Community colleges in North Carolina
The College Scorecard lists 30 public colleges that mostly award associate degrees in North Carolina, all compared on this page. Together they enroll 84,578 undergraduate degree-seeking students. The median average net price is $5,250 a year, lower than the $7,415 median for community colleges nationwide. Former students' median earnings 10 years after starting college are $38,259 at the median institution, lower than the $44,632 median for community colleges nationwide. The median graduation rate is 41.5%.
Open in the dashboardSource: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Schools
30
UndergraduatesiUndergraduate degree-seeking enrollment.
84,578
Median net priceiAverage yearly cost for full-time, first-time undergraduates who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. The figure here is the median across schools.
$5,250
U.S.: $7,415
Median earnings, 10 yrsiMedian earnings of former students who received federal aid, 10 years after they started college, among those working and not enrolled. The figure here is the median across institutions (branch campuses count once).
$38,259
U.S.: $44,632
Median debtiMedian federal student-loan balance of graduates. Excludes Parent PLUS and private loans. The figure here is the median across institutions (branch campuses count once).
$10,750
U.S.: $10,500
Median grad rateiShare of full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time (6 years for a 4-year degree, 3 years for a 2-year degree). The figure here is the median across schools.
41.5%
U.S.: 34.4%
Compare all community colleges in North Carolina on one chart
Pick any two measures. Hover a dot to see the school; click it to open the school's page.
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Each dot is one school. Dashed lines mark the median for North Carolina. Showing 27 of 30 community colleges in North Carolina; schools missing either value are left out.
All 30 community colleges in North Carolina
| Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte | 15,067 | $1,741 | $2,454 | $7,062 | $43,413 | n/a | 37.7% | 69.9% |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington | 9,764 | $6,156 | $2,772 | $8,916 | $41,969 | $9,500 | 41.5% | 67.5% |
| Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown | 9,260 | $17,020 | $2,334 | $7,710 | $38,309 | $15,075 | 33.4% | 64.2% |
| Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem | 7,113 | $2,937 | $2,276 | $6,884 | $40,074 | $9,568 | 45.0% | 73.2% |
| Durham Technical Community College Durham | 3,890 | $3,152 | $1,986 | $6,594 | $40,827 | $10,500 | 31.0% | 66.4% |
| Johnston Community College Smithfield | 3,453 | $5,459 | $2,756 | $8,900 | $41,366 | n/a | 36.4% | 66.8% |
| Central Carolina Community College Sanford | 3,237 | $5,828 | $2,741 | $8,885 | $37,196 | n/a | 44.8% | 72.5% |
| Catawba Valley Community College Hickory | 2,741 | $6,463 | $2,427 | $7,803 | $41,272 | n/a | 43.4% | 64.9% |
| Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville | 2,724 | $9,584 | $2,512 | $8,656 | $43,014 | n/a | 48.5% | 58.6% |
| Sandhills Community College Pinehurst | 2,539 | $6,345 | $2,040 | $6,648 | $36,323 | n/a | 41.5% | 80.2% |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson | 2,393 | n/a | $2,620 | $8,764 | $37,836 | n/a | 46.7% | 70.6% |
| College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City | 2,001 | $2,323 | $2,273 | $7,660 | $33,906 | n/a | 45.3% | 71.6% |
| Craven Community College New Bern | 1,989 | $2,384 | $2,022 | $6,630 | $40,874 | n/a | 36.2% | 66.4% |
| Mitchell Community College Statesville | 1,948 | $5,250 | $2,641 | $8,785 | $37,865 | n/a | 30.5% | 60.9% |
| South Piedmont Community College Polkton | 1,833 | $5,447 | $2,022 | $6,630 | $41,776 | n/a | 33.2% | 57.0% |
| Vance-Granville Community College Henderson | 1,665 | $2,806 | $1,964 | $6,572 | $38,697 | n/a | 47.1% | 75.6% |
| Robeson Community College Lumberton | 1,551 | $4,502 | $2,634 | $8,778 | $34,428 | n/a | 30.4% | 56.8% |
| Wilson Community College Wilson | 1,373 | $6,021 | $2,572 | $8,716 | $38,881 | $15,000 | 26.3% | 73.5% |
| Western Piedmont Community College Morganton | 1,339 | $3,726 | $2,650 | $8,794 | $37,927 | n/a | 42.5% | 75.2% |
