North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 47 private colleges in North Carolina with the largest enrollment of full and part time students. Duke University leads the list with a population of 17,499 students.

Enrollment is a measure of the size of the student body. Larger schools are more likely to offer a wider range of programs and services while smaller schools may have a more intimate and personalized experience.

List of North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
College	Enrollment
Duke University Durham, North Carolina	17,499
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina	9,322
Elon University Elon, North Carolina	7,239
High Point University High Point, North Carolina	6,331
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina	4,963
Wingate University Wingate, North Carolina	3,458
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina	3,220
Gardner Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina	3,104
Lenoir Rhyne University Hickory, North Carolina	2,256
University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, North Carolina	2,109
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina	1,869
Methodist University Fayetteville, North Carolina	1,822
Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina	1,599
Meredith College Raleigh, North Carolina	1,465
North Carolina Wesleyan University Rocky Mount, North Carolina	1,419
Belmont Abbey College Belmont, North Carolina	1,388
Catawba College Salisbury, North Carolina	1,376
Johnson C Smith University Charlotte, North Carolina	1,302

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.