North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University is a public, state school in an urban setting in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State was founded in 1887 and now enrolls around 36,042 students a year, including 26,150 undergrads. NC State offers on-campus housing for up to 9,264 students. Most students live in off campus housing, and 60% of students spend their weekends on campus .

There are many ways for students to get involved at NC State! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of NC State's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? NC State students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? NC State has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? NC State has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at NC State on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at NC State on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2022 is January 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should hear from NC State by March 30.

Is NC State a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions difficulty and admitted student statistics can give you a sense of how competitive a school is, but they don't tell you how happy or successful students are. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a closer look at each of these factors to get a clearer sense of what NC State offers and if it might be a good choice for you.

NC State Acceptance Rate 2021

It is very difficult to get into NC State. NC State admitted 46% of all applicants in 2021. Last year, 31,374 students applied to NC State and 14,419 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at NC State

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 94% of students who start at NC State come back for their second year of college. Around 85% of students who started at NC State earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for NC State Grads

Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers. Within six months of graduating, 70% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

Recent NC State grads have an average starting salary of $45,214 a year. The average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year, though these numbers vary widely by major.

NC State's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. As of 2021, the total market value of the school endowment was $1.42 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021. For each full-time student, NC State spends about $15,681 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at NC State

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. NC State meets 76.51% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend NC State full-time are awarded $14,174 a year in financial aid, on average.

Students in the class of 2021 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $25,317 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA asap. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at NC State. Based on this information, how does NC State sound? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for someone else! So ask yourself: Is NC State a good school for you?

If North Carolina State University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Doing Your Research?

To learn more about NC State, choose from the options below:

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

NC State Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting admitted to some of the schools in the U.S.

Where is NC State?

NC State is located in the urban setting of Raleigh, North Carolina, less than an hour from Raleigh-Durham.

If you want to see NC State for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 40 to Raleigh, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Raleigh-Durham International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what NC State and Raleigh are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges and Universities in North Carolina?

See a full list of colleges in North Carolina and save your favorites to your college list.