2026 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina

Name: 2026 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina (Kollegio college rankings)
Creator: Kollegio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

31 North Carolina schools ranked in Kollegio's 2026 Best Private Colleges ranking, based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Showing 1–25 of 31 colleges · How we rank colleges

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Cost of attendance after aid

ⓘ

$77,180

Institution type

2 Year4 Year5 Year

Field of study

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Campus Detail

Institution setting

AllCitySuburbanRural

Undergraduate enrollment

ⓘ

268763

Financial

Alumni starting salary

Tuition cost

ⓘ

$67,000

In-state tuition

ⓘ

Proportion of need based aid received

ⓘ

100%Clear Filter

International students received aid

ⓘ

100%

Average aid package

ⓘ

$82,308

Application fee

ⓘ

$150

Academics

Mean GPA

ⓘ

Mean SAT

ⓘ

1200

Mean ACT

ⓘ

#1 Best Private Colleges

Duke University

Durham

Acceptance rate

6.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$58,085

Avg. Cost after Aid

$27,000

#2 Best Private Colleges

Davidson College

Davidson

Acceptance rate

14.5%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$54,460

Avg. Cost after Aid

$26,000

#3 Best Private Colleges

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem

Acceptance rate

21.6%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$58,708

Avg. Cost after Aid

$25,000

#4 Best Private Colleges

Elon University

Elon

Acceptance rate

67.3%

Institution type

UPWG

Total Tuition Cost

$38,218

Avg. Cost after Aid

$40,000

#5 Best Private Colleges

High Point University

High Point

Acceptance rate

76.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$34,628

Avg. Cost after Aid

$41,000

#6 Best Private Colleges

Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte

Acceptance rate

67.7%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$37,348

Avg. Cost after Aid

$30,000

#7 Best Private Colleges

Meredith College

Raleigh

Acceptance rate

74.7%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$41,104

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#8 Best Private Colleges

Campbell University

Buies Creek

Acceptance rate

94.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$35,580

Avg. Cost after Aid

$23,000

#9 Best Private Colleges

Catawba College

Salisbury

Acceptance rate

77.7%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$32,380

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

#10 Best Private Colleges

University of Mount Olive

Mount Olive

Acceptance rate

77.8%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$21,618

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#11 Best Private Colleges

Gardner-Webb University

Boiling Springs

Acceptance rate

87.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$31,220

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,000

#12 Best Private Colleges

Wingate University

Wingate

Acceptance rate

85.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$40,070

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

#13 Best Private Colleges

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Hickory

Acceptance rate

80.7%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$41,500

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#14 Best Private Colleges

Brevard College

Brevard

Acceptance rate

39.5%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$28,400

Avg. Cost after Aid

$21,000

#15 Best Private Colleges

Livingstone College

Salisbury

Acceptance rate

74.1%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$15,917

Avg. Cost after Aid

$15,000

#16 Best Private Colleges

Methodist University

Fayetteville

Acceptance rate

75.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$36,260

Avg. Cost after Aid

$18,000

#17 Best Private Colleges

Johnson C. Smith University

Charlotte

Acceptance rate

42.9%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$16,174

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,011

#18 Best Private Colleges

Montreat College

Montreat

Acceptance rate

65.5%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$29,212

Avg. Cost after Aid

$23,000

#19 Best Private Colleges

Guilford College

Greensboro

Acceptance rate

83.8%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$40,400

Avg. Cost after Aid

$26,000

#20 Best Private Colleges

Belmont Abbey College

Belmont

Acceptance rate

90.4%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$18,500

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#21 Best Private Colleges

North Carolina Wesleyan University

Rocky Mount

Acceptance rate

78.0%

Institution type

UPWG

Total Tuition Cost

$32,996

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,000

#22 Best Private Colleges

Warren Wilson College

Asheville

Acceptance rate

77.6%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$37,500

Avg. Cost after Aid

$26,000

#23 Best Private Colleges

Pfeiffer University

Misenheimer

Acceptance rate

95.3%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$31,160

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

#24 Best Private Colleges

Barton College

Wilson

Acceptance rate

95.9%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$33,430

Avg. Cost after Aid

$23,000

#25 Best Private Colleges

Mars Hill University

Mars Hill

Acceptance rate

77.9%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$35,665

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

2026 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina

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