Best North Carolina Colleges

There are 137 colleges and universities in North Carolina enrolling 551,493 students. Explore the list of top colleges in North Carolina below to begin your college search. The CollegeSimply rankings are objective and data-driven in order to help you find good matches for you. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page. Whether you're searching for a good public, private or community college, this guide to universities in North Carolina offers a comprehensive view to the state's higher education options.

 North Carolina is home to nationally ranked institutions like Duke University, Davidson College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Elon University. The highest ranked college in North Carolina is Duke University and the top rated public state college is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Local college options can be explored in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem or other cities.