Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in North Carolina
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every North Carolina college priced for your income
From the state
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our North Carolina scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,700 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
North Carolina's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Next NC Scholarship
For North Carolina residents with a household income of $80,000 or less and a Student Aid Index of 7,500 or less: at least $5,000 a year at a UNC System university. The FAFSA is the only application.
Source: College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC.org)
“From a household with an annual Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $80,000 or less”
“with a resulting Student Aid Index (SAI) at or below 7,500”
“Those attending a public university in North Carolina will get a minimum of $5,000 per year.”
“A North Carolina resident who is eligible for in-state tuition”
“Applying is simple. Just complete the FAFSA form. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive the Next NC Scholarship. There are no additional forms to fill out.”
North Carolina Need-Based Scholarship
For North Carolina residents at private colleges in the state, with a Student Aid Index of 15,000 or less. The amount varies each year, and awards last until the funds are gone.
Source: College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC.org)
“this is a need-based program for North Carolina residents attending private institutions of higher education located in North Carolina”
“Students with SAIs of 15,000 or less are eligible.”
“Amount Varies AWARDS AVAILABLE Until funds are exhausted”
NC Promise Tuition Plan
Tuition of $500 a semester for residents at Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, UNC Pembroke and Western Carolina; $3,500 a semester for out-of-state students entering in 2026.
Sources: The University of North Carolina System, NC Promise and UNC Pembroke, NC Promise
“the state has significantly reduced tuition cost for in-state students to $500 per semester at four UNC System institutions: Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, University of North Carolina Pembroke, and Western Carolina University.”
“Through NC Promise, undergraduate students pay $500 per semester for in-state tuition and $3,500 for out-of-state tuition (beginning fall 2026).”
North Carolina Scholarship for Children of Wartime Veterans
Eight semesters of aid at North Carolina colleges, used within eight years, for the children of certain deceased, disabled, combat or prisoner-of-war veterans who served in wartime. The applicant is under 25 and lives in North Carolina.
Source: North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
“The scholarship provides eight academic semesters, which must be used within eight years. Eligibility is based on the definition of “child” in 37 U.S.C. § 401 and applies to certain categories of deceased, disabled, combat, or POW/MIA veterans.”
“Applicant must be under age 25 at the time of application.”
“The veteran’s qualifying service must have occurred during a period of war.”
North Carolina also has scholarships for future teachers. See College Foundation of North Carolina's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State University public | None published | — | $22,463 |
| Belmont Abbey College private | None published | — | $39,012 |
| Campbell University private | None published | — | $61,876 |
| Catawba College private | None published | — | $53,504 |
| Davidson College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Tuition-free — U.S. families with income of $175,000 or less, from fall 2027 | $97,079 |
| Duke University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay Initiative for Students from the Carolinas: full tuition grants for North Carolina and South Carolina residents with a total family income of $150,000 or less Initiative for Students from the Carolinas: tuition, housing and meals for North Carolina and South Carolina residents with a total family income of $65,000 or less | $103,296 |
| East Carolina University public | None published | — | $21,966 |
| Elizabeth City State University public | None published | — | $16,762 |
| Fayetteville State University public | None published | — | $17,303 |
| Gardner-Webb University private | None published | Gardner-Webb guarantee: 100% of standard tuition and mandatory university fees for new students from families with an income of $100,000 or less | $53,204 |
| Guilford College private | None published | Rooted in Excellence: full tuition for North Carolina residents from households earning $75,000 or less | $59,240 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University private | None published | Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee: 100 percent of tuition for new students from North Carolina and South Carolina with a family income of $100K or less | $61,791 |
| Mars Hill University private | None published | — | $56,921 |
| Meredith College private | None published | — | $66,992 |
| Methodist University private | None published | — | $65,186 |
| NC A&T public | None published | — | $22,658 |
| NC Central public | None published | — | $23,864 |
| NC State public | None published | — | $25,602 |
| NC Wesleyan private |
| — | $55,636 |
| Queens University of Charlotte private | None published | — | $72,013 |
| UNC Asheville public | None published | Access Asheville: tuition and mandatory fees covered after grants for North Carolina residents with a household adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less | $23,859 |
| UNC Chapel Hill public | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $25,967 |
| UNC Charlotte public | None published | — | $23,988 |
| UNC Greensboro public | None published | — | $20,744 |
| UNC Pembroke public | None published | — | $17,785 |
| UNC School of the Arts public | None published | — | $25,471 |
| UNC Wilmington public | None published | — | $25,258 |
| Wake Forest University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest — tuition-free for North Carolina families under $200,000 with typical assets, from fall 2026 | $97,667 |
| Western Carolina University public | None published | — | $19,381 |
| Wingate University private | None published | — | $61,074 |
| Winston-Salem State University public | None published | — | $20,466 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
4 more North Carolina colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Elon University
- High Point University
- University of Mount Olive
- Johnson C Smith University
Guides to North Carolina's public universities
Each guide follows families at different incomes through one system, campus by campus.
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,700 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our North Carolina scenarios. Each scenario is a household in North Carolina at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in North Carolina.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.