North Carolina’s Best Graduate Schools of 2021

Colleges and Universities in North Carolina

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 UNC 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.

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.

Whether you prefer ocean views or wooded forests, North Carolina has something for everyone. Discover more about the state’s higher learning options.

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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:

1. It must be a non-profit institution.
2. It must be fully accredited.
3. It must offer doctoral degrees and a broad array of graduate degrees.
4. 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.

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Best Graduate Schools in North Carolina

1. 

   #1

   Duke 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, NC

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   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

   • David G. Bromley
   • Charlie Rose
   • John W. Campbell
   • Ken Wilber
   • Jerome Bruner
   • Tim Cook
   • James E. Boyd
   • Russell Kirk
   • William Styron
   • Richard B. Spencer
   • Fred Brooks
   • Anne Tyler
2. 

   #2

   University 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, NC

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   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

   • Howard T. Odum
   • James K. Polk
   • Francis Collins
   • Walker Percy
   • Richard Lenski
   • Thomas Wolfe
   • Lawrence Ferlinghetti
   • Lewis Binford
   • James Surowiecki
   • Leonard J. Arrington
   • Jeffrey Beall
   • David Brinkley
3. 

   #3

   North 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, NC

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   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

   • Munir Ahmad Khan
   • Tomoko Ohta
   • Roy Hampton Park
   • Rajendra K. Pachauri
   • Hugh Shelton
   • Christina Koch
   • Zach Galifianakis
   • Salim Mehmud
   • Raymond T. Odierno
   • Kij Johnson
   • Lara Trump
   • William C. Lee
4. 

   #4

   Wake Forest University

   #474 institution's overall influence

   #48 overall school desirability

   Tuition + fees

   $53K

   Acceptance

   29%

   Graduation

   88%

   Student body

   7K

   Winston-Salem, NC

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   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

   • Arnold Palmer
   • Harold Hayes
   • Al Hunt
   • Will D. Campbell
   • Thomas Dixon Jr.
   • Melissa Harris-Perry
   • Carroll O'Connor
   • Jerry Punch
   • Frank A. Armstrong
   • Thomas Marshburn
   • Chris Paul
   • Charlie Ergen
5. 

   #5

   Appalachian 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, NC

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   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

   • David Weber
   • Stephen J. Dubner
   • Brock Long
   • Franklin Graham
   • Charles Frazier
   • Charlotte Flair
   • Steven M. Greer
   • James Emery White
   • Anna J. Phillips
   • Robert Allen Phillips
   • Mary Ellen Snodgrass
   • Eric Bachmann
6. 

   #6

   University 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, NC

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   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

   • Matt Hardy
   • Matthew Michalewicz
   • Gregg Henriques
   • Benjamin Chavis
   • Vani Hari
   • Caridad Svich
   • Nicole Atkins
   • Cedric Maxwell
   • Clyde Caldwell
   • Malek Jandali
   • Joey Coulter
   • Glenda Gilmore
7. 

   #7

   East 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, NC

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   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

   • Vince McMahon
   • Sandra Bullock
   • Rick Atkinson
   • John A. Allison IV
   • Kevin Williamson
   • David D. Ginty
   • Emily Procter
   • Mary Robinette Kowal
   • Nia Franklin
   • Beth Grant
   • Dan Neil
   • Scott Avett
8. 

   #8

   University 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, NC

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   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

   • Kelly Link
   • Robert Morgan
   • Claudia Emerson
   • Camille Dungy
   • DaBaby
   • Terry Sullivan
   • Phyllis Birkby
   • Eleanor Ross Taylor
   • Norman B. Anderson
   • Matthew Hughey
   • Greg Campbell
   • Beth Leavel
9. 

   #9

   University 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, NC

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   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

   • Skeet Ulrich
   • Jill Mikucki
   • David Harpp
   • Scott Dawson
   • Joshua Poteat
   • David Riggs
   • Terry Schappert
   • Derek Nikitas
   • Lavonne J. Adams
   • Carl Willis
   • Brad Knighton
   • Karen F. Parker
10. 

    #10

    Western 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, NC

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    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

    • David Sedaris
    • Jason Bond
    • Rich Hall
    • Percy Watson
    • Mark Martin
    • Geoff Collins
    • Kevin Martin
    • David Joy
    • Carol Fowler Durham
    • Juanita Moody
    • Rachel Reilly
    • Todd Fuller
11. 

    #11

    High 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, NC

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    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

    • Austin Dillon
    • Robert R. Merhige, Jr.
    • Nido Qubein
    • Charles F. Price
    • Harold P. Hamilton
    • Steve Brown
    • Scott Harvey
    • Debbie Leonard
12. 

    #12

    Wingate 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, NC

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    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

    • Rohit Gupta
    • Lorinza Harrington
    • Charlie Machell

North Carolina’s Best Grad School for Your Interest!