Acceptance Rate
42%
Avg. SAT
1470
75th percentile
“Join the rowdy Wolfpack for hands-on engineering and ag innovation smack in the Research Triangle's tech boom.”
Raleigh, NC
Location
Large City
Campus Setting
You'll step into NC State's legacy as a gritty 1887 land-grant powerhouse, born to equip North Carolina's post-Civil War farmers and mechanics with practical know-how amid tobacco fields—now a sprawling 2,100-acre campus hub for tomorrow's builders. Ambitious tinkerers and team players flourish here, channeling red-hot Pack pride into group projects and tailgates, but introverts or hand-holding seekers might feel lost in the 29,000-strong undergrad swarm. The school's no-nonsense vibe prizes real-world grit over ivory-tower polish, trading intimate seminars for massive labs where you weld your own prototypes. Raleigh pulses around you as a fast-growing Southern tech magnet in the Research Triangle, blending barbecue joints and breweries with biotech giants, though you'll dodge urban traffic and humid summers that stick like kudzu.
Photo Gallery
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Available Online
Degree Levels Offered
You'll tackle engineering in the nation's largest program by enrollment, diving into textiles (the oldest U.S. department of its kind, where you design smart fabrics) or vet med (top five nationally, complete with a massive teaching hospital for hands-on animal surgeries). Classrooms mix 300-seat lectures on thermodynamics with small labs where professors demo drone swarms, backed by a solid 15:1 ratio that feels more intimate than at most giant publics—but expect TAs in big intro courses and fierce competition for research spots in nuclear engineering or plant sciences. The intellectual hum thrives on RTP collaborations, letting undergrads intern at SAS or IBM labs early, though humanities feel like an afterthought next to STEM dominance.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
28,422 undergrad • 10,042 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
61%
Black / African American
6%
Hispanic / Latino
8%
Asian
8%
Other / Multi-racial
17%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Raleigh, NC
Varsity Athletics
Expect a high-energy week of 8 a.m. pack walks to class, afternoon intramurals on the quad, and Friday night bar hops in vibrant Glenwood South, fueled by 700 clubs from robotics to wolf howling societies. Wolfpack mania erupts at PNC Arena for hoops (rival UNC games turn campus feral) or football tailgates where you grill amid RVs, but the social scene skews party-hard Greek life and bro-heavy athletics, leaving quieter souls to carve niches in honors dorms. Residential life clusters you in 'learning villages' by major—textiles kids bunk near looms—across 20 halls, fostering bonds but demanding you navigate sticky heat waves and roommate roulette. Traditions like ringing the Memorial Belltower after Pack wins knit the chaos together.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
NCAA
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
Yes
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Credit for military training
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Recognized student veteran organization
Yes
Member of DoD Voluntary Educational Partnership MOU
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
94%
4 Years Graduation Rate
68%
6 Years Graduation Rate
85%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$68,758
94% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at North Carolina State University at Raleigh and return in the fall. 68% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 85% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
68%
4-5 years
17%
6-8 years
1%
Non-grad
14%
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Key Statistics
Type
Public
Tuition
$6,535
Acceptance
42%
Undergrads
28,422
4-Year Grad Rate
68%
Endowment
$2.0B
Raleigh, NC 27695-7001