Many students dream of earning a bachelor's degree, but the high cost of college can make this seem impossible. With some planning, research, and sacrifice you can reduce your total cost of a degree in North Carolina. These opportunities start in High School.
1. Get a Head Start for Free
Entering college with course credits will reduce the overall number of courses you need to pay to earn a degree. North Carolina offers multiple options for high school students to earn free college credits prior to graduation.
- Dual Enroll. Career and College Promise (CCP) is North Carolina’s dual enrollment program. CCP enables students to take classes at North Carolina community colleges and universities while in high school. This program allows students to earn college credit while meeting high school graduation requirements.
- Attend an Early College. Cooperative Innovative High Schools (CIHS), commonly known as early colleges, are public high schools, normally located on a university or community college campus, where students can attend college classes for free.
- Take AP or IB Classes. Taking Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Classes and scoring highly on the exams can give college credit.
2. Consider Schools with Lower Tuition Costs
- Take credits at Community College first. Students can attend a community college and earn an associate’s degree, half of the way to a bachelor’s degree, prior to transferring to a four-year school. Even if you only take a semester before transferring to a 4-year school, you can save considerably. The average cost per credit hour at a NC community college is $76 per credit hour, which is 75% less than the average cost at NC 4-year institutions. It can sometimes be significantly easier getting into even the most competitive colleges as a transfer student. For example, UNC-Chapel Hill accepted 53% of its NC community college transfer applicants vs only 38% of its in-state high school applicants in the fall of 2023.
- Attend a more affordable college for all or part of your degree. NC Promise offers a significant cost savings for attending four UNC System schools: Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Western Carolina University. Tuition at each school is limited to $500 per semester for NC residents.
3. Save on Room and Board in College
Students that choose to live on campus or in off-campus housing can expect to pay more than $8,000 per year for on-campus housing and food. A full-time student who chooses a school close to home and lives with their family could see significant savings over a student who lives on campus.
4. Claim the Financial Aid You Deserve
The first step in determining what financial aid may be available to help you with college costs is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. This form is required by schools and many grant programs to determine your eligibility for aid programs. Additionally, the CFNC Grants and Scholarship Search allows you to search over 100 opportunities for which you may qualify.