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2023 Top North Carolina Men's D2 Football Schools

14 Colleges
$22,873 Avg Tuition & Fees*
25% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Student athletes have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for Division II Men's Football in North Carolina ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

After analyzing 14 schools in North Carolina, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D2 Men's Football athletes in North Carolina. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

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Top Colleges in North Carolina for D2 Men's Football athletes in North Carolina

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Lenoir - Rhyne University crest
Lenoir - Rhyne University
Hickory, North Carolina

Our analysis found Lenoir - Rhyne University to be the best school for D2 Men’s Football athletes in North Carolina in this year’s ranking. Hickory, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 323 students in . On the financial side of things, the D2 Men’s Football team at Lenoir - Rhyne University made $2,426,570 in revenue. Read full sports report on Lenoir - Rhyne University

2
SAU crest
Saint Augustine's University
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Augustine’s University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D2 Men’s Football athletes in North Carolina list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 67 bachelor’s degrees in . The D2 Men’s Football team at SAU brought home $292,686 in revenue in a single year. Full Saint Augustine’s University Sports Report

3
Catawba crest
Catawba College
Salisbury, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Catawba College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D2 Men’s Football athletes in North Carolina list. Located in Salisbury, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 288 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D2 Men’s Football team at Catawba brought home $1,636,612 in revenue in a single year. Read full sports report on Catawba College

4
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shaw University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D2 Men’s Football athletes in North Carolina list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 160 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D2 Men’s Football team at Shaw University brought home $1,167,452 in revenue in a single year. Read More…

5
Wingate crest
Wingate University
Wingate, North Carolina

The excellent sports programs at Wingate University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D2 Men’s Football athletes in North Carolina. Located in Wingate, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 528 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The team at Wingate took home $1,883,479 in revenue and paid out $1,874,273 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $9,206 for the sports team. Full Wingate University Sports Report

6
WSSU crest
Winston - Salem State University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston - Salem State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 937 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at WSSU took home $882,837 in revenue and paid out $672,595 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $210,242 in profit. Read full sports report on Winston - Salem State University

7
Mars Hill crest
Mars Hill University
Mars Hill, North Carolina

Mars Hill University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina list. Mars Hill is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mars Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 212 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D2 Men’s Football team at Mars Hill made $1,483,095 in revenue. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Read full sports report on Mars Hill University

8
JCSU crest
Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina

With a ranking of #8, Johnson C Smith University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking. Johnson C Smith University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 216 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D2 Men’s Football team at JCSU took home $410,147 in revenue. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Full Johnson C Smith University Sports Report

9
Brevard College crest
Brevard College
Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #9. Brevard College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Brevard, North Carolina that handed out 154 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D2 Men’s Football team at Brevard College made $495,450 in revenue. Full Brevard College Sports Report

10
Chowan University crest
Chowan University
Murfreesboro, North Carolina

Chowan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 190 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D2 Men’s Football team at Chowan University made $1,127,835 in revenue. Read full sports report on Chowan University

11
Livingstone College crest
Livingstone College
Salisbury, North Carolina

With a ranking of #11, Livingstone College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking. Located in Salisbury, North Carolina, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 137 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D2 Men’s Football team at Livingstone College took home $872,956 in revenue. Read full sports report on Livingstone College

12

University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking. Located in Pembroke, North Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,368 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The team at UNC Pembroke took home $762,213 in revenue and paid out $752,190 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $10,023 in profit. Read More…

13
Fayetteville State University crest
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and it awarded 1,091 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D2 Men’s Football team at Fayetteville State University made $1,006,583 in revenue. Read More…

14
ECSU crest
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division II Men’s Football in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #14. ECSU is a small public school situated in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It awarded 308 bachelor’s degrees in . The D2 Men’s Football team at ECSU brought home $730,999 in revenue in a single year. Read full sports report on Elizabeth City State University

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 14 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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