11 Cheap Colleges In North Carolina 2024

If you are looking to study in the US, this post covers the list of cheap colleges in the US state of North Carolina that you may consider applying for to enjoy a quality and affordable education. Let’s get started.

Higher education in the US is internationally recognized as the best in the world and this is evident in their quality teaching and research, academic achievement, and contributions to the world. However, this prestigious education comes at a very huge cost. The majority of the graduates in the US are walking around with huge student debt that they spend many years paying off.

You are probably here because you are seeking for university options to start applying for them. I don’t mean to scare you but there is a high chance that you would equally pile up a high amount of student debt as well. But then, there are different ways to tackle this issue and you’d graduate with lesser student debt.

You can seek out scholarship opportunities, of course, there are thousands of scholarships out there that you can apply for some of which are fully funded like the fully-funded scholarships in Europe for international students or the fully-funded scholarships by the Canadian government. If you luckily land this scholarship, then you have less to worry about piling high students after graduation.

Another option to reduce student debt is by applying for cheap colleges (you can join this option with a scholarship). A college being cheap simply means that the tuition fees are much lower compared to other colleges, this does not, in any way, diminishes the quality of education offered at the institution as is the common misconception for cheap colleges.

In this blog post, I have exposed the list – with concrete details of tuition costs – of cheap colleges in North Carolina and this is not the only one we have. We have recent posts that also highlight the list of cheapest colleges in New Jersey and the affordable colleges in Wisconsin, which you can look up and increase your option of affordable universities to apply to.

The cost of higher education in the US is even mostly felt by international students and we’ve got published posts that can help them quickly find cheaper options. Our post on the cheapest universities in the US for international students is a good start and you can also check out the cheapest community colleges in the US for international students so that you can have wider options on where to apply.

Having said that, let’s get into the cheap colleges in North Carolina and see which is the cheapest.

Cheap Colleges In North Carolina

The following are the most affordable colleges in North Carolina and how much they cost.

East Carolina University
Bennett College
Fayetteville State University
West Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
North Carolina State University
Appalachian State University
Winston-Salem State University
North Carolina Central University
Carolina College of Biblical Studies
Saint Augustine’s University

1. East Carolina University

This is public research university situated in Greenville, North Carolina, and the 4^th largest in the state. Being one of the largest universities in NC means that there will be more program offerings here and a large student body, that is, it will be populated. The university houses 9 undergraduate colleges, one graduate school, and 4 professional schools.

East Carolina University ranks as one of the cheap colleges in North Carolina with its tuition fee of $18,141 per year for residents of NC and $34,418 per year for out-of-state residents.

2. Bennett College

Bennett College is a private liberal art college that enrolls only black women and it is also one of the most affordable colleges in NC. If you are a black woman looking for a cheap college in the US, then Bennett College is where you want to be. Also, the student population here is barely up to 300 people which makes it a good place for those who don’t like crowded universities.

The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. About 24 majors and 19 minors are offered at Bennett under the faculties of natural and behavioral sciences and mathematics, social sciences and education, and Humanities. The tuition for students attending Bennett College is $14,667.

3. Fayetteville State University

And thirdly, we have Fayetteville State University among our list of cheapest colleges in North Carolina. It is a public university for black students admitting boys & girls with a small student population below 7,000. The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degree programs.

The undergraduate tuition at FSU is $261.63 and $428.30 per credit hour for NC residents and non-NC residents respectively. The fee for graduate students is $445.18 per credit hour for NC residents and $1059.93 per credit hour for non-NC residents.

4. West Carolina University

WCU is a public university situated in Cullowhee, NC, and is among the cheapest in the state. It has a student population of approximately 13,000 from different states and countries. There are six colleges within this cheap university offering academic programs in business, education, engineering, arts, and sciences.

Undergraduate tuition for an in-state student is $3,578.58 while out-of-state residents pay $5,578.58. Graduate tuition fee varies between $3,783 and $11,386.50 depending on the academic program you want to pursue and your residency status.

5. Elizabeth City State University

This is another historically black university in NC that happens to be one of the cheapest in the state. This university has a small student population of approximately 2,500 enrolled in 28 bachelor’s degree programs and 4 graduate courses offered by the university.

Undergraduate tuition is $41.67 per credit hour for NC residents and $208.33 per credit hour for non-NC residents. Graduate tuition for NC residents is $187.52 per credit hour and $913.17 per credit hour for non-residents of North Carolina.

6. North Carolina State University

NC State is a public research university situated in Raleigh, North Carolina and it is one of the most affordable universities in the state. It is a large university, in fact, the largest in NC, and has a student population of nearly 40,000 enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

Undergraduate tuition for in-state students is $9,128 while out-of-state students pay $30,869 per academic year. Graduate students are charged $83.33 per credit hour each semester.

7. Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University is a public university in Boone, NC, and one of the cheapest institutions in the region. The university houses 8 colleges and offers over 150 undergraduate programs, more than 70 graduate programs, and other doctoral programs to more than 20,000 students. With these figures, we can agree that Appalachian is a large university.

Undergraduate tuition for NC residents is $7,950 per year while non-residents pay $23,954 per year. For graduates, the tuition is $5,365 for NC residents and $15,372 for non-NC residents.

8. Winston-Salem State University

This is another historically black public higher institution in North Carolina with one of the cheapest tuitions. The university offers a wide range of programs in business, arts, engineering, and sciences to students in undergraduate and graduates degree programs.

Tuition at Winston-Salem University ranges between $6,247 to $16,903 depending on the program you want to pursue and your residency status.

9. North Carolina Central University

NCCU is one of the cheap universities in North Carolina founded in 1910 as a historically black university situated in Durham. The university offers academic programs at bachelor, master’s, professional, and doctoral levels of study.

Undergraduate tuition is $91 per credit hour for in-state residents and $441.62 for out-of-state residents. Graduate tuition is $157.11 per credit hour for in-state residents and $669.83 for out-of-state residents.

10. Carolina College of Biblical Studies

For students looking to enter the ministry, they can get quality biblical education with low tuition at the Carolina College of Biblical Studies. The college is one of the cheapest in the state and offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs as well as other non-degree certifications in biblical studies.

Undergraduate tuition is $255 per credit hour but military undergraduate tuition is $235 per credit hour. Graduate tuition is $295 per credit hour while military graduate tuition is $265 per hour. Certificate and audit courses are $250 per course.

11. Saint Augustine’s University

Last but not least the cheap college in North Carolina is Saint Augustine’s University, a private historically black Christian university in Raleigh, NC. It is a small college with less than a thousand students and three divisions of the business, liberal arts & education, natural sciences & mathematics, military science, visual & performing arts, and social sciences.

Undergraduate tuition is $13,605 per year which covers room and board and mandatory fees.

This wraps up the list of cheap colleges in NC. From this post, you get to know the program offering of each of the schools and their tuition cost and find the one that fits your budget.