North Carolina Central University

Overview

Rankings

• #2 Best HBCUs for Social Sciences
• #2 Best HBCUs for Public Administration
• #8 Best HBCUs for Criminal Justice
• #8 Best HBCUs for Visual
• #8 Best HBCUs for Graphic Design
• #9 Best HBCUs for Education
• #9 Best Colleges for Cross-Class Networks
• #10 Best HBCUs for Computer Science

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into North Carolina Central University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Durham, North Carolina, North Carolina Central University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 87%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,050. The graduation rate is roughly 44%.

Acceptance Rate

87%

Retention Rate

73%

SAT Average

1050

ACT Midpoint

18

ACT Range

19–22

Full-Time Faculty

68%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$9,555

Student–Faculty Ratio

14:1

Diversity Index

0.29

First-Gen Students

33%

Applicants

8,423

Admitted

7,107

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard North Carolina Central University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 11% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

11%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

0%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

0%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend North Carolina Central University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at North Carolina Central University is $19,735, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $15,359. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,032 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $28,250 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$6,699

Out-of-State

$19,735

Avg Net Price

$15,359

Median Debt

$28,250

Pell Grant Rate

59%

Federal Loan Rate

63%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at North Carolina Central University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is North Carolina Central University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of North Carolina Central University report median earnings of $42,968, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry

$35,967

8 Years

$38,793

10 Years

$42,968

Debt-to-Earnings

0.66x

Earning > $25K

50%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does North Carolina Central University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

North Carolina Central University is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.84%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 21.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 13.4% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $45,600, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

2.84%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

13.4%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

21.1%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$61,954

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is North Carolina Central University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at North Carolina Central University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.09, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.09), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 3% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.09

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.09

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

2.9%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$1,492,608

Top Programs

The fields North Carolina Central University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Social Sciences 15% $33,521 early-career
• Business & Marketing 14% $38,920 early-career
• Criminal Justice 11% $37,445 early-career
• Psychology 10% $34,184 early-career
• Education 8% $46,136 early-career
• Health Professions 7% $75,694 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 7% $37,921 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 4% $68,105 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.