Most Selective North Carolina Colleges
North Carolina has 12 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
Duke University is the hardest to get into in North Carolina, accepting just 6% of 51,795 applicants. Also highly selective: Davidson College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges in North Carolina. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Duke University
- Private 4 Year
- Durham, NC
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 6% acceptance rate
- Jan 3 application deadline
Duke is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate public policy, biomedical engineering, and economics. The residential campus in Durham centers on Collegiate Gothic quads and a separate East Campus for first-year housing.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
- Net Price $21,981
Davidson College
- Private 4 Year
- Davidson, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 13% acceptance rate
- Jan 7 application deadline
Davidson is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. An honor code shapes unproctored exams and student self-governance on the residential campus near Charlotte.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Net Price $27,720
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public 4 Year
- Chapel Hill, NC
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 15% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
UNC-Chapel Hill is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and public health. Chapel Hill is a classic college town built around the historic campus.
- SAT Range 1390-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.83
- Net Price $10,154
Wake Forest University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 22% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Wake Forest is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergraduates live on the residential campus in Winston-Salem.
- SAT Range 1410-1520
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $24,401
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
- Private 4 Year
- Concord, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 23% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Cabarrus College is a private health sciences college known for undergraduate nursing and allied health programs. The Concord campus is closely tied to Atrium Health for clinical training.
- SAT Range 970-1060
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.21
- Net Price $14,795
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Public 4 Year
- Winston Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 30% acceptance rate
- Mar 15 application deadline
UNCSA is a public arts conservatory known for undergraduate dance, drama, music, and filmmaking. Students train on a specialized campus in Winston-Salem devoted to intensive performing-arts study.
- SAT Range 1140-1370
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $13,140
Saint Augustine's University
- Private 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 34% acceptance rate
Saint Augustine's is a private historically Black university with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The compact urban campus sits in Raleigh.
- SAT Range 780-940
- Avg GPA 2.5
- Net Price $19,688
Carolina University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
-
| 0 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
Carolina University is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and education. Most programs are taught within an evangelical Christian framework on its Winston-Salem campus.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Net Price $20,412
Brevard College
- Private 4 Year
- Brevard, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
Brevard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate wilderness leadership and environmental studies. The campus sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Pisgah National Forest.
- SAT Range 870-1220
- Avg GPA 3.07
- Net Price $26,930
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- 42% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
NC State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and textiles. The campus sits in Raleigh within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Net Price $15,522
Johnson C Smith University
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 45% acceptance rate
Johnson C. Smith is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate business, computer science, and social work. The compact urban campus sits in Charlotte's historic West End.
- SAT Range 800-980
- Avg GPA 2.48
- Net Price $19,705
North Carolina A & T State University
- Public 4 Year
- Greensboro, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 50% acceptance rate
- Jun 1 application deadline
NC A&T is a large public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering and agriculture. The urban campus is in Greensboro.
- SAT Range 1020-1190
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $10,097