Best colleges for nursing in North Carolina
Fayetteville State University ranks first in North Carolina for nursing value (#121 nationally, value score 66.4): graduates earn $88,701 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,500 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 20 North Carolina colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best nursing colleges in North Carolina
Fayetteville State University ranks first in North Carolina for nursing value (#121 nationally, value score 66.4): graduates earn $88,701 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $8,500 a year. 20 North Carolina colleges qualify. At the median one, nursing graduates earn $81,044 and the average net price is $16,794 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 20 North Carolina colleges qualify. At the median one, nursing graduates earn $81,044 and the average net price is $16,794 a year.
- The highest nursing earnings in the state are at University of Mount Olive ($93,698), ranked #12 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- Median earnings
- $81,044
- National: $85,171
- Median net price
- $16,794
- National: $18,014
- Median federal debt
- $18,751
- nursing graduates
- Public colleges
- 12 of 20
- in this list
20 colleges
The North Carolina ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in North Carolina 1
Fayetteville, NC · Public · #121 nationally
66.4Value- Earnings
- $88,701
- Net price
- $8,500
- Federal debt
- $14,524
- Graduation rate
- 37%
- Rank in North Carolina 2
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · Public · #160 nationally
63.7Value- Earnings
- $86,606
- Net price
- $19,570
- Federal debt
- $12,550
- Graduation rate
- 72%
- Earnings
- $87,763
- Net price
- $23,706
- Federal debt
- $15,000
- Graduation rate
- 96%
- Rank in North Carolina 4
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Public · #197 nationally
60.6Value- Earnings
- $84,723
- Net price
- $15,142
- Federal debt
- $18,563
- Graduation rate
- 68%
- Rank in North Carolina 5
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC · Public · #202 nationally
60.3Value- Earnings
- $90,760
- Net price
- $16,708
- Federal debt
- $18,751
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Rank in North Carolina 6
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC · Public · #244 nationally
56.7Value- Earnings
- $81,704
- Net price
- $9,884
- Federal debt
- $18,373
- Graduation rate
- 56%
- Rank in North Carolina 7
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public · #250 nationally
56.4Value- Earnings
- $78,585
- Net price
- $11,305
- Federal debt
- $17,275
- Graduation rate
- 91%
- Rank in North Carolina 8
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC · Public · #257 nationally
55.4Value- Earnings
- $80,383
- Net price
- $12,291
- Federal debt
- $15,500
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Rank in North Carolina 9
Cullowhee, NC · Public · #274 nationally
54.6Value- Earnings
- $79,533
- Net price
- $13,025
- Federal debt
- $15,193
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Rank in North Carolina 10
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC · Public · #279 nationally
54.5Value- Earnings
- $84,952
- Net price
- $12,817
- Federal debt
- $20,000
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Earnings
- $78,943
- Net price
- $16,082
- Federal debt
- $12,500
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Rank in North Carolina 12
Mount Olive, NC · Private nonprofit · #312 nationally
52.0Value- Earnings
- $93,698
- Net price
- $18,927
- Federal debt
- $25,587
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Earnings
- $82,250
- Net price
- $16,880
- Federal debt
- $19,625
- Graduation rate
- 63%
- Rank in North Carolina 14
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC · Public · #470 nationally
40.8Value- Earnings
- $78,674
- Net price
- $10,522
- Federal debt
- $20,758
- Graduation rate
- 44%
- Rank in North Carolina 15
Hickory, NC · Private nonprofit · #560 nationally
33.5Value- Earnings
- $78,839
- Net price
- $18,641
- Federal debt
- $20,875
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Rank in North Carolina 16
Methodist University-North Carolina
Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · #603 nationally
29.3Value- Earnings
- $83,653
- Net price
- $25,760
- Federal debt
- Not reported
- Graduation rate
- 39%
- Rank in North Carolina 17
Buies Creek, NC · Private nonprofit · #638 nationally
25.6Value- Earnings
- $79,506
- Net price
- $25,057
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Graduation rate
- 59%
- Rank in North Carolina 18
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · #644 nationally
24.4Value- Earnings
- $79,586
- Net price
- $29,421
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Earnings
- $79,283
- Net price
- $24,367
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Rank in North Carolina 20
Boiling Springs, NC · Private nonprofit · #654 nationally
21.8Value- Earnings
- $75,117
- Net price
- $21,150
- Federal debt
- $21,500
- Graduation rate
- 48%
Method: the same value score as the national nursing ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about nursing colleges in North Carolina
What are the best colleges for nursing in North Carolina?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 North Carolina colleges for nursing are Fayetteville State University (value score 66.4), University of North Carolina Wilmington (value score 63.7) and Duke University (value score 61.6). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which North Carolina college has the highest earnings for nursing graduates?
University of Mount Olive: its nursing graduates have median earnings of $93,698 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable nursing college in North Carolina on this list?
Fayetteville State University has the lowest average net price of the ranked North Carolina colleges, $8,500 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many North Carolina colleges are ranked for nursing?
20 North Carolina colleges have a nursing bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within North Carolina.