NurseSavvy ranking · North Carolina · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in North Carolina (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 96 RN programs in North Carolina that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in North Carolina, and what graduates earn a year out.
Central Carolina Community College comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank North Carolina’s 96 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in North Carolina
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 182score
Central Carolina Community College
SanfordADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- 74% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,446/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,579 1 yr out
Start to license: 74 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 278score
Coastal Carolina Community College
JacksonvilleADN· Public
A 97% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97%
- Students who finish
- 84% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,461/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $59,879 1 yr out
Start to license: 81 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 376score
Stanly Community College
LocustADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,721/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,008 1 yr out
- 476score
Western Carolina University
CullowheeBSN· Public
A 99% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 99%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,315/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,774 1 yr out
- 575score
Wilson Community College
WilsonADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $3,064/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,152 1 yr out
- 675score
Catawba College
SalisburyBSN· Private nonprofit
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $17,879/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $70,522 1 yr out
- 774score
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel HillBSN· Public
A 96% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $11,655/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,594 1 yr out
- 874score
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
CharlotteBSN· Public
A 97% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,435/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $73,445 1 yr out
- 974score
North Carolina Central University
DurhamBSN· Public
A 96% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,359/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $76,142 1 yr out
- 1074score
Carolinas College of Health Sciences
CharlotteADN· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- $75,471 1 yr out
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The North Carolina leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Central Carolina Community College (ADN), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Coastal Carolina Community College (ADN), 84% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Wilkes Community College, $0/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: University of Mount Olive, $81,493 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Central Carolina Community College (#1 overall) and Western Carolina University (#4 overall).
How we ranked North Carolina’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the North Carolina board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to North Carolina’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in North Carolina?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Central Carolina Community College (ADN, Sanford) ranks #1 of 96 RN programs in North Carolina with a score of 82 out of 100 and a 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank North Carolina nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the North Carolina board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in North CarolinaNorth Carolina in one page: 102 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 84,350), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in North CarolinaNurse practitioners in North Carolina earn a median of 128,990 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in North CarolinaRegistered nurses in North Carolina earn a median of 84,350 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.