,940 155 | 21,445 (79.60%) | 5,495 (20.40%) | 10,631 (39.46%) | 16,309 (60.54%) | 8,356 (31.02%) |
| 5 - | Appalachian State University Boone, NCPublic, 4-year | 21,570 317 | 19,560 (90.68%) | 2,010 (9.32%) | 9,329 (43.25%) | 12,241 (56.75%) | 2,551 (11.83%) |
| 6 - | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NCPublic, 4-year | 18,848 861 | 15,254 (80.93%) | 3,594 (19.07%) | 6,598 (35.01%) | 12,250 (64.99%) | 4,303 (22.83%) |
| 7 - | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NCPublic, 4-year | 18,012 269 | 14,416 (80.04%) | 3,596 (19.96%) | 5,883 (32.66%) | 12,129 (67.34%) | 4,721 (26.21%) |
| 8 - | Duke University Durham, NCPrivate, 4-year | 17,499 387 | 6,523 (37.28%) | 10,976 (62.72%) | 7,778 (44.45%) | 9,721 (55.55%) | 1,312 (7.50%) |
| 9 - | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NCPublic, 4-year | 14,311 426 | 12,497 (87.32%) | 1,814 (12.68%) | 5,511 (38.51%) | 8,800 (61.49%) | 1,656 (11.57%) |
| 10 - | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NCPublic, 4-year | 11,686 58 | 10,112 (86.53%) | 1,574 (13.47%) | 4,769 (40.81%) | 6,917 (59.19%) | 2,836 (24.27%) |
| Average | 23,086 | 17,398 (75.36%) | 5,688 (24.64%) | 9,792 (42.41%) | 13,294 (57.59%) | 3,347 (14.50%) |