North Carolina’s Best Research Universities 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.

More

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:

1. It must be a fully accredited university.
2. It must offer doctoral degrees across the range of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
3. It must report high levels of research activity based upon the number of research and/or practice doctorates awarded each year.
4. It must have a graduation rate of greater than 50%.

How do we determine North Carolina's best colleges and universities?

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.

More

Best Research Universities in North Carolina for Undergraduates

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

   View 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

   • 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

   View 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

   • 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

   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

   View 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

   • 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
4. 

   #4

   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

   View 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

   • 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
5. 

   #5

   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

   View 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

   • Matt Hardy
   • Matthew Michalewicz
   • Gregg Henriques
   • Benjamin Chavis
   • Vani Hari
   • Caridad Svich
   • Nicole Atkins
   • Cedric Maxwell
   • Clyde Caldwell
   • Malek Jandali
   • Joey Coulter
   • Glenda Gilmore
6. 

   #6

   Elon University

   #1815 institution's overall influence

   #1234 overall school desirability

   Tuition + fees

   $35K

   Acceptance

   72%

   Graduation

   82%

   Student body

   7K

   Median SAT/ACT

   1240/27

   Elon, NC

   View profile

   What is Elon University known for?

   Elon University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

   • Communications
   • Religious Studies
   • Philosophy
   • History
   • Computer Science
   • Economics
   • Political Science
   • Business
   • Law
   • Chemistry

   Most Influential Alumni

   • William E. Gortney
   • Rich Blomquist
   • Wes Durham
   • Lexie Fyfe
   • Grant Gustin
   • James S. Denton
   • Chris Wood
   • Deborah Yow
   • Eugene McDaniel
   • Reno Collier
   • Taylor Trensch
   • Yasmine Arrington
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

   View 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

   • 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

   View 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

   • 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

   Campbell University

   #1825 institution's overall influence

   #486 overall school desirability

   Tuition + fees

   $33K

   Acceptance

   76%

   Graduation

   55%

   Student body

   5K

   Median SAT/ACT

   1120/22

   Buies Creek, NC

   View profile

   What is Campbell University known for?

   Campbell University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:

   • Nursing
   • Law
   • History
   • Economics
   • Engineering
   • Political Science
   • Sociology
   • Social Work
   • Medical
   • Education

   Most Influential Alumni

   • Paul Green
   • Don Brown
   • Norman Adrian Wiggins
   • Low Ngai Yuen
   • Eugene McDaniel
   • Kristin Cooper
   • Meg Scott Phipps
   • Stuart Couch
   • John M. Tyson
   • Frank Antenori
   • Clay Aiken
   • Kenneth L. Hardison
10. 

    #10

    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

    View 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

    • 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
11. 

    #11

    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

    View 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

    • Rohit Gupta
    • Lorinza Harrington
    • Charlie Machell

Find the Best Research Universities in North Carolina for your Major

Resources for College-Bound Students

• Guide to Applying for College
• How to Apply for Grad School
• Guide to Paying for College
• Guide to Financial Aid in HigherEd
• Guide to College and Grad School Scholarships
• College & University Accreditation Guide
• Guide to Surviving College
• Guide to College for International Students
• Guide to College Study Skills