Best Nursing Colleges in North Carolina2026 Rankings
With 33 Nursing programs spread across North Carolina, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
North Carolina offers 13 public and 17 private Nursing programs in this ranking. Public universities average $22,552 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Duke University — accepts 7% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Nursing graduates average $41,285, with a state-wide graduation rate of 54% for ranked programs.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke UniversityPrivate | Perfect· 52 | 7% | 96% | $6,901 | $77,288 | 6:1 | 59 | 6,417 |
| 2 | Carolinas College of Health SciencesPublic | Excellent· 44 | 81% | 100% | $19,095 | $71,579 | 5:1 | 1 | 409 |
| 3 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPublic | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $71,594 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 |
| 4 | Queens University of CharlottePrivate | Strong· 35 | 68% | 66% | $24,168 | $73,479 | 9:1 | 39 | 1,362 |
| 5 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $70,522 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 6 | Appalachian State UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $69,420 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonPublic | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $74,463 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 |
| 8 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $70,746 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 9 | University of North Carolina at CharlottePublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $73,445 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 |
| 10 | Fayetteville State UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $73,448 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 |
| 11 | University of North Carolina at PembrokePublic | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $73,906 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 |
| 12 | North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $36,227 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 |
| 13 | North Carolina A & T State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $73,368 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 |
| 14 | Winston-Salem State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $72,639 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 |
| 15 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $63,302 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 16 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $71,337 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 17 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $69,776 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |
| 18 | Western Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 87% | 59% | $13,085 | $68,774 | 16:1 | 55 | 9,867 |
| 19 | Wingate UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 85% | 47% | $20,089 | $68,877 | 15:1 | 33 | 2,462 |
| 20 | University of North Carolina at GreensboroPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 58% | $12,295 | $68,115 | 17:1 | 56 | 13,848 |
| 21 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 62% | $16,785 | $72,051 | 17:1 | 68 | 19,857 |
| 22 | Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 51% | $20,065 | $64,846 | 15:1 | 42 | 1,348 |
| 23 | Campbell UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 94% | 56% | $19,451 | $70,772 | 13:1 | 56 | 2,790 |
| 24 | University of Mount OlivePrivate | Good· 30 | 78% | 47% | $18,062 | $81,493 | 19:1 | 40 | 1,754 |
| 25 | Cabarrus College of Health SciencesPrivate | Good· 30 | 49% | 45% | $14,264 | $73,944 | 8:1 | 5 | 602 |
| 26 | Chamberlain University-North CarolinaPrivate | Good· 30 | 67% | 0% | $27,697 | $83,188 | 9:1 | 1 | 216 |
| 27 | William Peace UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 97% | 44% | $22,005 | $38,661 | 12:1 | 31 | 661 |
| 28 | Pfeiffer UniversityPrivate | Average· 28 | 95% | 43% | $21,842 | $66,499 | 14:1 | 30 | 654 |
| 29 | Belmont Abbey CollegePrivate | Average· 28 | 90% | 46% | $24,173 | $38,584 | 12:1 | 25 | 1,454 |
| 30 | North Carolina Central UniversityPublic | Average· 28 | 90% | 46% | $17,688 | $76,142 | 16:1 | 37 | 5,400 |