North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC · Public · Large city · NCCU
Public institution in Durham, NC · 5,400 undergraduates · 90% acceptance rate · $42,968 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 12%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 12%Pell Grant share
- Top 22%Undergraduates
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $15,028683rd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $6,542246th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $19,578839th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $25,618724th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $28,2501,794th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,9681,472nd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,9671,482nd highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 46.0%1,322nd highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 75.4%950th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 90.5%1,257th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1023892nd highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 18914th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 5,400466th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,471st smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 56.6%254th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 126 mi (CLT)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 15
- EA IIDec 15
- Rollingopen
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $50
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 35 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $64,706 | $63,705 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationHealth Professions | bachelors | $39,585 | $39,369 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $39,009 | $26,353 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $38,072 | $38,829 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBusiness | bachelors | $36,848 | $31,851 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $33,708 | $31,514 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $32,658 | $32,756 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsForeign Languages | bachelors | $30,771 | $35,600 |
| Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences | bachelors | $29,685 | $28,212 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $29,092 | $31,915 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralSocial Sciences | bachelors | $28,960 | — |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $28,236 | $28,770 |
Campus facts
- A Historically Black College or University (HBCU)source
- Founded in 1909source
- Athletic nickname: "Eagles"source
- O'Kelly–Riddick Stadium seats about 10,000source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Maroon and Graysource
- Mascot: Eddie the Eaglesource
- Motto: ""Truth and Service""source
- Formerly known as "National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race"source
- Formerly known as "(1910–1915)"source
- Formerly known as "National Training School"source
- Formerly known as "(1915–1923)"source
- Formerly known as "Durham State Normal School for Negroes"source
- Formerly known as "(1923–1925)"source
- Formerly known as "North Carolina College for Negroes"source
- Formerly known as "(1925–1947)"source
- Formerly known as "North Carolina College at Durham"source
- Formerly known as "(1947–1969)"source
- Athletic conference: FCSsource
- Football rivalry: North Carolina A&T–North Carolina Central (since 1922)source
- Notable alum: Lee Calhounsource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $4,973,995 (M $3,030,877 · W $1,943,118)
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitenccu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 199157)
- Compare colleges in NCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in North CarolinaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: North Carolina Central University vs University of North Carolina at PembrokeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.