North Carolina Central University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Durham, North Carolina. It enrolls 6,081 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
62/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes29
Value54
Affordability82
Selectivity19
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
North Carolina Central University admits 87% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
87%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
19 – 22
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether North Carolina Central University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
22.5 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $15,359 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$6,699
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$19,735
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,450
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,213
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$6,416
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,816
Total Cost of Attendance
$26,556
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$13,032
$30,001 – $48,000
$13,882
$48,001 – $75,000
$17,527
$75,001 – $110,000
$22,401
Over $110,000
$23,658
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,38310%percentile
$10,25025%percentile
$28,250Medianpercentile
$35,50075%percentile
$44,84890%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $23,250
↓ $5,000
No Pell $16,750
↓ $11,500
Dependent students $21,733
↓ $6,517
Independent students $22,393
↓ $5,857
Female students $23,099
↓ $5,151
Male students $19,540
↓ $8,710
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,000, less than completers ($28,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
52% of students who start here finish within six years, and 74% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
52%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $42,968 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$42,968
Earning > $25K
71%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$34,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$37,200
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$32,100
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$37,200
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$40,700
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
20.5 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Concerning. Only 43% of graduates are actively reducing principal even seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 6,081 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 33% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
6,081
Part-Time
12%
First-Generation
33%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Black 84.1%5,113
Hispanic 5.7%349
Other 4.3%258
White 3.8%233
Asian 0.8%49
International 0.4%25
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at North Carolina Central University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
North Carolina Central University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
53 distinct programs across
21 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$16,263
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$58M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$84,637
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
333 instructional faculty across 6 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
74
22%
$110,150
Associate Professors
103
31%
$88,521
Assistant Professors
88
26%
$81,062
Instructors
21
6%
$55,726
Lecturers
43
13%
$55,917
No Rank
4
1%
$58,400
Pros & Cons of North Carolina Central University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where North Carolina Central University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, North Carolina Central University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.
Frequently Asked Questions about North Carolina Central University
The questions families ask most about North Carolina Central University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is North Carolina Central University hard to get into?
Not especially. North Carolina Central University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 87%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at North Carolina Central University?
87% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for North Carolina Central University?
Aim for 22 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 19 and 22 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does North Carolina Central University cost?
Budget around $15,359 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is North Carolina Central University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $42,968 a year against a net price of $15,359, about 2.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is North Carolina Central University known for?
Mostly Law, Social Sciences, Criminal Justice. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do North Carolina Central University graduates earn?
About $42,968 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is North Carolina Central University accredited?
Yes. North Carolina Central University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend North Carolina Central University?
6,081 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at North Carolina Central University?
52% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is North Carolina Central University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is North Carolina Central University located?
North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina.
What programs does North Carolina Central University offer?
53 different programs, most commonly Law, Social Sciences, Criminal Justice. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at North Carolina Central University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in North Carolina
Other colleges in North Carolina share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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