| Southwestern Community College Sylva | 1,249 | $11,865 | $2,448 | $7,824 | $39,394 | $11,000 | 53.3% | 74.7% |
| Brunswick Community College Bolivia | 1,211 | $9,193 | $2,553 | $8,697 | $39,051 | n/a | 39.9% | 66.2% |
| Rockingham Community College Wentworth | 1,065 | $2,457 | $2,006 | $6,614 | $38,209 | n/a | 36.3% | 68.3% |
| Bladen Community College Dublin | 1,030 | $12,951 | $2,638 | $8,782 | $34,309 | n/a | 31.5% | 66.7% |
| Haywood Community College Clyde | 849 | n/a | $2,647 | $8,791 | $39,851 | n/a | 35.3% | 63.6% |
| Southeastern Community College Whiteville | 820 | $4,352 | $2,600 | $8,744 | $35,037 | n/a | 42.9% | 57.0% |
| Halifax Community College Weldon | 723 | n/a | $2,638 | $8,782 | $35,504 | n/a | 63.2% | 61.3% |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion | 608 | $5,562 | $2,032 | $6,640 | $36,207 | n/a | 67.7% | 80.5% |
| Tri-County Community College Murphy | 472 | $1,103 | $2,705 | $8,849 | $34,449 | n/a | 48.0% | 76.2% |
| Mayland Community College Spruce Pine | 362 | $2,488 | $2,626 | $8,770 | $37,041 | n/a | 43.4% | 76.2% |
| Roanoke-Chowan Community College Ahoskie | 309 | $4,688 | $2,642 | $8,786 | $34,989 | n/a | 27.3% | 77.8% |
Showing 30 of 30. Starts sorted by undergraduate enrollment; select a column to sort.
Quick facts: community colleges in North Carolina
- How many community colleges are in North Carolina?
- The College Scorecard lists 30 public colleges that mostly award associate degrees in North Carolina.
- What do community colleges in North Carolina cost?
- Across the 27 schools that report it, the median average net price is $5,250 a year. Net price is what full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid pay after grants and scholarships. Reported net prices range from $1,103 at Tri-County Community College to $17,020 at Guilford Technical Community College.
- Which community colleges in North Carolina have the lowest average net price?
- By reported average net price: Tri-County Community College ($1,103), Central Piedmont Community College ($1,741), College of the Albemarle ($2,323), Craven Community College ($2,384), and Rockingham Community College ($2,457).
- How much is in-state and out-of-state tuition at community colleges in North Carolina?
- The median published in-state tuition is $2,563 a year, and the median out-of-state tuition is $8,707. Many students pay less than published tuition after aid.
- How much do former students of community colleges in North Carolina earn?
- At the median institution, former students who received federal aid earn $38,259 10 years after starting college (30 institutions reporting; branch campuses share one figure and count once). The highest reported medians are at Central Piedmont Community College ($43,413), Coastal Carolina Community College ($43,014), and Cape Fear Community College ($41,969).
- What is the graduation rate at community colleges in North Carolina?
- The median graduation rate is 41.5%, across 30 schools reporting. It counts full-time, first-time students who finished within 150% of normal time.
- How much student debt do graduates of community colleges in North Carolina have?
- The median institution's graduates leave with $10,750 in federal student loans (the median balance). Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Keep comparing
Other college types in North Carolina
Community colleges in other states
- All U.S. community colleges
- Alabama
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- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
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- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
How these numbers work
This page includes public colleges that mostly award associate degrees, as reported in the College Scorecard. Summary figures are medians across schools: each school counts once, whatever its size, and schools that don't report a measure are left out of that measure. The Scorecard reports earnings and debt for a whole institution, so branch campuses share one figure; for those two measures each institution counts once. Most recent data year: cost 2025, graduation and retention 2025, earnings 2022, debt 2024. More on the data.