North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 46 private colleges in North Carolina with the highest in state tution. What is the most expensive college in North Carolina? Duke University leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $71,191. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.

List of North Carolina Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution
College	Tuition In State
Lees McRae College Banner Elk, North Carolina	$36,000
Gardner Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina	$35,740
William Peace University Raleigh, North Carolina	$34,826
St. Andrews University Laurinburg, North Carolina	$34,788
Catawba College Salisbury, North Carolina	$34,300
Brevard College Brevard, North Carolina	$34,280
Salem College Winston-Salem, North Carolina	$33,848
Lenoir Rhyne University Hickory, North Carolina	$32,800
University of Mount Olive Mount Olive, North Carolina	$28,516
Chowan University Murfreesboro, North Carolina	$27,910
Johnson C Smith University Charlotte, North Carolina	$23,330
Saint Augustine's University Raleigh, North Carolina	$22,824
Shaw University Raleigh, North Carolina	$22,284
Bennett College Greensboro, North Carolina	$21,640
Greensboro College Greensboro, North Carolina	$21,100
Livingstone College Salisbury, North Carolina	$20,675
Carolina University Winston-Salem, North Carolina	$20,450
Belmont Abbey College Belmont, North Carolina	$19,500

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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.