Public · University

North Carolina Central University

Durham, North Carolina · Large city

87.0%
Admit rate
$15,359
Avg net price
42%
Graduation rate
$42,968
Median earnings

North Carolina Central University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Durham, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 6,081 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 6,081 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against North Carolina Central University's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.0%
ACT (mid 50%)
19–22
Avg GPA (est.)
3.03

Enter a test score to see where you land against North Carolina Central University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and North Carolina Central University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Durham, North Carolina

Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The Eno and the Occoneechi, related to the Sioux and the Shakori, lived in the area and may have established a village named Adshusheer (or Ajusher) in the area which became Durham. The Occaneechi Path, a corridor of trading roads and trails, went through the area. Durham is the venue for the annual Bull Durham Blues Festival and the OUTsouth Queer Film Festival, the 2nd largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the Southeast. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Durham, NC
To the ocean
108 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) · major hub

How North Carolina Central University compares

Selectivity87.0%

More selective than 31% · #42 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1050

Higher than 16%

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 25% · #43 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention73%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,968

Higher than 19% · #40 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$15,359

Cheaper than 71% · #15 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$28,250

Lower than 6%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment6,081

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare North Carolina Central University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.

North Carolina Central University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,065students
  • Undergraduate6,08175%
  • Graduate1,98425%

Undergraduates by gender

6,081undergrads
  • Women4,08867%
  • Men1,99333%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White3.8%
  • Black84%
  • Hispanic5.7%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial5.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,081
Graduate enrollment
1,984
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
59%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$27,183
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,995
Endowment
$59,634,623

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,465 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina75%
  • Other U.S. states25%

Most first-years stay in state — North Carolina Central University draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
87.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
19–22
Average GPA (estimated)
3.03

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,699
Out-of-state tuition
$19,735
Room & board
$13,450
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$26,556
Average net price
$15,359

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
42%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,967
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,968
Median debt at graduation
$28,250
Students with federal loans
63%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
17%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
46%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,375
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
56%
Housing charge (year)
$9,404
Meal plan (year)
$5,356
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
336 (204 men · 132 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football110
Track and Field (Indoor)60
Track and Field (Outdoor)48
Basketball33
Softball20
Volleyball19
Cross Country17
Tennis16
Golf13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
60
Property offenses (2022–2024)
48

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,579 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

36reported offenses a year
20 violent a year16 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
9.0
Rape
7.0
Motor vehicle theft
7.0
Fondling
6.7
Aggravated assault
5.7
Robbery
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$13,032
$30–48k
$13,882
$48–75k
$17,527
$75–110k
$22,401
$110k+
$23,658

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$79,860

$17,527/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,304
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 83% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,304. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,072 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$42,968
Typical debt at graduation
$28,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
66%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$43,002
Men
$42,762

Women out-earn men by $240 (1%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
48.6″
Annual snow
5.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Durham, NC US station (5.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to North Carolina Central University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare North Carolina Central University side by side →

Colleges near North Carolina Central University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.