What is the most affordable college in North Carolina?

By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Wilkes Community College at about $-264 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.

What is the difference between sticker price and net price?

Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.

How much does college in North Carolina cost on average?

Across the 111 colleges in North Carolina that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $10,810 a year after aid, running from $-264 to $41,555.

Are community colleges cheaper in North Carolina?

On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in North Carolina has a net price around $6,109 a year, against about $19,076 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $12,967 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

What does the Pell grant percentage mean?

It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 10% to 82%, with a middle of about 35%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

Affordable Colleges in North Carolina

All 112 colleges in North Carolina, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.

The most affordable is Wilkes Community College at about $-264 a year; the costliest here is Elon University at $41,555. A typical North Carolina school on this list lands near $10,810.

Cheapest first, that means Wilkes Community College, Cleveland Community College and Piedmont Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.

Narrow it down

Every college in North Carolina, cheapest first · 112

Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.

Questions families ask

What is the most affordable college in North Carolina?: By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Wilkes Community College at about $-264 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
What is the difference between sticker price and net price?: Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
How much does college in North Carolina cost on average?: Across the 111 colleges in North Carolina that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $10,810 a year after aid, running from $-264 to $41,555.
Are community colleges cheaper in North Carolina?: On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in North Carolina has a net price around $6,109 a year, against about $19,076 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $12,967 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
What does the Pell grant percentage mean?: It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 10% to 82%, with a middle of about 35%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

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