Nursing Schools in North Carolina: All 155 Approved Programs & NCLEX Pass Rates

North Carolina has 102 schools running 155 board-approved nursing programs — 103 RN-track and 52 PN/LPN-track. The average 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across North Carolina programs is 89.4%, 2.9 points above the national average of 86.5%. Every row below comes straight from the state board of nursing's published approved-program list — not self-reported school marketing.

155
Approved programs
102
Schools
89.4%
Avg RN pass rate (2025)
86.5%
National RN average

Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina by NCLEX Pass Rate

Top RN programs ranked by 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, among programs with a published 2025 rate. Rates are one year of data — check multi-year trends before deciding.

  1. 1
    Barton College
    Wilson · BSN
    100%
  2. 2
    Carolinas College of Health Sciences
    Charlotte · ADN
    100%
  3. 3
    Catawba College
    Salisbury · BSN
    100%
  4. 4
    Central Carolina Community College
    Sanford · ADN
    100%
  5. 5
    Galen College of Nursing
    Asheville · BSN
    100%
  6. 6
    Mayland Community College
    Spruce Pine · ADN
    100%
  7. 7
    Randolph Community College
    Asheboro · ADN
    100%
  8. 8
    Stanly Community College
    Locust · ADN
    100%
  9. 9
    Wayne Community College
    Goldsboro · ADN
    100%
  10. 10
    Wilson Community College
    Wilson · ADN
    100%

Every Approved Nursing Program in North Carolina

Sort by any column, filter RN vs PN/LPN, or search a school or city.

