I am not going to tell you whether this is the right university for your child. That depends on three things only your family knows: what your child wants to study, what your child has accomplished so far, and what your family can afford. What I can do is give you, as clearly as possible, the first of those three pieces: what this university is really like, according to its own official reports.
What North Carolina State University at Raleigh is
According to the Carnegie system, which organizes the nation’s colleges and universities by what they do, North State is classified among the doctoral institutions with the highest level of research activity on that scale. Under the same system, it is also a large, primarily residential four-year school: when this information was recorded, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least half studied full time.
It is a public, four-year institution and reports the doctoral degree as the highest academic level it offers. That places it among degree-granting institutions that are primarily at the bachelor’s level or above. None of this tells you whether your child’s specific major is offered there or whether its undergraduate program connects to a graduate program. You need to verify that one program at a time.
It is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Wake County, within the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area, in a principal city with a population of at least 250,000. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what it is like to live nearby. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time your child would have classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
There is one more label worth knowing: in the official file for 2023, the university is identified as a Land Grant Institution. It is a historical designation shared by only 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this database. It does not tell you which programs the university offers today, how much it costs, or what your child’s experience there will be like. Do not read it as a verdict or a seal of quality. What truly matters can be found in things with names: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, who answers the phone in April.
And here is the first hard truth, stated plainly: Carnegie also places this university among the most selective in admissions. Being more selective does not mean it teaches better. It describes whom it admits, not how it teaches once students are there.
A large university, and two distinct communities within it
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is enormous. In its reported official fall count, it enrolled 37,323 students, a figure that places it in the highest band used by the government: 20,000 or more. Among the 519 selective public four-year schools in this same census, it is one of the largest: no more than one in ten has more students.
But that large number hides something your family needs to separate. Of that total of 37,323, only 27,323 are undergraduates; the other 10,000 have already completed an undergraduate degree and are in graduate school. If your child is entering a bachelor’s program, the number that matters is 27,323, not the total. Graduate enrollment inflates the figure shown in reports, but that is not your child’s world yet.
Within that undergraduate population, who will your child’s classmates be? Eight out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 519 selective public schools in this census, its share falls below the group’s midpoint. That neither removes the school from the list nor puts it on the list: it simply describes who is enrolled today. If your child will be one of the few, the question worth asking during a visit is specific: which student organization, which cultural center, which person in the office speaks Spanish? Talk with a Latino student there before deciding. The number covers the entire school; your child’s major may look different.
As for the rest of the profile: there are almost no adult students, with only 4 out of every 100 between the ages of 25 and 64. The balance between men and women is nearly even, with women accounting for 50 out of every 100. And 85 out of every 100 first-time students came from the same state. Above all, it is a North Carolina school for young, full-time students from North Carolina.
Academics: how the year is organized and how broad the offerings are
The academic year at North State is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university accepts credit from AP exams, but it does not award credit for life experience. The latter matters if your child arrives with years of work or service: that path is not available here. It does, however, report accepting credit for military training.
Accepting AP credit does not mean the university will award credit for every exam at every score. This report does not tell us what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward your child’s exact major. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not include the savings in your budget until you have it in hand.
As for the range of majors: in a single year, the university awarded 6,396 bachelor’s degrees across 24 distinct academic families. Engineering awarded the most, accounting for 23 out of every 100 degrees that year, but no other field accounts for the entire remainder. Compared with 514 selective public schools in this census, North State ranks in the quarter with the most academic families represented in its bachelor’s-level detail. Its offerings are broad. But 24 families with a row in the report do not mean 24 guaranteed majors: one family groups several programs, and a row may report no degrees awarded that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in by name, not by category.
And what about class size? Here it is important to be precise about what the data does and does not say. The reported ratio is 15 full-time-equivalent students for each full-time-equivalent instructional staff member. Compared with similar schools, it falls below the midpoint: neither among the lowest nor among the highest. It is a middle-of-the-range figure. But this ratio does not describe the actual size of a classroom. It is an institution-wide calculation, not a promise about how many students will be sitting beside your child in a first-semester class.
The university also reports additional structured pathways: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, noncredit developmental education, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval of the program. These opportunities exist in the official record. Their existence does not automatically tell you how accessible or how good they are; investigate each by name and by program when the time comes.
Getting in: what the application requires and what the numbers show
North State does not have open admissions. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school record, grade point average, completion of the college-preparatory curriculum the university requires, the personal essay, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. It also considers, although it does not require, your child’s class rank, letters of recommendation, and work experience.
