colleges and universities

education. research. impact.

Students in North Carolina have a variety of higher education options to strongly prepare them for a future of success.

With 16 four-year public colleges and universities and 36 independent colleges and universities in North Carolina, students can choose the right college and career path to lead them to the workforce.

The University of North Carolina System is a public institution dedicated to serving the people of North Carolina through world-class teaching, research, and community engagement. The UNC System is focused on six priorities:

• Access
• Student Success
• Economic Impact
• Affordability and Efficiency
• Excellent and Diverse Institutions
• Community Engagement

The Carolinas Gateway Partnership collaborates with North Carolina State University and East Carolina University as the region moves workforce training and development forward.

North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) serves as the statewide voice of private, nonprofit higher education.  NCICU’s 36 colleges and universities reflect the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the U.S.  Institutions include major research universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, colleges for women, Minority-Serving Institutions, traditional liberal arts and science institutions, a work college, a two-year college, and professional schools of law, medicine, engineering, and business, among others.  These institutions are accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), or Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. 

The Carolinas Gateway Partnership collaborates with North Carolina Wesleyan University, which is located in Rocky Mount, not far from the Partnership’s offices.