North Carolina’s Best Graduate Schools of 2021
Graduate school may be a critical step in your higher education, whether you are interested in expanding your knowledge, learning a specialization, or earning advanced credentials required by your profession. The best graduate schools in North Carolina offer advanced degrees, such as master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as opportunities for independent research, mentorships, and professional networking.
Colleges and Universities in North Carolina
From its coastal beaches to its lush forests, it’s no wonder the Wright Brothers dreamed of taking flight over North Carolina. This state is rich with history, scenic views, and famous people who once called it home, like John Coltrane and Nicholas Sparks. Students hoping to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree also have the option of choosing from over 100 schools in the Tar Heel State.
Among these schools are over 60 public colleges and universities, including the state’s largest school, North Carolina State University, which serves almost 30,000 students. Tuition costs average about $9,000, just below the national average, and students also have the option to enroll in over 1,000 online courses. Another notable public school is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is one of the country’s oldest universities. The 25,000 students who attend this school will walk the same halls as Francis Collins, Thomas Wolfe, and former president James K. Polk. North Carolina’s private schools have also made a name for themselves, including the well-known Duke University located in Durham. Here, students can earn degrees in some of the top programs, like nursing, political science, and business. Additionally, students can attend one of the many small schools which serve less than 5,000 students, like Campbell University in Buies Creek, or a religiously affiliated school, like Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City.
Whether you prefer ocean views or wooded forests, North Carolina has something for everyone. Discover more about the state’s higher learning options.
What are North Carolina’s Colleges & Universities?
- 13 Research Universities
- 36 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 16 Graduate Schools
- 15 Public Colleges & Universities
- 34 Private Colleges & Universities
- 26 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 33 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 16 Affordable Colleges (below 16,000k/yr)
- 47 Community Colleges
North Carolina’s Best Overall
There are 16 doctorate-granting universities in North Carolina, 12 of which meet our criteria. The best graduate schools below are composed of both private and public schools that satisfy the following four conditions:
- It must be a non-profit institution.
- It must be fully accredited.
- It must offer doctoral degrees and a broad array of graduate degrees.
- It must have a graduation rate greater than 50%.
How do we determine North Carolina's best graduate schools?
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. At the undergraduate level, the best colleges and universities are those with the highest concentration of influence. Our Concentrated Influence metric adjusts overall influence by size of undergraduate student body, thus allowing smaller schools to compete with larger schools so long as they have proportionately as strong influential faculty and alums.
But at the graduate level, the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. Overall influence, and not influence controlled by other variables, thus becomes the best gauge of academic excellence at the graduate level. Where smaller size is an advantage at the undergraduate level (hence Concentrated Influence), graduate studies benefit from a large and vibrant community of graduate students, who promise to become the new generation of academic influencers.
If you are serious about finding the best graduate schools, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our methodology here.
Best Graduate Schools in North Carolina
- #1Duke University#31 institution's overall influence#12 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
95%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1510/34
Durham, NCView profile
What is Duke University known for?
Duke University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Religious Studies
- Nursing
- Earth Sciences
- Medical
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Law
- Philosophy
- Biology
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #2University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill#75 institution's overall influence#38 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
23%
Graduation
91%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1375/31
Chapel Hill, NCView profile
What is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill known for?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- History
- Law
- Political Science
- Business
- Communications
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Nursing
- Religious Studies
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #3North Carolina State University#196 institution's overall influence#176 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
78%
Student body
30K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Raleigh, NCView profile
What is North Carolina State University known for?
North Carolina State University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Engineering
- Physics
- Biology
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Business
- History
- Economics
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
- #4Wake Forest University#474 institution's overall influence#48 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
29%
Graduation
88%
Student body
7K
Winston-Salem, NCView profile
What is Wake Forest University known for?
Wake Forest University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Medical
- Business
- Law
- History
- Literature
- Communications
- Political Science
- Mathematics
- Education
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
- #5Appalachian State University#769 institution's overall influence#1467 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
72%
Student body
19K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/25
Boone, NCView profile
What is Appalachian State University known for?
Appalachian State University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Mathematics
- Communications
- Economics
- Criminal Justice
- Anthropology
- History
- Earth Sciences
- Political Science
- Medical
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #6University of North Carolina at Charlotte#818 institution's overall influence#1385 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
57%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/24
Charlotte, NCView profile
What is University of North Carolina at Charlotte known for?
University of North Carolina at Charlotte's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Religious Studies
- Mathematics
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Sociology
- History
- Psychology
- Economics
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #7East Carolina University#765 institution's overall influence#1186 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
61%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/22
Greenville, NCView profile
What is East Carolina University known for?
East Carolina University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Medical
- Social Work
- History
- Political Science
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Psychology
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #8University of North Carolina at Greensboro#712 institution's overall influence#1364 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
54%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/22
Greensboro, NCView profile
What is University of North Carolina at Greensboro known for?
University of North Carolina at Greensboro's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Literature
- Sociology
- Education
- Psychology
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Mathematics
- Biology
- History
Most Influential Alumni
- #9University of North Carolina Wilmington#2329 institution's overall influence#1260 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
72%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/25
Wilmington, NCView profile
What is University of North Carolina Wilmington known for?
University of North Carolina Wilmington's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Social Work
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Computer Science
- History
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Communications
- Literature
- Sociology
Most Influential Alumni
- #10Western Carolina University#2077 institution's overall influence#632 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$4K
Acceptance
40%
Graduation
57%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/22
Cullowhee, NCView profile
What is Western Carolina University known for?
Western Carolina University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Anthropology
- Literature
- History
- Social Work
- Medical
- Criminal Justice
- Education
- Business
- Biology
Most Influential Alumni
- #11High Point University#2103 institution's overall influence#312 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
64%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1170/24
High Point, NCView profile
What is High Point University known for?
High Point University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Political Science
- Economics
- History
- Criminal Justice
- Business
- Education
- Sociology
- Computer Science
- Medical
Most Influential Alumni
- #12Wingate University#7478 institution's overall influence#1100 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
54%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/21
Wingate, NCView profile
What is Wingate University known for?
Wingate University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
- Criminal Justice
- Nursing
- Education
- Communications
- History
- Medical
Most Influential Alumni
