North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University Overview

North Carolina State University is a public, state school in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State was founded in 1887 and the school enrolls around 36,831 students a year, which includes 26,505 undergraduates. NC State ensures 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.

📆 Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2023 is January 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should hear from NC State by March 30.

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 the school's theater groups.

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

Thinking of pledging? NC State has both 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.

Is NC State a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is.

Let's take a look at these areas to get a clearer view of what NC State offers and if the school might be a good choice for you.

2022 Acceptance Rate for North Carolina State University

NC State is very difficult to get into. Around 47% of applicants get into NC State each year. Last year, 32,893 students applied to NC State and 15,534 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at NC State

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

Around 94% of students who start at NC State return 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 stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from NC State by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads. 83% of graduates from NC State recieve at least one full-time job offer within six months of graduating.

The average starting salary for recent NC State grads is $56,250 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

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 2022, the total market value of North Carolina State University's endowment was $2 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021. For each full-time student, NC State spends about $15,880 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at NC State

Tuition 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 78% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend NC State full-time are awarded $14,699 a year in financial aid, on average.

In 2020, students graduated with an average of $25,086 in student loans for each student with debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. 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 don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at NC State.

Based on this information, does NC State seem like a good fit? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for another! 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 Looking for Schools?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about NC State:

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 colleges and universities 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 are interested in seeing 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 Going to School in North Carolina?

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