Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

15 Best Universities in North Carolina for Sports

We ranked the top 15 universities for Sports in North Carolina based on strict academic metrics. Our methodology evaluated 899.7K subject-specific papers and 35.33M citations to find the strongest faculties. This targeted approach bypasses general university reputation, directly revealing the strongest programs.

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1

Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

For Sports

#9 in United States #14 in North America

15% Acceptance

29,640 Enrollment

1460 Avg SAT

1789 Founded

2

Durham, NC

Duke University

For Sports

#38 in United States #49 in North America

6% Acceptance

29,640 Enrollment

1535 Avg SAT

1838 Founded

3

Winston-Salem

Wake Forest University

For Sports

#43 in United States #54 in North America

22% Acceptance

3,246 Enrollment

1465 Avg SAT

1834 Founded

4

Raleigh

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

For Sports

#94 in United States #111 in North America

42% Acceptance

28,422 Enrollment

1385 Avg SAT

1887 Founded

5

Greensboro

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

For Sports

#133 in United States #155 in North America

89% Acceptance

14,416 Enrollment

1253 Avg SAT

1891 Founded

6

Charlotte

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

For Sports

#172 in United States #200 in North America

80% Acceptance

4,202 Enrollment

1235 Avg SAT

1946 Founded

7

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University

For Sports

#92 in United States #109 in North America

89% Acceptance

29,640 Enrollment

1155 Avg SAT

1907 Founded

8

Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem State University

For Sports

#379 in United States #421 in North America

78% Acceptance

4,192 Enrollment

925 Avg SAT

1892 Founded

9

High Point

High Point University

For Sports

#261 in United States #296 in North America

75% Acceptance

5,135 Enrollment

1215 Avg SAT

1924 Founded

10

Buies Creek

Campbell University

For Sports

#353 in United States #393 in North America

87% Acceptance

5,382 Enrollment

1255 Avg SAT

1887 Founded

11

Elon

Elon University

For Sports

#250 in United States #285 in North America

66% Acceptance

6,452 Enrollment

1205 Avg SAT

1889 Founded

12

Cullowhee

Western Carolina University

For Sports

#460 in United States #506 in North America

82% Acceptance

12,230 Enrollment

1175 Avg SAT

1889 Founded

13

Greensboro

North Carolina A&T State University

For Sports

#548 in United States #598 in North America

50% Acceptance

3,242 Enrollment

1105 Avg SAT

1891 Founded

14

Wilmington, NC

University of North Carolina Wilmington

For Sports

#380 in United States #422 in North America

64% Acceptance

3,193 Enrollment

1285 Avg SAT

1947 Founded

15

Boone

Appalachian State University

For Sports

#139 in United States #163 in North America

90% Acceptance

7,895 Enrollment

1200 Avg SAT

1899 Founded