Simply gathering documents is not enough here: the essay is required. Have your child start it during the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one to submit. The published application fee is $85.
How selective is it in practice? In the 2023 cycle, the university received 40,049 first-year applications and offered admission to 15,958 applicants. That is 40 out of every 100. Compared with the 519 selective public schools in this census, it is among those that accept the smallest share: nine out of ten schools in that group accepted a higher percentage of their applicants. On the other side of that calculation are 24,091 applicants who did not receive an offer. This rate does not distinguish among applicants who were denied admission, placed on a waiting list, or withdrew their applications, and it is an average for the entire university: if your child is pursuing a specific major, request that number directly from admissions. It is fine for this school to be on your child’s list. It should not be the only one.
Another number is worth keeping in mind because it tells a different story: out of every 100 students admitted for the first year of 2023, only 36 ultimately enrolled. The other 64 had an acceptance letter in hand and still chose somewhere else. Compared with similar schools, this share is on the high side: at most of those schools, a smaller share of admitted students enrolls. This figure does not measure how difficult it is to get in or whether people were happy after attending; it only records what other families decided after receiving their letters. When your child’s letter arrives, place the letters from every school side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
As for tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. If your child submits scores, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Among the students who enrolled, 21 out of every 100 submitted an SAT score, and among them, the middle half scored from 640 to 720 in reading and writing and from 660 to 740 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants, and they do not prove that those scores were used to admit them. 640 is not a minimum. Nor does 720 guarantee anything.
Finally, if your child plans to arrive at North State after studying at another institution, the university admits many transfer students—1,457 entered that way for the first time in the fall of 2023—and very few leave, only 10 out of every 100 from the reference cohort. But neither figure says how many credits are accepted upon arrival. Before your child transfers, request a written determination of which courses will count and which will not, with the course list in hand.
The published price: two schools in one, depending on where you come from
This is where it helps to sit down and look carefully, because one difference can completely change a family’s budget.
For the 2023–24 academic year, the reported cost of attendance for a first-time, full-time student living on campus was $26,604 at the in-state rate and $49,476 at the out-of-state rate. This is the figure the university uses to calculate financial aid, not a literal bill, but it provides a realistic sense of the size of the commitment.
| Item | In-state rate | Out-of-state rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | $8,895 | $31,767 |
| On-campus housing and food | $13,719 | $13,719 |
| Books and supplies | $869 | $869 |
| Total (including estimated other expenses) | $26,604 | $49,476 |
The difference between the two rates is $22,872 per year. That is no small detail: it is nearly the annual pay of someone working full time at minimum wage in many states. Ask the institution what requirements it uses to classify a student as a resident and when those requirements apply; the rules are not the same at every school.
Compared with 483 schools of the same type and sector in this census, the in-state total falls below the group’s midpoint. Put another way, for a North Carolina family, North State’s list price is not among the highest in its category.
Net price: what families actually pay, by income level
At North Carolina State University at Raleigh, among 379 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $6,200. Among 335 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $13,992; among 834 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $24,211. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (379 students) and the average for the highest-income band (834 students) is $18,011. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $14,860.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, it falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is information that matters when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial-aid letter sent to you is what matters most.
Grants, Pell, and loans: separating what is repaid from what is not
At North State, 53 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—a grant or scholarship. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with similar schools, this share falls in the quarter where grants and scholarships reach fewer students. Among those who received this aid, the average for the year was $11,534.
The Pell Grant—federal aid specifically for low-income families—reached a smaller group: 20 out of every 100. The difference between 53 and 20 does not mean the school is hiding something; it may include state, local, institutional, or other sources of aid that this breakdown does not allow us to attribute precisely. It is worth asking directly which programs account for that difference and what requirements each has.
When your child’s aid letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: money that does not have to be repaid, money that must be repaid with interest, and money that must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, and that confusion is exactly where families end up facing surprises months later.
As for loans, 34 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the 2022-23 academic year—more than two out of ten, but less than half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower that year was $5,876. Compared with similar schools, this share is common, neither among the highest nor among the lowest.
Here is another hard truth: this percentage describes other families, not yours. And that average of $5,876 covers a single year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include loans signed by parents, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates after four or five years. Determining that would require adding every year together, and that figure is not in this report. The amount your child would need to borrow is determined by your child’s own financial-aid letter, not this average. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
The university also reports two mechanisms for managing payment: a guaranteed tuition plan and an installment payment plan. It is worth asking about both in detail before deciding how you will cover the difference between financial aid and the total cost.
