#320 in the world · QS 2027

North Carolina State University

North Carolina's largest university, a land-grant STEM powerhouse that admits students directly into their major.

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States Public land-grant research university Founded 1887 Official website

See my chances at NC State Admissions office

Acceptance rate: 40%; First-year class entering fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); deadlines for fall 2027
Students: 39,259; 29,340 undergraduates
International: 3%; of students
Student–faculty: 16:1; ratio
Tuition: $34,961; 2026-27

About NC State

NC State was founded in 1887 as North Carolina's land-grant college of agriculture and mechanic arts, and it is now the state's largest university, with 39,259 students in fall 2025, 29,340 of them undergraduates. It sits in Raleigh, part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, and is organised into ten colleges and a graduate school.

The university's centre of gravity is science, technology, engineering and math, but it is also a leader in agriculture, design, textiles, natural resources and veterinary medicine. Its Centennial Campus is a research park where companies, government labs and nonprofits work alongside students, and NC State launched the first master's program in analytics in the United States in 2007.

Admission is competitive and major-specific: NC State admits students directly into the program they apply to, and about 40% of first-year applicants were admitted for fall 2025. It suits students who already know roughly what they want to study, especially in engineering, the sciences or design, and who want a big ACC campus with strong value for in-state students.

Think and Do

University motto

Why students choose NC State

You are admitted directly into your major, and you can list a second-choice major in a different college as a backup.

The estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance for a North Carolina resident living on campus is $28,490 all-in, and U.S. News ranks NC State No. 22 for best value among public schools for in-state students.

Engineering is a flagship: U.S. News ranks the undergraduate program No. 32 (tie) nationally and biological and agricultural engineering No. 7.

Centennial Campus puts private, public and nonprofit research partners next to classrooms, and more than 3,000 employers recruited at NC State in 2024-25.

Admissions

First-year class entering fall 2025 (CDS 2025-26); deadlines for fall 2027

About 1 in 3 applicants is admitted

19,514 admitted from 49,351 applicants

SAT 1310–1440

1000120014001600

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

ACT 28–32

2024283236

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

Admission is by major, so competitiveness varies by program. For fall 2025, NC State admitted 46% of in-state applicants (11,159 of 24,140), 34% of out-of-state applicants (7,509 of 21,853) and 25% of international applicants (846 of 3,358). 10,710 applicants were offered a waitlist place and 476 were eventually admitted.

Testing Test-optional for applicants with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above (UNC System policy); SAT or ACT scores are required below 2.8. SAT, ACT and CLT are accepted, self-reported scores are fine for review, and NC State superscores.

Grades Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years was 3.82 (CDS C12); NC State's fast facts give 4.34 weighted and 3.83 unweighted for fall 2025. 40% ranked in the top tenth of their class (75% reporting rank). 11% of enrollees submitted SAT and 29% ACT scores.

Typical entry requirements

U.S. high school	UNC System minimum course requirements; the most competitive applicants to STEM and business majors have completed math through precalculus at minimum
English language	IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 80 Full admission: TOEFL iBT 80 with at least 18 in each section (tests before January 21, 2026) or 4.5 with at least 4 per section (from January 21, 2026); IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0; Duolingo 110; PTE 58. Lower scores (e.g. IELTS 5.0, TOEFL 42) can qualify for conditional admission through the Intensive English Program.

Deadlines

Early Action Non-binding Next deadline · In 26 days

November 1, 2026

Materials and residency confirmation due November 10. Decisions by the end of December for North Carolina residents and by January 31 for all others. Priority consideration for scholarships and financial aid. Also the deadline for University Honors and all studio-based design majors (portfolio due November 1).
Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 months

January 15, 2027

Materials due February 1; decisions by March 31.

Dates are from NC State's current dates and deadlines page for fall 2027 entry (the application opens August 1). International applicants follow the same deadlines but receive decisions on a rolling basis. Enrollment deposits are due May 1.

How to apply

Common App or Coalition by Scoir (no preference). Choose two majors (ideally in different colleges); write a personal essay of up to 650 words plus a required short answer on why you chose your majors at NC State; send an official transcript; pay the $85 fee ($100 for international applicants). Recommendations are optional. Studio-based design majors and music technology require a portfolio.

What admissions looks for

Strong grades in challenging courses from ninth grade onward; the Common Data Set rates rigor of the high school record and GPA as very important, and class rank as important.
Preparation for your chosen major, such as math through precalculus for STEM and business, and coursework, activities or projects that show interest in the field.
Involvement that matters to you, in or out of school, including jobs and family responsibilities, judged in the context of the opportunities available to you.
A personal essay that is focused and reflective, and a short answer that explains why you chose each of your two majors.

Tips for applying to NC State

1 Pick your two majors strategically: you are reviewed for your first choice and, if not competitive, for your second, so choose programs in two different colleges.
2 Apply Early Action by November 1 and confirm North Carolina residency through the Residency Determination Service by November 10 to get a decision by the end of December.
3 If your weighted GPA is 2.8 or above, submit scores only if they help; NC State only considers them if they make you more competitive.
4 Design, architecture and fashion applicants have a single November 1 deadline and must upload a portfolio in the wolfPAW portal, so submit the application by mid-October.
5 Some applicants receive a deferral to March so they can send improved fall grades, so keep your senior-year grades strong.