155 of 155 programs · “—” = no 2025 first-time pass rate published by the board

Alamance Community CollegeGrahamADNRN97%
Alamance Community CollegeGrahamLPNPN96%
Appalachian State UniversityBooneBSNRN98%
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAshevilleADNRN98%
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAshevilleLPNPN100%
Barton CollegeWilsonBSNRN100%
Beaufort County Community CollegeWashingtonADNRN95%
Beaufort County Community CollegeWashingtonLPNPN100%
Belmont Abbey CollegeBelmontBSNRN88%
Bladen Community CollegeDublinADNRN93%
Bladen Community CollegeDublinLPNPN88%
Blue Ridge Community CollegeFlat RockADNRN96%
Blue Ridge Community CollegeFlat RockLPNPN100%
Brunswick Community CollegeSupplyADNRN83%
Brunswick Community CollegeSupplyLPNPN100%
Cabarrus College of Health SciencesConditionalConcordADNRN71%
Cabarrus College of Health SciencesConcordBSNRN81%
Caldwell Community College and Technical InstituteHudsonADNRN91%
Caldwell Community College and Technical InstituteHudsonLPNPN95%
Campbell UniversityBuies CreekBSNRN88%
Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmingtonADNRN98%
Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmingtonLPNPN100%
Care One Health Training InstituteNew/provisionalRaleighLPNPN—
Carolinas College of Health SciencesCharlotteADNRN100%
Carteret Community CollegeMorehead CityADNRN92%
Catawba CollegeSalisburyBSNRN100%
Catawba Valley Community CollegeHickoryADNRN80%
Central Carolina Community CollegeSanfordADNRN100%
Central Carolina Community CollegeSanfordLPNPN100%
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotteADNRN99%
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotteLPNPN97%
Chamberlain UniversityCharlotteBSNRN94%
Cleveland Community CollegeShelbyADNRN87%
Cleveland Community CollegeShelbyLPNPN100%
Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonvilleADNRN97%
Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonvilleLPNPN92%
College of The AlbemarleElizabeth CityADNRN96%
College of The AlbemarleElizabeth CityLPNPN100%
Craven Community CollegeNew BernADNRN93%
Craven Community CollegeNew BernLPNPN93%
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeLexingtonADNRN82%
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeLexingtonLPNPN96%
Duke UniversityDurhamABSNRN91%
Duke UniversityNew/provisionalDurhamDMERN—
Durham Technical Community CollegeDurhamADNRN84%
Durham Technical Community CollegeDurhamLPNPN100%
East Carolina UniversityGreenvilleBSNRN96%
ECPI University - CharlotteCharlotteAASRN86%
ECPI University - CharlotteCharlotteLPNPN96%
ECPI University - High PointHigh PointLPNPN94%
ECPI University - RaleighRaleighAASRN92%
ECPI University - RaleighRaleighLPNPN81%
Edgecombe Community CollegeRocky MountADNRN86%
Edgecombe Community CollegeRocky MountLPNPN93%
Elon UniversityElonBSNRN90%
Fayetteville State UniversityFayettevilleBSNRN85%
Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayettevilleADNRN87%
Fayetteville Technical Community CollegeFayettevilleLPNPN100%
Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston SalemADNRN95%
Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston SalemLPNPN98%
Galen College of NursingAshevilleADNRN85%
Galen College of NursingAshevilleBSNRN100%
Gardner-Webb UniversityBoiling SpringsASNRN83%
Gardner-Webb UniversityBoiling SpringsBSNRN83%
Gaston CollegeDallasLPNPN100%
Gaston Community CollegeDallasADNRN98%
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestownADNRN97%
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestownLPNPN100%
Halifax Community CollegeConditionalWeldonADNRN68%
Halifax Community CollegeWeldonLPNPN100%
High Point UniversityHigh PointBSNRN90%
Isothermal Community CollegeConditionalSpindaleADNRN72%
Isothermal Community CollegeSpindaleLPNPN95%
James Sprunt Community CollegeKenansvilleADNRN96%
James Sprunt Community CollegeKenansvilleLPNPN100%
Johnson & Wales UniversityConditionalCharlotteABSNRN67%
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfieldADNRN97%
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfieldLPNPN100%
Lenoir Community CollegeKinstonADNRN88%
Lenoir Community CollegeKinstonLPNPN100%
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityHickoryBSNRN96%
Mars Hill UniversityMars HillBSNRN88%
Martin Community CollegeNew/provisionalWilliamstonLPNPN—
Mayland Community CollegeSpruce PineADNRN100%
Mayland Community CollegeSpruce PineLPNPN100%
McDowell Technical Community CollegeMarionADNRN82%
McDowell Technical Community CollegeMarionLPNPN96%
Meredith CollegeNew/provisionalRaleighBSNRN—
Methodist UniversityFayettevilleBSNRN94%
Mitchell Community CollegeStatesvilleADNRN97%
Montgomery Community CollegeTroyADNRN92%
Montgomery Community CollegeTroyLPNPN100%
Nash Community CollegeRocky MountADNRN86%
Nash Community CollegeRocky MountLPNPN100%
North Carolina A&T State UniversityGreensboroBSNRN89%
North Carolina Central UniversityDurhamBSNRN96%
North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityNew/provisionalRocky MountBSNRN—
Northeastern UniversityConditionalCharlotteABSNRN75%
Pfeiffer UniversityMisenheimerBSNRN83%
Piedmont Community CollegeRoxboroADNRN81%
Piedmont Community CollegeRoxboroLPNPN100%
Pitt Community CollegeGreenvilleADNRN97%
Queens University of CharlotteCharlotteBSNRN89%
Randolph Community CollegeAsheboroADNRN100%
Region A Nursing ConsortiumConditionalClydeADNRN71%
Richmond Community CollegeHamletADNRN86%
Richmond Community CollegeLaurinburgLPNPN89%
Roanoke-Chowan Community CollegeAhoskieADNRN80%
Robeson Community CollegeLumbertonADNRN90%
Robeson Community CollegeLumbertonLPNPN100%
Rockingham Community CollegeWentworthADNRN90%
Rockingham Community CollegeWentworthLPNPN88%
Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeSalisburyADNRN82%
Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeKannapolisLPNPN100%
Sampson Community CollegeClintonADNRN96%
Sampson Community CollegeClintonLPNPN100%
Sandhills Community CollegePinehurstADNRN94%
South CollegeNew/provisionalAshevilleASNRN—
South CollegeAshevilleBSNRN89%
South CollegeAshevilleLPNPN93%
South Piedmont Community CollegeMonroeADNRN78%
South Piedmont Community CollegeMonroeLPNPN100%
South UniversityHigh PointBSNRN80%
Southeastern CollegeConditionalCharlotteLPNPN77%
Southeastern Community CollegeWhitevilleADNRN81%
Southeastern Community CollegeWhitevilleLPNPN100%
Southwestern Community CollegeSylvaADNRN88%
Southwestern Community CollegeSylvaLPNPN86%
St. Andrews UniversityLaurinburgBSNRN—
Stanly Community CollegeLocustADNRN100%
Stanly Community CollegeLocustLPNPN100%
Surry Community CollegeDobsonADNRN95%
Surry Community CollegeDobsonLPNPN100%
University of Mount OliveConditionalMount OliveBSNRN50%
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillBSNRN96%
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlotteBSNRN97%
University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboroBSNRN90%
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNew/provisionalGreensboroDMERN—
University of North Carolina at PembrokePembrokeBSNRN92%
University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmingtonBSNRN90%
Vance-Granville Community CollegeHendersonADNRN79%
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleighADNRN95%
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleighLPNPN100%
Watts College of NursingDurhamBSNRN85%
Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboroADNRN100%
Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboroLPNPN100%
Wester Carolina UniversityNew/provisionalCullowheeDMERN—
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheeBSNRN99%
Western Piedmont Community CollegeMorgantonADNRN98%
Western Piedmont Community CollegeNew/provisionalMorgantonLPNPN—
Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboroADNRN95%
Wilson Community CollegeWilsonADNRN100%
Wilson Community CollegeWilsonLPNPN100%
Wingate UniversityWingateBSNRN86%
Winston-Salem State UniversityConditionalWinston SalemBSNRN71%

