North Carolina’s Best Small Colleges of 2021
Small colleges in North Carolina are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
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.
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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 16,000,000/year)
- 47 Community Colleges
North Carolina’s Best Overall
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in North Carolina is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). There are 33 small colleges in North Carolina; 13 of which meet our criteria. The list below of the best small colleges in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
- It must be a non-profit institution.
- It must be fully accredited.
- Its student body must consist of 5,000 or fewer students.
- Its graduation rate must be greater than 50%.
How do we determine North Carolina's best small 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.
Best Small Colleges in North Carolina
- #1Davidson College#678 institution's overall influence#36 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
91%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1397/31
Davidson, NCView profile
What is Davidson College known for?
Davidson College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- Political Science
- History
- Philosophy
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
Most Influential Alumni
- #2Guilford College#1414 institution's overall influence#343 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
53%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/20
Greensboro, NCView profile
- #3Warren Wilson College#2434 institution's overall influence#374 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
54%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1177/25
Swannanoa, NCView profile
- #4Queens University of Charlotte#2440 institution's overall influence#431 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
54%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/24
Charlotte, NCView profile
- #5Catawba College#2292 institution's overall influence#893 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
43%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/20
Salisbury, NCView profile
What is Catawba College known for?
Most Influential Alumni
- #6Johnson C. Smith University#2045 institution's overall influence#570 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
44%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
881/16
Charlotte, NCView profile
What is Johnson C. Smith University known for?
Most Influential Alumni
- #7Campbell University#1454 institution's overall influence#486 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
50%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1130/22
Buies Creek, NCView profile
What is Campbell University known for?
Most Influential Alumni
- #8Salem College#2696 institution's overall influence#989 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
57%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
Winston-Salem, NCView profile
- #9University of North Carolina at Asheville#2072 institution's overall influence#555 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
62%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1180/24
Asheville, NCView profile
- #10Meredith College#1831 institution's overall influence#1109 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
63%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/21
Raleigh, NCView profile
- #11Barton College#5098 institution's overall influence#1425 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
42%
Graduation
53%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/20
Wilson, NCView profile
What is Barton College known for?
Barton College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Education
- History
- Social Work
- Communications
- Political Science
- Medical
- Biology
- Literature
- Psychology
- Sociology
Most Influential Alumni
- #12Wingate University#3655 institution's overall influence#1100 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
52%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
Wingate, NCView profile
- #13University of Mount Olive#4896 institution's overall influence#1147 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
43%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/19
Mount Olive, NCView profile
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