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Durham, NC · Public · 6,081 undergraduates · urban

North Carolina Central University

Less selective

NCCU pairs a historic HBCU experience with direct access to Durham and the Research Triangle’s employers and universities.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Solid in student experience, and solid in mobility.
Academic Emerging Affordability Steady Career Steady Mobility Solid Experience Solid
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Solid
Student experience Solid
Admission
90.5% admitted

14,192 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
52.2%

$42,968 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets North Carolina Central University apart

Academic design

Undergraduate options include criminal justice, jazz studies, mass communication, business, psychology, pharmaceutical sciences and STEM fields, with a growing research profile.

Campus pattern

The Durham campus is urban and tradition-rich, with HBCU athletics, Greek life and student organizations alongside a strong commuter and regional presence.

Career & value signal

Research Triangle Park, Duke, major hospitals and North Carolina’s biotech industry expand internship and research possibilities beyond campus.

Can I get in?

90.5% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

14,192

About 90 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 90.5%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%980–1100
9001180
ACT middle 50%17–18
1520

Of admitted students, 1% submitted an SAT, and 1% submitted an ACT. Scores were rare in this class, so the SAT and ACT ranges say more about who volunteered one than about who was admitted.

Academic benchmarkLess selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for North Carolina Central University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What North Carolina Central University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Undergraduate options include criminal justice, jazz studies, mass communication, business, psychology, pharmaceutical sciences and STEM fields, with a growing research profile.

02

Make institutional fit specific

NCCU pairs a historic HBCU experience with direct access to Durham and the Research Triangle’s employers and universities.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiver$50 application fee

Fee waiver: not accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$29,776
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$15,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at North Carolina Central University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years52.2%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one73.8%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$42,968

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Social Sciences, General

Recent graduates122
Median earnings$43,859

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Recent graduates114
Median earnings$48,443

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates106
Median earnings$54,999

Psychology, General

Recent graduates99
Median earnings$44,053

Biology, General

Recent graduates61
Median earnings$54,192

What is campus life like?

North Carolina Central University beyond the classroom

The Durham campus is urban and tradition-rich, with HBCU athletics, Greek life and student organizations alongside a strong commuter and regional presence.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Undergraduate options include criminal justice, jazz studies, mass communication, business, psychology, pharmaceutical sciences and STEM fields, with a growing research profile.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Durham campus is urban and tradition-rich, with HBCU athletics, Greek life and student organizations alongside a strong commuter and regional presence.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Research Triangle Park, Duke, major hospitals and North Carolina’s biotech industry expand internship and research possibilities beyond campus.

6,081 undergraduatesSoutheasturban setting0.9% of first-year students live on campus