Whichever school you choose, the NCLEX is the finish line

The pass rates above are made by students, not buildings. Students who do well start NCLEX-style practice in their first semester — studying for class exams and the boards at the same time. NurseSavvy turns your own course materials into matched NCLEX practice questions from day one, for $19/mo after a free 14-day trial.

Start the free trialIs nursing school worth it? Run the numbers →RN salary in North Carolina →How to prep from semester 1 →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best nursing school in North Carolina by NCLEX pass rate?

10 RN programs in North Carolina tied for the highest 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate at 100%, including Barton College in Wilson — see the full ranked list above, among programs with a published 2025 rate on the state board's list.

How many nursing schools are in North Carolina?

North Carolina has 102 schools offering 155 board-approved nursing programs: 103 RN-track (ADN/BSN and similar) and 52 PN/LPN-track programs, per the state board of nursing's current approved-program list.

What is the average NCLEX pass rate in North Carolina?

Across North Carolina RN programs with a published 2025 rate, the average first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is 89.4% — 2.9 points above the national average of 86.5%.

What does a first-time NCLEX pass rate tell me about a school?

It is the share of a program’s graduates who passed the NCLEX on their first attempt — the single most comparable public outcome number nursing programs report. Boards of nursing track it for program approval, and consistently low rates can put a program on conditional status. Compare it alongside cost, location, and program length, not in isolation.

About this data

Program list and 2025 first-time NCLEX pass rates are taken directly from the North Carolina board of nursing's published approved-program materials. “—” means the board did not publish a 2025 rate for that program (new programs, small cohorts, or PN lists without rate tables). Pass rates refresh annually; this page is rebuilt from the board lists when they update.

  • www.ncbon.com — list: Approved-programs list revised 6/22/26; pass rate CY2025 first-time (2025 single-year reports, posted Feb 2026)

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