Nursing · North Carolina

North Carolina colleges that awarded Nursing credentials

87 colleges in North Carolina reported conferring Nursing credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 87 awarded a degree. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in North Carolina that conferred Nursing credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
University of North Carolina Wilmington775Degree
East Carolina University410Degree
Western Carolina University301Degree
University of North Carolina at Greensboro235Degree
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill215Degree
Duke University206Degree
Fayetteville State University184Degree
University of North Carolina at Charlotte150Degree
Forsyth Technical Community College146Degree
Gaston College141Degree
Winston-Salem State University139Degree
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences132Degree
Fayetteville Technical Community College118Degree
Wake Technical Community College115Degree
Gardner-Webb University111Degree
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College107Degree
Chamberlain University-North Carolina102Degree
Cape Fear Community College100Degree
Appalachian State University99Degree
Carolinas College of Health Sciences98Degree
Queens University of Charlotte85Degree
Central Piedmont Community College76Degree
Davidson-Davie Community College76Degree
University of North Carolina at Pembroke76Degree
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College75Degree
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute75Degree
Watts College of Nursing71Degree
Pitt Community College70Degree
North Carolina A & T State University68Degree
Catawba Valley Community College66Degree
Cleveland Community College58Degree
Sampson Community College58Degree
Guilford Technical Community College57Degree
Richmond Community College53Degree
Sandhills Community College51Degree
Alamance Community College50Degree
Lenoir-Rhyne University46Degree
Mitchell Community College46Degree
Campbell University45Degree
Halifax Community College44Degree
Rockingham Community College44Degree
Central Carolina Community College40Degree
Edgecombe Community College40Degree
Surry Community College40Degree
Isothermal Community College39Degree
South Piedmont Community College39Degree
Barton College38Degree
Durham Technical Community College38Degree
Nash Community College38Degree
Wayne Community College38Degree
Craven Community College36Degree
Beaufort County Community College34Degree
Johnston Community College33Degree
Robeson Community College31Degree
Brunswick Community College29Degree
College of the Albemarle29Degree
North Carolina Central University29Degree
Carteret Community College27Degree
McDowell Technical Community College27Degree
Piedmont Community College27Degree

Showing the 60 largest of 87.

Looking for Nursing programs in North Carolina? This page lists every college that reported awarding Nursing credentials to the federal government in 2023-24 — 87 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.

How much of this field is in North Carolina

Credentials awarded
6,254
Share of U.S. total
2.5%
Colleges awarding it
87
Awarding a degree
87

North Carolina colleges conferred 6,254 Nursing credentials in 2023-24, which is 2.5% of the 250,183 conferred across the 51 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 87 colleges here, every one awarded a degree. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates1%85
  • Associate42%2,600
  • Bachelor's55%3,410
  • Graduate3%159

Most Nursing credentials awarded in North Carolina were bachelor's degrees. The mix here is close to the national pattern for this field. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 12% of North Carolina’s Nursing credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in North Carolina — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What Nursing graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Nursing, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with Nursing, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
Registered Nurses$93,600189,100Bachelor's degree
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$79,9408,600Doctoral or professional degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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