by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the graduate school options in North Carolina, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This list ranks 150 schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed graduate schools on more than 20 objective measures such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student is looking for the same thing. Drill down by location and field of study, or explore other rankings below. You can also browse by degree level:
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Explore the leading graduate schools below:
No school ranked higher than Duke University this year in North Carolina. Set in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 97% of students complete a degree within six years here. Students from in state pay about $68,758 in tuition and fees. Graduates go on to earn a median of $83,388 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $13,296 in student loans.
A rank of #2 makes University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill one of the top graduate schools in North Carolina. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill graduates 91% of students within six years. Students from in state pay about $8,994 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $41,203. Early-career graduates earn a median of $61,361. Graduates carry a median of $15,117 in student loans.
The strong outcomes at Wake Forest University earned it the #3 place in North Carolina. Set in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 89% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $67,642. Graduates go on to earn a median of $67,369 early in their careers. Wake Forest University students take on a median of $21,577 in debt.
North Carolina State University At Raleigh came in at #4 on this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in North Carolina. North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a public school based in Raleigh, NC. Roughly 85% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,799, with out-of-state students paying around $32,847. North Carolina State University At Raleigh graduates report median early-career earnings of $59,622. Graduates carry a median of $22,113 in student loans.
Davidson College came in at #5 on this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in North Carolina. Set in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Davidson College posts a six-year graduation rate of 91%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $64,430. Graduates go on to earn a median of $41,505 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $19,906.
Elon University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best graduate schools. Located in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. About 84% of students finish within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $46,958. Elon University graduates report median early-career earnings of $50,463. Graduates carry a median of $21,619 in student loans.
High Point University placed #7 among the best graduate schools in North Carolina. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. Roughly 72% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $45,312. Graduates go on to earn a median of $113,352 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $23,785 in student loans.
University Of North Carolina At Wilmington landed the #8 spot in North Carolina this year. Set in Wilmington, NC, University Of North Carolina At Wilmington is a public institution. About 71% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,277, while out-of-state students pay about $24,152. Graduates go on to earn a median of $46,164 early in their careers. University Of North Carolina At Wilmington students take on a median of $23,013 in debt.
Appalachian State University placed #9 among the best graduate schools in North Carolina. Located in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Appalachian State University graduates 74% of students within six years. Students from in state pay about $7,579 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $25,212. Graduates go on to earn a median of $42,340 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $21,992 in student loans.
University Of North Carolina At Charlotte ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best graduate schools. Located in Charlotte, NC, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a public institution. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte graduates 69% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,239, with out-of-state students paying around $22,492. Early-career graduates earn a median of $51,799. Students borrow a median of $24,673 to complete a degree here.
East Carolina University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Greenville, NC, East Carolina University is a public institution. Roughly 63% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,361, compared with $23,638 for out-of-state students. Median early-career earnings reach $51,931. Students borrow a median of $24,747 to complete a degree here.
Carolinas College Of Health Sciences placed #12 among the best graduate schools in North Carolina. Set in Charlotte, NC, Carolinas College Of Health Sciences is a public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,882. Graduates go on to earn a median of $63,608 early in their careers. Carolinas College Of Health Sciences students take on a median of $24,874 in debt.
Western Carolina University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Western Carolina University is a public school based in Cullowhee, NC. Western Carolina University posts a six-year graduation rate of 60%. In-state tuition and fees run about $4,630, with out-of-state students paying around $8,630. Median early-career earnings reach $44,926. Typical student debt is $24,174.
University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Winston Salem, NC. University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts graduates 78% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $9,477, compared with $27,211 for out-of-state students. University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts graduates report median early-career earnings of $21,656. The median student debt is $24,434.
Queens University Of Charlotte placed #15 among the best graduate schools in North Carolina. Set in Charlotte, NC, Queens University Of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. About 61% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,846. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $59,654. Students borrow a median of $27,245 to complete a degree here.
Meredith College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Set in Raleigh, NC, Meredith College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 70% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $45,630. Graduates go on to earn a median of $40,537 early in their careers. Meredith College students take on a median of $26,618 in debt.
Chamberlain University North Carolina did well this year, earning the #17 position. Chamberlain University North Carolina is a private for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $21,520. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $83,188. The median student debt is $39,146.
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Greensboro, NC, University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a public institution. University Of North Carolina At Greensboro graduates 56% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,661, compared with $24,012 for out-of-state students. Early-career graduates earn a median of $42,595. Typical student debt is $24,977.
Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Concord, NC, Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $16,550 in tuition and fees. Median early-career earnings reach $60,869. Cabarrus College Of Health Sciences students take on a median of $24,414 in debt.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary landed the #20 spot in North Carolina this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wake Forest, NC. The six-year graduation rate is 17%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,318. Early-career graduates earn a median of $54,863.
University Of North Carolina At Asheville did well this year, earning the #21 position. University Of North Carolina At Asheville is a public school based in Asheville, NC. University Of North Carolina At Asheville graduates 54% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $7,501, with out-of-state students paying around $24,849. Early-career graduates earn a median of $31,821. Typical student debt is $22,108.
Campbell University landed the #22 spot in North Carolina this year. Located in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Campbell University posts a six-year graduation rate of 60%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,600. Median early-career earnings reach $54,629. Graduates carry a median of $23,641 in student loans.
Wingate University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 46%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $42,576. Wingate University graduates report median early-career earnings of $53,836. The median student debt is $25,556.
Gardner Webb University placed #24 among the best graduate schools in North Carolina. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. About 54% of students finish within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,750. Graduates go on to earn a median of $63,220 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,033 to complete a degree here.
Lenoir Rhyne University landed the #25 spot in North Carolina this year. Set in Hickory, NC, Lenoir Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 48%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $31,900. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $49,985. Students borrow a median of $26,900 to complete a degree here.
These graduate schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked graduate schools only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
See our data sources and methodologies.