Interested in attending a STEM school in North Carolina? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.
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.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
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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Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges
A research university is a great option for students interested in obtaining STEM degrees. Research universities invest heavily in research, which consequently provides meaningful and extensive opportunities for its students and faculty to participate in research. There are 13 research universities in North Carolina, 11 of which meet our criteria. The list below of the best research universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
The best colleges pound for pound!
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call Concentrated Influence.
Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
Less Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
8%
Graduation
96%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1525/34
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Duke University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
25%
Graduation
91%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/30
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
32%
Graduation
89%
Student body
8K
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Wake Forest University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
84%
Student body
31K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/29
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North Carolina State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
65%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1205/24
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
83%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
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Elon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
65%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/22
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East Carolina University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
59%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1095/22
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
56%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/22
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Campbell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
74%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1245/24
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University of North Carolina Wilmington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
49%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
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Wingate University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
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