The Tar Heel state has been occupied by humans since at least 1000 BC, when the ancient Mississippians established communities in the Piedmont. The Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century, the first Europeans to begin colonizing North Carolina. One hundred and fifty years later, Blackbeard ran his stolen ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, aground at Beaufort Inlet. After receiving a royal pardon in nearby Bath Town, Blackbeard would only live another year, but his brief time in North Carolina seems appropriate. Throughout the colonial period, North Carolina was considered a backwater, uninhabitable and roguish; indeed, a large swath of it was, namely The Great Dismal Swamp. By the twentieth century, however, its unique topography — Appalachian mountains, Piedmont, Atlantic Coastal Plain — provided resources for economic growth, and today its diverse economic climate includes engineering, energy, biotechnology, and finance. North Carolina is also famously home to some of the nation's very best universities and the Research Triangle, which has the most PhDs per capita in the country. So, if you're a North Carolina resident looking to take advantage of online education opportunities, why not stay local?
Featured Online Schools
In-state tuition is often applied to public schools offering online programs. Many online programs require some face-to-face time, or more numerous support services at their brick and mortar locations. Intensive study experiences–often on the weekends or in several week long bouts–enable many online students to accelerate their time until graduation. And students looking at online education can drastically expand their educational options if they also look to hybrid degrees (degrees where degrees can be taken partially, or mostly online). Finally, one of the most common stipulations in scholarships is that students be from a certain state or region, often more funds are available to students seeking degrees in-state.
Considering North Carolina's wealth of higher education institutions, it's no surprise that 48 schools offer online programs, 32 of which are public — from associate tracks all the way through doctorate levels. East Carolina is the largest public provider, with 48 available degrees, including 12 bachelor's, 25 master's, and one doctoral program in Nursing Practice. (Other disciplines of note include IT, Education, Healthcare, and Business, including an MBA program.) Trailing just behind ECU is NC State, which offers 44 online master's degrees and one Doctor of Education in Adult And Community College Education; master's degrees include an MBA, MEd specializations, Engineering, Environmental Science, Health, and more. North Carolina's extensive community college system — nearly 60 schools in total — are another excellent source of affordable online degrees, top providers including Fayetteville Technical Community College (17), Guilford Technical Community College (14), and Vance-Granville Community College (14).
Sixteen private schools offer online degrees. Campbell University's offerings are the largest, including four associate's, 11 bachelor's, and two master's tracks in areas like Business, IT, Education, and more. Mid-Atlantic Christian University, with 16 bachelor's degrees, and Gardner-Webb, with eight bachelor's and six master's, are the second- and third-largest private online educators, respectively. No doubt, Duke is the most prestigious of the schools on our list, and offers four Nursing specialization master's and a DNP. There are also several religious-affiliated schools: Heritage Bible College, Montreat College, Heritage Bible College, Apex School of Theology, Mount Olive College, and Grace College of Divinity, among others, offering degrees in Biblical Studies, Divinity, Bible and Religion, and non-religious areas, like Business, Criminal Justice, and Management.
Potential Resident
For a variety of reasons, a student may look to move to the state of their online college program whether specifically required by the program or not – be it for a job, location desirability, school benefits, etc. Different states have different policies, however, and some of them can be rather demanding. North Carolina's requirements are laid out in an extensive Residence Classification Manual, but UNC has a more succinct explanation located here. It is relatively straightforward: a person must have lived in the state and maintained a residence (i.e., have a mailing address) for at least 12 months, uninterrupted, prior to admission to a North Carolina public university. (Minors under 18 are assumed to be living at their parents' residence.) Active-duty personnel in the armed services, and their spouses, dependent children and dependent relatives may also be eligible for in-state tuition. For further FAQ, click here.
While higher education tuition is rising in North Carolina, it still remains substantially lower compared to the national average. For 2015-2016, the average in-state tuition for 4-year public schools in the US was $9,142; in North Carolina, it was $6,973. That's up 4% from the previous year, but public tuition across the country increased about 3% over the same time period. This low cost trend continues when we look at the state's flagship university — UNC Chapel Hill — which cost $8,591 in 2015 for in-state students, compared to a national flagship average of $10,622. (It's worth noting that Chapel Hill is annually ranked among the top 15 public universities in the country.) Altogether, especially when we factor in the variety of choices — from top pedigreed schools to the 50+ community colleges — North Carolina schools are among the best values in the United States, and in-state tuition projects below the national average for the foreseeable future.
Four schools offer online degrees in Charlotte, the largest city in the state: Central Carolina Community College, Montreat College, Queens University of Charlotte, and Johnson & Wales University. The latter two have the largest offerings. Queens University offers an MBA (with specialization options), an MA in Educational Leadership, MA in Communication, and MSN with a Clinical Nurse Leader Track. Johnson & Wales offers two MBAs, in Accounting and Hospitality, and four bachelor's of science in Baking & Pastry Arts And Food Service Management, Liberal Studies, and Culinary Arts & Food Service Management. Central Piedmont Community College offers a non-credit AA certificate in Humanities & Social Science, and Montreat (whose main campus is near Asheville) offers a Master of Science in Management and Leadership.
