Most Affordable Public Universities in North Carolina
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
17 public universities in North Carolina are listed here, 16 of them reporting a net price. They run from $6,364 a year at Elizabeth City State University to $20,109 at University of North Carolina Wilmington, with a middle of about $13,479.
The cheapest are Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University and University of North Carolina at Pembroke. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in North Carolina, cheapest first · 17
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Elizabeth City State University
- Fayetteville State University
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- North Carolina A & T State University
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina Asheville
- Western Carolina University
- Winston-Salem State University
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- North Carolina Central University
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- East Carolina University
- Appalachian State University
- North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Carolinas College of Health Sciences
← All colleges in North Carolina
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in North Carolina?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Elizabeth City State University at about $6,364 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 do public universities in North Carolina cost on average?
- Across the 16 public universities in North Carolina that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $13,479 a year after aid, running from $6,364 to $20,109.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 20% to 65%, with a middle of about 34%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
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