The Best North Carolina Big Colleges
These are the top ranked large, public and private, four-year colleges in North Carolina as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have total enrollment of 20,000 or more. Leading the list for 2027 is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Learn how the Best Large Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public 4 Year
- Chapel Hill, NC
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- 32,438 total enrollment
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
- Acceptance Rate 15%
- Net Price $10,154
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- 38,464 total enrollment
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
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $15,522
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Public 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 31,091 total enrollment
UNC Charlotte is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in North Carolina's largest city.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $15,045
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
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4.2 | 4 reviews
- 26,940 total enrollment
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
Appalachian State University
- Public 4 Year
- Boone, NC
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4.3 | 10 reviews
- 21,570 total enrollment
Appalachian State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and sustainable development. Boone is a mountain college town in North Carolina's Blue Ridge range.
- SAT Range 1120-1280
- Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,978