Four-Year Colleges and Universities in North Carolina

Top 4-Year Colleges & Universities in North Carolina

North Carolina boasts a rich tapestry of four-year colleges and universities that cater to a wide range of academic interests and career goals. Whether you’re drawn to the storied research traditions of the University of North Carolina system, the small-campus intimacy of private liberal arts colleges, or the vibrant heritage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), this guide has you covered.

Here you’ll find an alphabetized directory of every four-year institution in the Tar Heel State, including:

• Public Research & Regional Campuses: UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, UNC Charlotte, and their seven sister campuses deliver world-class faculty, cutting-edge labs, and extensive alumni networks.
• Private Universities & Liberal Arts Colleges: Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Elon, and others offer personalized class sizes, innovative curricula, and strong internship pipelines to industries from biotechnology to finance.
• HBCUs & Specialized Institutions: North Carolina A&T State University, Bennett College, and Johnson C. Smith University celebrate cultural heritage while fostering leadership, STEM, and the arts.

Each listing features location, enrollment statistics, signature programs, and average net cost to help you compare tuition, campus life, and outcomes. Use our sortable table to filter by region—whether the Research Triangle, the Piedmont, the Coast, or the Mountains—and sort by selectivity, majors offered, or average starting salary.