North Carolina ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in North Carolina

The 50 largest of the 156 North Carolina colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

38,464
Largest in North Carolina
156
Institutions reporting
1,419
Median North Carolina institution
#10
of 51 states by enrolment

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is the largest institution in North Carolina with 38,464 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, North Carolina State University at Raleigh leads North Carolina at 38,464 students, and the five largest hold 26.2% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 156 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in North Carolina
38,464
Institutions reporting
156
State students in top 5
26.2%
Median North Carolina institution
1,419

North Carolina in one line

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is the largest institution in North Carolina with 38,464 students, about 27x the 1,419 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold only 26.2% of the state's students, so enrolment is spread widely across many smaller institutions rather than gathered into a few.

38,464
students at North Carolina State University at Raleigh
26.2%
of state students, in the top 5
586,119
students enrolled across North Carolina
2,796
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 83.6% of North Carolina's students; the other 106 reporting institutions hold the remaining 16.4%. Among the 50 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 29 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 2 also appear in the national safest-50.

83.6%
of state students, in these 50
29
below 1.58 national median /1k
2
also in national safest-50
2.99
North Carolina State University at Raleigh rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 156 North Carolina institutions by enrollment (490,107 of 586,119 students, 83.6%). The remaining 106 reporting institutions enroll 16.4% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about North Carolina

North Carolina is the 10th largest US jurisdiction by total enrolment, teaching 2.9% of all reported US students. 75 of the 156 institutions reporting enrolment here are public, an unusually public-heavy sector, so the top of this list is largely a map of the state's public systems.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make North Carolina's top-50 list is 2,796 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 156 North Carolina institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make North Carolina's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 156 North Carolina institutions · 2024

2,796 Top 32% higher than 68% of 156 North Carolina institutions

Show national distribution 0–4,000: 120 North Carolina institutions (77%). This entry sits in this band. 4,000–8,000: 18 North Carolina institutions (12%). Above this entry. 8,000–12,000: 6 North Carolina institutions (4%). Above this entry. 12,000–16,000: 2 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. 16,000–20,000: 3 North Carolina institutions (2%). Above this entry. 20,000–24,000: 2 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. 24,000–28,000: 2 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. 28,000–32,000: 1 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. 32,000–36,000: 1 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. 36,000–40,000: 1 North Carolina institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 40,000 every North Carolina institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more North Carolina institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of North Carolina's 156 institutions

10
Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
17,499
Incidents /1k
7.83
21
Elon University Elon, NC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
7,239
Incidents /1k
3.18
25
Gaston College Dallas, NC · Public
Enrollment
6,443
Incidents /1k
0.16
30
Campbell University Buies Creek, NC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
4,963
Incidents /1k
3.63
41
Wingate University Wingate, NC · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
3,458
Incidents /1k
3.76
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public 38,464 100% of the leader · rank #1 2.99
2 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public 32,438 84% of the leader · rank #2 4.04
3 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC · Public 31,091 81% of the leader · rank #3 3.67
4 East Carolina University Greenville, NC · Public 26,940 70% of the leader · rank #4 3.12
5 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC · Public 24,609 64% of the leader · rank #5 0.08
6 Appalachian State University Boone, NC · Public 21,570 56% of the leader · rank #6 3.20
7 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC · Public 20,375 53% of the leader · rank #7 0.15
8 University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC · Public 18,848 49% of the leader · rank #8 4.19
9 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC · Public 18,012 47% of the leader · rank #9 5.66
10 Duke University Durham, NC · Private nonprofit 17,499 45% of the leader · rank #10 7.83
11 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC · Public 14,311 37% of the leader · rank #11 6.92
12 Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC · Public 14,082 37% of the leader · rank #12 0.07
13 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC · Public 11,755 31% of the leader · rank #13 0.00
14 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC · Public 11,686 30% of the leader · rank #14 4.54
15 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC · Public 11,485 30% of the leader · rank #15 0.52
16 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit 9,322 24% of the leader · rank #16 10.19
17 Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC · Public 9,099 24% of the leader · rank #17 2.53
18 North Carolina Central University Durham, NC · Public 8,579 22% of the leader · rank #18 5.13
19 Pitt Community College Winterville, NC · Public 7,684 20% of the leader · rank #19 0.52
20 University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC · Public 7,674 20% of the leader · rank #20 9.38
21 Elon University Elon, NC · Private nonprofit 7,239 19% of the leader · rank #21 3.18
22 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC · Public 7,107 18% of the leader · rank #22 2.67
23 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury, NC · Public 7,028 18% of the leader · rank #23 0.00
24 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC · Public 6,510 17% of the leader · rank #24 0.46
25 Gaston College Dallas, NC · Public 6,443 17% of the leader · rank #25 0.16
26 High Point University High Point, NC · Private nonprofit 6,331 16% of the leader · rank #26 6.79
27 Central Carolina Community College Sanford, NC · Public 5,882 15% of the leader · rank #27 0.00
28 Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC · Public 5,371 14% of the leader · rank #28 0.00
29 Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC · Public 5,157 13% of the leader · rank #29 0.00
30 Campbell University Buies Creek, NC · Private nonprofit 4,963 13% of the leader · rank #30 3.63
31 Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC · Public 4,904 13% of the leader · rank #31 0.20
32 Alamance Community College Graham, NC · Public 4,827 13% of the leader · rank #32 0.62
33 Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC · Public 4,782 12% of the leader · rank #33 15.47
34 Davidson-Davie Community College Thomasville, NC · Public 4,305 11% of the leader · rank #34 0.46
35 Sandhills Community College Pinehurst, NC · Public 4,115 11% of the leader · rank #35 0.00
36 South Piedmont Community College Polkton, NC · Public 4,013 10% of the leader · rank #36 0.50
37 Mitchell Community College Statesville, NC · Public 3,979 10% of the leader · rank #37 0.25
38 Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC · Public 3,914 10% of the leader · rank #38 0.00
39 Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC · Public 3,659 10% of the leader · rank #39 0.00
40 Wayne Community College Goldsboro, NC · Public 3,626 9% of the leader · rank #40 0.00
41 Wingate University Wingate, NC · Private nonprofit 3,458 9% of the leader · rank #41 3.76
42 Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC · Private nonprofit 3,220 8% of the leader · rank #42 0.31
43 Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC · Private nonprofit 3,104 8% of the leader · rank #43 0.00
44 Craven Community College New Bern, NC · Public 3,103 8% of the leader · rank #44 0.00
45 University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC · Public 3,056 8% of the leader · rank #45 8.84
46 Strayer University-North Carolina Greensboro, NC · Private for-profit 3,037 8% of the leader · rank #46 0.00
47 Vance-Granville Community College Henderson, NC · Public 2,936 8% of the leader · rank #47 0.00
48 College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City, NC · Public 2,905 8% of the leader · rank #48 0.00
49 Randolph Community College Asheboro, NC · Public 2,814 7% of the leader · rank #49 0.00
50 Surry Community College Dobson, NC · Public 2,796 7% of the leader · rank #50 0.72

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for North Carolina, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.