The Most Selective Colleges in North Carolina
Every eligible North Carolina four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 48 of 65 North Carolina institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
Chase these schools
Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
- 1Duke UniversityDurham, NC · Private6.8%Compare nearby
- 2Davidson CollegeDavidson, NC · Private14.5%Compare nearby
- 3University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC · Public18.7%Compare nearby
- 4Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Private21.6%Compare nearby
- 5Shaw UniversityRaleigh, NC · Private30.5%Compare nearby
- 6University of North Carolina School of the ArtsWinston Salem, NC · Public33.1%Compare nearby
- 7Brevard CollegeBrevard, NC · Private39.5%Compare nearby
- 8North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleigh, NC · Public39.9%Compare nearby
- 9Johnson C Smith UniversityCharlotte, NC · Private42.9%Compare nearby
- 10North Carolina A & T State UniversityGreensboro, NC · Public46.2%Compare nearby
- 11Cabarrus College of Health SciencesConcord, NC · Private49.2%Compare nearby
- 12Saint Augustine's UniversityRaleigh, NC · Private58.7%Compare nearby
- 13Montreat CollegeMontreat, NC · Private65.5%Compare nearby
- 14Elon UniversityElon, NC · Private67.3%Compare nearby
- 15Queens University of CharlotteCharlotte, NC · Private67.7%Compare nearby
- 16Winston-Salem State UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Public68.5%Compare nearby
- 17Elizabeth City State UniversityElizabeth City, NC · Public70.5%Compare nearby
- 18Chowan UniversityMurfreesboro, NC · Private72.4%Compare nearby
- 19University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington, NC · Public74.0%Compare nearby
- 20Livingstone CollegeSalisbury, NC · Private74.1%Compare nearby
- 21Meredith CollegeRaleigh, NC · Private74.7%Compare nearby
- 22Methodist UniversityFayetteville, NC · Private75.2%Compare nearby
- 23High Point UniversityHigh Point, NC · Private76.8%Compare nearby
- 24Warren Wilson CollegeSwannanoa, NC · Private77.6%Compare nearby
- 25Catawba CollegeSalisbury, NC · Private77.7%Compare nearby
- 26University of Mount OliveMount Olive, NC · Private77.8%Compare nearby
- 27Mars Hill UniversityMars Hill, NC · Private77.9%Compare nearby
- 28North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityRocky Mount, NC · Private78.0%Compare nearby
- 29Fayetteville State UniversityFayetteville, NC · Public79.9%Compare nearby
- 30University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotte, NC · Public80.2%Compare nearby
- 31Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityHickory, NC · Private80.7%Compare nearby
- 32Lees-McRae CollegeBanner Elk, NC · Private80.8%Compare nearby
- 33Guilford CollegeGreensboro, NC · Private83.8%Compare nearby
- 34Wingate UniversityWingate, NC · Private85.0%Compare nearby
- 35Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC · Public86.7%Compare nearby
- 36Gardner-Webb UniversityBoiling Springs, NC · Private87.0%Compare nearby
- 37Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC · Public88.6%Compare nearby
- 38University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, NC · Public89.8%Compare nearby
- 39East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC · Public90.1%Compare nearby
- 40Belmont Abbey CollegeBelmont, NC · Private90.4%Compare nearby
- 41North Carolina Central UniversityDurham, NC · Public90.5%Compare nearby
- 42Greensboro CollegeGreensboro, NC · Private92.0%Compare nearby
- 43University of North Carolina at PembrokePembroke, NC · Public92.4%Compare nearby
- 44University of North Carolina AshevilleAsheville, NC · Public93.9%Compare nearby
- 45Campbell UniversityBuies Creek, NC · Private94.3%Compare nearby
- 46Pfeiffer UniversityMisenheimer, NC · Private95.3%Compare nearby
- 47Barton CollegeWilson, NC · Private95.9%Compare nearby
- 48William Peace UniversityRaleigh, NC · Private97.4%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- North Carolina institutions in this universe (65 schools).
- North Carolina four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 48 of 65 North Carolina institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to NC
- Showdown: Duke University vs Davidson CollegeHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Duke UniversityEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.