Hardest Colleges to Get Into in North Carolina

North Carolina has 38 colleges in the CollegeCalcAI database, and this page ranks every one of them by acceptance rate. The most selective are Duke University (6%), Davidson College (13%), and University of North Carolina (15%). 4 schools admit a quarter of applicants or fewer, the median North Carolina college admits 76%, and 15 are public against 23 private. At the other end, Barton College admits 94%. Open any school for its full admissions profile, or check your own odds free.

Schools

Median acceptance

76%

Most selective

Duke University

6% acceptance

Download as CSV

Get your real chances

CollegeCalcAI computes a personalized acceptance estimate from your GPA, scores, and activities. Free, no account to start.

Open the calculator

38 schools

Sort by

Your chances at these colleges

Estimated chance of admission for three typical students, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA; 2, 4 and 7 AP courses respectively; Regular Decision; no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook.

Which of the Hardest Colleges in North Carolina can I get into with a 3.7 GPA and a 1300 SAT?

By CollegeCalcAI's model, a student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT has a Likely or Safety estimate (45% or higher) at 34 of the 38 colleges here, including Carolina University, NC State University and Johnson C. Smith University. 1 more is a Target (25 to 44%), such as Wake Forest University. The other 3 are Reach. Estimates assume Regular Decision and no hook; courses, activities and essays move them.

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT
College	3.3 GPA1150 SAT	3.7 GPA1300 SAT	4.0 GPA1500 SAT
Duke Universityadmits 6%	6%Reach	8%Reach	12%Reach
Davidson Collegeadmits 13%	10%Reach	16%Reach	27%Target
University of North Carolinaadmits 15%	11%Reach	18%Reach	32%Target
Wake Forest Universityadmits 22%	15%Reach	25%Target	46%Likely
Carolina Universityadmits 40%	56%Likely	79%Safety	89%Safety
NC State Universityadmits 42%	30%Target	68%Likely	90%Safety
Johnson C. Smith Universityadmits 45%	68%Likely	85%Safety	93%Safety
North Carolina A&T State Universityadmits 50%	74%Safety	92%Safety	96%Safety
Livingstone Collegeadmits 59%	91%Safety	97%Safety	98%Safety
Queens University of Charlotteadmits 62%	85%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
UNC Wilmingtonadmits 64%	77%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Elizabeth City State Universityadmits 64%	95%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Elon Universityadmits 66%	80%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Mars Hill Universityadmits 68%	94%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Chowan Universityadmits 69%	95%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Montreat Collegeadmits 69%	96%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
High Point Universityadmits 75%	96%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Belmont Abbey Collegeadmits 75%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Catawba Collegeadmits 75%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Mount Olive Universityadmits 76%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Gardner-Webb Universityadmits 77%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Lees-McRae Collegeadmits 77%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Winston-Salem State Universityadmits 78%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
UNC Charlotteadmits 80%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Guilford Collegeadmits 80%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety

Show all 38 colleges

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT (continued)
Shaw Universityadmits 80%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Western Carolina Universityadmits 82%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Fayetteville State Universityadmits 82%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Lenoir-Rhyne Universityadmits 85%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Campbell Universityadmits 87%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
North Carolina Central Universityadmits 87%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
East Carolina Universityadmits 89%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
UNC Greensboroadmits 89%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Appalachian State Universityadmits 90%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Wingate Universityadmits 91%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
UNC Ashevilleadmits 92%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
UNC Pembrokeadmits 93%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Barton Collegeadmits 94%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities or compare your own list with the free admissions API.

Cite or embed this list

Free to quote with attribution. The stat card links back to this list.

Cite this page

CollegeCalcAI. "Hardest Colleges to Get Into in North Carolina." 2026. https://collegecalcai.com/data/hardest-colleges-in-north-carolina

Free to cite and reuse with attribution and a link.

Embed this stat

76%median acceptance rate, hardest colleges to get into in north carolina (38 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI

<a href="https://collegecalcai.com/data/hardest-colleges-in-north-carolina?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=statcard" style="display:inline-block;padding:16px 20px;border:1px solid #E5E9F0;border-radius:14px;text-decoration:none;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;background:#fff">76%median acceptance rate, hardest colleges to get into in north carolina (38 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI</a>

Keep exploring

More ways to cut the data.

North Carolina publics All North Carolina schools South Top Public Universities All collections

Acceptance rates and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.