Public · University

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city

#5 graduation rate in North Carolina
41.7%
Admit rate
$17,303
Avg net price
85%
Graduation rate
$68,758
Median earnings

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Raleigh, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 27,371 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 27,371 undergradsLarge citySelective · 42% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against North Carolina State University at Raleigh's admitted students.

Admit rate
41.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1300–1470
Avg GPA (est.)
3.83

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

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

About Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Bath, the oldest town in North Carolina, was the first nominal capital of the colony from 1705 until 1722, when Edenton took over the role. The colony had no permanent institutions of government until the new capital, New Bern, was established in 1743. The Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek hosts major international touring acts. In 2011, the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater opened (now sponsored as the Red Hat Amphitheater), which hosts numerous concerts primarily in the summer months. (Wikipedia)

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

How North Carolina State University at Raleigh compares

Selectivity41.7%

More selective than 89% · #8 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1376

Higher than 88%

Graduation rate85%

Higher than 93% · #5 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention94%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$68,758

Higher than 82% · #7 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$17,303

Cheaper than 63% · #20 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$20,121

Lower than 74%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment27,371

Larger than 97%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

37,413students
  • Undergraduate27,37173%
  • Graduate10,04227%

Undergraduates by gender

27,371undergrads
  • Women13,68350%
  • Men13,68850%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black5.9%
  • Hispanic9.4%
  • Asian9.8%
  • Other or multiracial8.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
27,371
Graduate enrollment
10,042
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$64,900
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$115,380
Endowment
$2,219,515,999

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 5,728 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina85%
  • Other U.S. states13%
  • International1.7%

Most first-years stay in state — North Carolina State University at Raleigh draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

2% came from outside the U.S. 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
41.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1300–1470
SAT average
1376
SAT reading
650–720
SAT math
650–750
ACT composite
28–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.83

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,799
Out-of-state tuition
$32,847
Room & board
$14,332
Books & supplies
$876
Total cost of attendance
$26,425
Average net price
$17,303

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)
85%
Graduated on time (4 years)
68%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
9%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$57,623
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$68,758
Median debt at graduation
$20,121
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
71%

About 17% 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
68%
Low-income (Pell)
74%
First-generation
74%

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
10,291
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$7,996
Meal plan (year)
$5,723
Application fee
$85
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
664 (399 men · 265 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 (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)210
Football125
Swimming and Diving (combined)66
Soccer61
Baseball39
Wrestling36
Basketball28
Softball24
Gymnastics22
Golf19
Volleyball18
Tennis16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
166
Property offenses (2022–2024)
85

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (38,464 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.

84reported offenses a year
55 violent a year28 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
40
Motor vehicle theft
19
Rape
11
Burglary
7.0
Aggravated assault
3.3
Arson
2.0
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
$6,382
$30–48k
$8,758
$48–75k
$13,334
$75–110k
$20,087
$110k+
$24,652

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
$57,373

$13,334/year × about 4.3 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.

48%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,224
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 48% — get grant money from North Carolina State University at Raleigh itself, averaging $8,224, which softens the sticker price.

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 5,610 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)
$68,758
Typical debt at graduation
$20,121
Debt vs. one year's pay
29%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$61,556
Men
$75,713

Men out-earn women by $14,157 (23%) 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
91°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
49.4″
Annual snow
4.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Raleigh State Univ, NC US station (1.4 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 State University at Raleigh

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

Colleges near North Carolina State University at Raleigh

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.