Campus life: housing, athletics, ROTC, and support
North State has its own housing and offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The university reported that not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there—this rules out a universal requirement, but does not mean no program has one. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 10,291 students, on or off campus. The existence of housing does not guarantee your child a bed: request the rate for the year, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or students are placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
As for ROTC, the university marked all three service branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force—as well as the Marine Corps option within Navy. Marking all three is uncommon: of the 3,012 universities in this database, only 135 do so. But a marked option does not prove that the program operates on this exact campus, how many openings it has, or whether it provides a scholarship. Ask about each pathway by name before building a plan around it.
In athletics, North State competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, reporting membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That membership belongs to the school, not to your child: if your child is interested in playing, contact the coach of that sport directly and ask whether there is room on the team, which division it competes in, and whether that sport awards athletic scholarships. Get the response in writing.
As for instructional format, the university offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but only 2 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes that way; the other 98 took at least one class in person. It also reports offering at least one complete distance-education program, although the data does not confirm whether that complete program is specifically available at the undergraduate level. Confirm the exact level and major if this is relevant to your family.
The library operates with paid staff and reports annual spending above the $100,000 threshold recorded by the federal government; it has physical and digital materials and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that specific databases are available for your child’s major: ask about them by program name.
Finally, the university reports a broad set of services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military members and their families, a student veterans’ organization, and a published webpage for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not establish their quality or effectiveness by itself. Verify that by speaking with people who use them today.
Persistence and graduation: do students stay and finish?
This may be the section where North State’s numbers speak most strongly, and where it is also most important to be careful about what they actually say.
Of the full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking class that entered in the fall of 2022, 5,520 students formed the initial cohort. Of those students, 5,157 met the official retention criterion the following year: 93 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already completed their degrees. Compared with similar schools, North State is among those that retain the largest share of their entering class: nine out of ten schools in the group retain an equal or smaller proportion. This figure is high, but it combines two distinct groups—students who are still studying and those who have already graduated—without separating them, and it does not reveal what happened to the remaining 7 percent.
As for graduation, out of every 100 full-time students who entered a bachelor’s program in 2017 without having previously attended another college, 85 completed a degree within six years—3,963 out of 4,647. At four years, the figure is 68 out of every 100, seventeen points lower. And four years, remember, is usually the period most families have actually budgeted for.
Compared with 518 selective public schools in this census, North State is among those that graduate the largest shares of students: nine out of ten schools in that group report an equal or smaller proportion. It is a strong figure. The data does not say how many semesters each person attended and does not report tuition, rent, or wages. Before making any commitment, request in writing how long students typically take to complete the specific program your child is interested in, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost would change if completion took an additional year.
There is also a third, longer-term measure: following a cohort that entered between July of 2015 and June of 2016—combining first-time and transfer students, as well as full-time and part-time students—by the August of 2023 reporting point, 84 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this institution. Among those who specifically received a Pell Grant, the figure was 80 out of every 100, six points below the rest. Compared with similar schools, North State is again among those that graduate the largest shares of students over this longer period.
A high figure like this does not predict your child’s individual outcome. It describes what happened to an earlier cohort under circumstances that are not necessarily the same as your child’s. What is worth doing is asking about the current support available in the specific program your child is interested in and about outcomes for more recent classes than those covered by this report.
What this article cannot tell you
This information does not tell us what happens after graduation: employment, salaries, or how much debt graduates actually carry when they leave school. That requires another source, and making claims about it is not authorized here. Nor do we know exactly how much it will cost your family, whether your child will be admitted, or how your child will feel living in Raleigh. Those pieces depend on your family and on the letter you receive.
In closing
You now have, in considerable detail, one of the three pieces you need to decide: what North Carolina State University at Raleigh is really like, according to what it reports about itself to the federal government. You know that it is large, public, and selective; that it charges different amounts depending on where students come from; that it graduates most of those who enter full time; and that its Latino community is still small.
You still need to combine this with what your child wants to study, what your child has accomplished so far in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No figure in this article makes that decision for you. What these figures can do is prevent you from entering the family conversation without understanding the ground beneath your feet.
Verify what has been left pending here: the exact equivalency of your child’s AP credits, the actual net price shown in your child’s financial-aid letter, and the specific conditions of the major your child is interested in. With those three verifications and the foundation already built here, you will have much more than you had when you began reading.
Note on sources: the information in this article comes from data reported by North Carolina State University at Raleigh to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 cycles, as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent North Carolina State University at Raleigh or any government agency; this article organizes and explains official public information.