Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in North Carolina
CampusPin lists 134 colleges in North Carolina. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $2,518 and a median average net price of $5,861 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
North Carolina college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Pamlico Community College ($1,867)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $2,518
- Median net price after aid (39 reporting)
- $5,861
- Highest graduation rate
- Montgomery Community College (84%)
- Most selective
- Pamlico Community College (100% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- Wake Technical Community College (24,609 students)
North Carolina colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamlico Community College | $1,867 | $6,475 | $7,847 | 54% | Open admission | Public | Grantsboro, NC |
| Vance-Granville Community College | $1,944 | $6,552 | $3,286 | 53% | Open admission | Public | Henderson, NC |
| Richmond Community College | $1,956 | $6,564 | $5,071 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Hamlet, NC |
| Rockingham Community College | $1,966 | $6,574 | $2,060 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Wentworth, NC |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | $1,980 | $6,588 | $8,753 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Thomasville, NC |
| Durham Technical Community College | $1,986 | $6,594 | $1,183 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Durham, NC |
| Craven Community College | $2,022 | $6,630 | $3,289 | 48% | Open admission | Public | New Bern, NC |
| South Piedmont Community College | $2,022 | $6,630 | $4,072 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Polkton, NC |
| Isothermal Community College | $2,030 | $6,638 | $6,723 | 55% | Open admission | Public | Spindale, NC |
| McDowell Technical Community College | $2,032 | $6,640 | $7,784 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Marion, NC |
| Sandhills Community College | $2,040 | $6,648 | $8,596 | 53% | Open admission | Public | Pinehurst, NC |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | $2,064 | $6,672 | $4,842 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Salisbury, NC |
| College of the Albemarle | $2,242 | $7,652 | $4,751 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Elizabeth City, NC |
| Wake Technical Community College | $2,254 | $6,862 | $8,759 | 33% | Open admission | Public | Raleigh, NC |
| Forsyth Technical Community College | $2,276 | $6,884 | $7,200 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Winston-Salem, NC |
| Carteret Community College | $2,310 | $8,222 | $10,764 | 49% | Open admission | Public | Morehead City, NC |
| Guilford Technical Community College | $2,320 | $7,696 | $15,002 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Jamestown, NC |
| Randolph Community College | $2,416 | $8,176 | $6,918 | 58% | Open admission | Public | Asheboro, NC |
| Catawba Valley Community College | $2,427 | $7,803 | $10,528 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Hickory, NC |
| Coastal Carolina Community College | $2,512 | $8,656 | $9,461 | 49% | Open admission | Public | Jacksonville, NC |
| Martin Community College | $2,523 | $8,667 | $2,676 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Williamston, NC |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute | $2,526 | $6,526 | $5,517 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Hudson, NC |
| Montgomery Community College | $2,538 | $8,682 | $7,697 | 84% | Open admission | Public | Troy, NC |
| Beaufort County Community College | $2,540 | $8,684 | $6,500 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Washington, NC |
| Brunswick Community College | $2,553 | $8,697 | $9,009 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Bolivia, NC |
| Piedmont Community College | $2,556 | $8,700 | $5,215 | 20% | Open admission | Public | Roxboro, NC |
| Wayne Community College | $2,566 | $8,710 | $4,152 | 49% | Open admission | Public | Goldsboro, NC |
| Wilkes Community College | $2,572 | $8,716 | Not reported | 55% | Open admission | Public | Wilkesboro, NC |
| Wilson Community College | $2,572 | $8,716 | $6,753 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Wilson, NC |
| Lenoir Community College | $2,578 | $8,722 | $4,127 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Kinston, NC |
| Haywood Community College | $2,580 | $8,724 | $3,834 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Clyde, NC |
| Pitt Community College | $2,580 | $8,724 | $7,337 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Winterville, NC |
| Robeson Community College | $2,581 | $8,725 | $5,189 | 33% | Open admission | Public | Lumberton, NC |
| Alamance Community College | $2,592 | $8,736 | $16,465 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Graham, NC |
| James Sprunt Community College | $2,592 | $8,736 | $3,852 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Kenansville, NC |
| Southeastern Community College | $2,600 | $8,744 | $4,474 | 43% | Open admission | Public | Whiteville, NC |
| Cleveland Community College | $2,602 | $8,746 | $414 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Shelby, NC |
| Halifax Community College | $2,608 | $8,752 | $4,073 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Weldon, NC |
| Bladen Community College | $2,618 | $8,762 | $9,551 | 23% | Open admission | Public | Dublin, NC |
| Mayland Community College | $2,626 | $8,770 | $5,861 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Spruce Pine, NC |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the North Carolina cost data shows
- Pamlico Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $1,867 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median average net price is $5,861 across the 39 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
- 39 of the 40 colleges listed report an average net price, and 40 report a graduation rate. Blank cells mean the institution has not reported that figure to the federal collections — not that the value is zero.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for North Carolina, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (134 of 134 North Carolina institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in North Carolina?
- Of the 40 North Carolina colleges on this page, Pamlico Community College in Grantsboro reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $1,867 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 39 North Carolina colleges reporting it here the median is $5,861. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a North Carolina college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for North Carolina colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in North Carolina. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/north-carolina