North Carolina State and William Peace University each offer online programs in Raleigh, North Carolina's capital and the Research Triangle's eastern edge. NC State is the second-largest online educator in the state, offering 44 master's degrees in a wide variety of fields, including an MBA, numerous MEd specializations (Curriculum And Instruction, Adult And Community College Education, Elementary Education, Instructional Technology, etc.), Engineering, IT, and more. NCSU also offers a Doctor of Education in Adult And Community College Education. William Peace, a private liberal arts school with an enrollment of just 1,000, offers bachelor's degrees in Business Administration, RN to BSN, Liberal Studies, and Psychology.
Greensboro's chief online educator is North Carolina A & T State University, a public HBCU with about 11,000 enrolled students. Five undergraduate degrees are available: two Bachelor's of Science in Business Education (Business Teacher Education and Information Technology), BS in Agricultural Education, BS in Environmental Safety & Health, and a unique BS in Geomatics. From there, NC A & T offers three master's degrees in Agricultural Education, Instructional Technology, and Information Technology, plus a PhD in Technology Management. Guilford Technical Community College, in nearby Jamestown, offers 14 associate-level degrees in a wide variety of professional areas, such as Business Administration, Healthcare Management Technology, Human Resources Management, Homeland Security, Simulation And Game Development, and Law Enforcement, among others.
Charlotte
Population: 809958 Cost of Living: 92.5% Top Industries: Finance, Food, Motor and Transportation Local Online Degrees: 3
Raleigh
Population: 451066 Cost of Living: 95.2% Top Industries: Finance, Food Processing, Tech Local Online Degrees: 2
Greensboro
Population: 277080 Cost of Living: 92.4% Top Industries: Manufacturing, Logistics Local Online Degrees: 1
Winston-Salem
Population: 241218 Cost of Living: 89.8% Top Industries: Healthcare, Manufacturing, Business Services Local Online Degrees: 2
Durham
Population: 251893 Cost of Living: 94.1% Top Industries: Education, Healthcare, Tech Local Online Degrees: 2
Fayetteville
Population: 200564 Cost of Living: 90.3% Top Industries: Defense, Retail Local Online Degrees: 3
Cary
Population: 135234 Cost of Living: 95.4% Top Industries: Analytics Local Online Degrees: 0
The Best Online Colleges in North Carolina
Monitoring the accreditation of a university you are interested in attending is incredibly important. Accreditation ensures your credits can transfer that you can receive Federal financial aid, and most importantly that certain standards of educational quality are during your schooling. The highest accreditation standard for most programs in the United States is provided by regional accreditation agencies. The regional accrediting agency for California is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional accrediting agencies responsible for accrediting schools in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, as well as schools for US students in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Making sure that a University you're hoping to attend is regionally accredited — or accredited by a real and respected accrediting agency — is one of the most important choices you can make in ensuring the quality of your education.
Three Steps for Securing Financial Aid
Submit your FAFSA.
Check to see if additional forms are needed at your university of choice.
Search and apply for private scholarships.
Through the previous three steps most students find themselves offered some sort of federal grant, work study, private grant, scholarship, or stipend.
Great North Carolina Higher Education Resources
The North Carolina State Board of Education is a good resource for state-commissioned reports, SBE news, and policy notes.
Be sure to visit the University of North Carolina System's site for information on the state's seventeen public universities.
For news, data and statistics, and general updates on NC public higher education, click here.
Students interested in community college opportunities should visit the the North Carolina Community College System.
The Southern Regional Education Board has helpful, in-depth reports on states throughout the South, including North Carolina.
Visit the College Foundation of North Carolina for important info on grants and scholarships, savings plans, and general financial 101.
The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority includes more financial aid help and reports as recent as 2015.
Students interested in private school aid should look at theNCICU.
The Foundation For The Carolinas provides an an excellent list of several scholarships available to North Carolina residents.
The North Carolina Community Foundation partners with 60 affiliates to administer nearly 150 scholarship funds for individuals, families, school systems, and organizations in 67 counties across the state.
Students applying to community colleges and continuing education programs should visit the SECU Foundation, which has assisted in-state residents achieve education goals since 2005.
Eleven schools, including many on the above list, participate in the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program, which provides competitive, merit-based scholarships for prospective state education administrators.
Western North Carolina residents should visit the CFNW, which was established in 1978 to create a pool of charitable capital for the region's 18 counties.
Greensboro residents click here for information on more than a dozen local scholarships.
Southeastern residents can check out the CCF, which manages 50 endowment funds.
The North Carolina American Indian Fund assists local American Indian students.
The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy's aims to improve higher education in the state through intellectual diversity, academic freedom, and cost-effective administration and governance. Visit their site for news, policy, and more.
Students interested in, or currently working in, a technical or trade field should visit the North Carolina Association for Career Technical Education (NCACTE).
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching is a useful resource to gauge current North Carolina teacher policy, practice, and standards.
