Federal data
Private nonprofit four-year colleges in North Carolina by graduates' median earnings 4 years after
North Carolina private nonprofit four-year colleges, ranked by median earnings four years after completion, from College Scorecard (September 18, 2026). At least 5 colleges must report this figure for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 4 years after | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University | Durham | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $115,722 | 7,136 |
| 2 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $92,943 | 2,761 |
| 3 | Elon University | Elon | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $77,800 | 1,782 |
| 4 | Watts College of Nursing | Durham | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $77,794 | 71 |
| 5 | Davidson College | Davidson | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $72,718 | 504 |
| 6 | Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $70,176 | 580 |
| 7 | Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | Wake Forest | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $69,450 | 537 |
| 8 | High Point University | High Point | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $65,028 | 1,520 |
| 9 | Campbell University | Buies Creek | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $63,540 | 1,526 |
| 10 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $62,531 | 229 |
| 11 | Gardner-Webb University | Boiling Springs | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $60,516 | 959 |
| 12 | Methodist University | Fayetteville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $60,011 | 372 |
| 13 | Wingate University | Wingate | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $58,916 | 812 |
| 14 | Lenoir-Rhyne University | Hickory | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,711 | 625 |
| 15 | Pfeiffer University | Misenheimer | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,619 | 302 |
| 16 | University of Mount Olive | Mount Olive | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,606 | 555 |
| 17 | Belmont Abbey College | Belmont | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $57,346 | 308 |
| 18 | Meredith College | Raleigh | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $54,650 | 507 |
| 19 | Johnson & Wales University | Charlotte | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $54,530 | 293 |
| 20 | Carolina University | Winston-Salem | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $52,812 | 226 |
| 21 | Greensboro College | Greensboro | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,898 | 149 |
| 22 | Barton College | Wilson | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,766 | 293 |
| 23 | William Peace University | Raleigh | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,163 | 170 |
| 24 | Lees-McRae College | Banner Elk | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $50,979 | 204 |
| 25 | Guilford College | Greensboro | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $50,433 | 220 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard, institution-wide rather than by one program.
How to read this. This is a whole-college figure across every program, not one program's graduates -- a college with mostly graduate or professional programs will show higher earnings than one that is mostly certificates. Completions shown alongside it are the latest IPEDS total on file.