What are your chances?

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in USD

North Carolina residents, tuition and fees Tuition $9,247

+ on-campus housing ($8,738) and food ($6,684) $15,422 ≈ $24,669 per year

Out-of-state and international students, tuition and fees; international students also need health insurance ($2,568 for spring 2027 starters, $2,703 for fall 2027 starters, when tuition and fees are estimated at $37,510) Tuition $34,961

+ on-campus housing ($8,738) and food ($6,684) $15,422 ≈ $50,383 per year

Tuition On-campus housing ($8,738) and food ($6,684)

Official cost of attendance $28,490

Financial aid

NC State uses the FAFSA (priority date March 1) and met on average 75% of need for undergraduates who received need-based aid in 2025-26. Early Action applicants get priority for scholarships, and merit awards include the four-year Park Scholarships. International students are not eligible for need-based aid, but a limited number of competitive merit scholarships are available through PACKASSIST after admission.

$28,490 (North Carolina resident); $54,779 (out-of-state)
Estimated cost of attendance, on campus, 2026-27: 75%
Average need met, students awarded need-based aid (2025-26): $17,471
Average financial aid package, full-time undergraduates (2025-26): 169 students, average $21,931
International undergraduates awarded institutional aid

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Ranked No. 7 among undergraduate engineering specialties in U.S. News Best Colleges 2027.

Chemical Engineering

Ranked No. 17 (tie) in U.S. News undergraduate engineering rankings (2027).

Nuclear Engineering

Backed by the PULSTAR reactor, a 1 MW pool-type nuclear research reactor on campus.

Fashion and Textile Design (Wilson College of Textiles)

Taught in NC State's dedicated Wilson College of Textiles; a portfolio major with a single November 1 deadline.

Architecture and Industrial Design (College of Design)

Studio-based majors admitted by portfolio, for fall entry only.

Research

Centennial Campus is a public-private research park where companies, government agencies and nonprofits are based alongside students and faculty.
NC State's Institute for Advanced Analytics launched the first master's program in analytics in the United States in 2007.
NC State has been awarded nearly 2,000 patents worldwide and generated more than 250 startups and spinoffs from its research.

Schools & faculties

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Design
College of Education
College of Engineering
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
College of Natural Resources
College of Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Poole College of Management
Wilson College of Textiles
The Graduate School

Graduation rate

86%

First-year students who return

94%

College Scorecard reports median earnings of $68,758 ten years after entry for students who received federal aid. More than 3,000 employers took part in NC State recruiting events in 2024-25.

Student life

First-year students are required to live in University Housing, which runs more than 3,000 programs and events in its residence halls each year. Main Campus is known for red-brick buildings and the Brickyard plaza, and the Memorial Belltower, built in 1937 to honour alumni killed in World War I, is lit red after athletic victories and major academic achievements. The Free Expression Tunnel is a sanctioned graffiti space anyone can paint. The Wolfpack are founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Memorial Belltower is lit red after Wolfpack wins and major academic achievements.
The Free Expression Tunnel is open for anyone to paint messages and art.
Wolfpack athletics compete in NCAA Division I as founding members of the ACC.
University Honors and the Park Scholarships (a four-year scholarship for leadership, service and character) give smaller communities within a big campus.

Housing. Students must live in University Housing during their first year, with a full academic-year housing agreement.

Location

Raleigh is North Carolina's capital and one corner of the Research Triangle, with Durham and Chapel Hill nearby and a dense cluster of technology, life-science and research employers. NC State's red-brick Main Campus is in the city, and the university has expanded south onto Centennial Campus. The Wolfline bus connects the campuses.

Nearest airport: Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)

Notable alumni

CK
Christina Koch

NASA astronaut on Artemis II; earned bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and physics and an MS at NC State
JW
Jeff Williams

Former chief operating officer of Apple
JG
James Goodnight

Co-founder, president and CEO of SAS Institute
JB
James B. Hunt Jr.

Four-term governor of North Carolina
HS
Hugh Shelton

Retired four-star general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
RK
Rajendra Kumar Pachauri

Chair of the IPCC when it shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
PR
Philip Rivers

NFL quarterback
ZG
Zach Galifianakis

Actor and comedian (attended NC State)

Frequently asked questions

What is NC State's acceptance rate?

For fall 2025, NC State admitted 19,514 of 49,351 first-year applicants, about 39.5%. In-state applicants were admitted at a higher rate (about 46%) than out-of-state (34%) or international (25%) applicants.

Is NC State test-optional?

Yes, for applicants with a weighted GPA of 2.8 or above; below that, SAT or ACT scores are required. Among fall 2025 enrollees who submitted, the middle 50% was 1310-1440 on the SAT and 28-32 on the ACT.

When is the NC State application deadline for fall 2027?

Early Action is November 1, 2026 (with decisions by late December for North Carolina residents and by January 31 for others), and Regular Decision is January 15, 2027, with decisions by March 31.

How much does NC State cost?

The estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance for living on campus is $28,490 for North Carolina residents and $54,779 for out-of-state students, including tuition and fees of $9,247 and $34,961.

Does NC State require letters of recommendation?

No. Recommendations are optional for most programs (they are only required for the Agricultural Institute); NC State says it gets the best insight from applicants' own essays and short answers.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.