North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University is the largest public university in the state — a land-grant research flagship in Raleigh anchoring the Research Triangle — enrolling roughly 29,300 undergraduates. Admission is selective: about 40% of more than 49,000 applicants are admitted, and enrolled first-years post an average high school GPA near 3.84 with middle-50% SAT scores of 1310–1440. Engineering is by far the most popular field at roughly a quarter of bachelor's degrees, followed by business and the life sciences, and NC State's strength in STEM, agriculture, and design pairs with low in-state tuition to make it one of the best public values in the Southeast.
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NC State admissions statistics
Acceptance Rate
Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.
Admit rate by residency
% admittedEarly Action
NC State offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.
Standardized Tests
NC State is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Class Rank
Where NC State's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 75% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. NC State does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions Factors
How NC State weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of Attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from NC State's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.
Out-of-state students pay $24,965 more — entirely in tuition. Room, board, and other costs are identical regardless of residency.
Financial Aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Major Distribution
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student Diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus Life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by Gender
Since some students did not report gender, totals may not fully reflect the student body.
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Frequently asked questions about NC State admissions
Is it hard to get into NC State?＋
NC State is selective but not among the most competitive flagships, admitting about 39.5% of applicants in the most recent cycle from a pool of roughly 49,000. Admission is more competitive for high-demand programs such as engineering and computer science, and for out-of-state applicants, than the overall rate suggests.
What GPA do you need to get into NC State?＋
Enrolled first-year students at NC State report an average high school GPA of about 3.84. There is no hard cutoff, but academic GPA and the rigor of your course load are the only two factors NC State rates as very important, and among students who reported a class rank, 41% were in the top tenth and 78% in the top quarter of their graduating class.
Is NC State test-optional, and do I need to submit SAT or ACT scores?＋
NC State is test-optional, so you can apply without submitting SAT or ACT scores, and standardized tests are only a considered factor in the review. For students who do submit, the middle 50% of enrolled first-years scored between 1310 and 1440 on the SAT and 25 to 32 on the ACT.
Is a 1400 SAT good enough for NC State?＋
Yes, a 1400 is a competitive SAT score for NC State, sitting just above the median of enrolled students, whose middle 50% scored 1310 to 1440 (25 to 32 on the ACT). About 44% of enrolled first-years scored 1400 or higher, so a 1400 lands comfortably in the upper half of the class.
What are my chances of getting into NC State from out of state?＋
Out-of-state applicants face meaningfully longer odds than North Carolina residents. In the most recent residency breakdown, NC State admitted about 48.9% of in-state applicants (10,570 of 21,636) versus 35.7% of out-of-state applicants (6,963 of 19,487) and 22.9% of international applicants (668 of 2,920). As a UNC-system public university, NC State caps non-resident enrollment — only about 12% of first-year students come from outside North Carolina — so the in-state advantage is real and significant.
How much does NC State cost in-state vs. out-of-state?＋
Annual tuition and required fees run about $9,028 for North Carolina residents and $33,993 for out-of-state students. About 39% of first-years receive need-based scholarship or grant aid, the average aid package is near $17,364, and NC State meets roughly 75% of demonstrated need on average.
What are the most popular majors at NC State?＋
Engineering is the largest field at about 24% of bachelor's degrees, followed by business and marketing at roughly 17% and the biological and life sciences at about 10%. As a land-grant university, NC State also has strong programs in agriculture and the natural resources, which account for about 11% of degrees.
Does the application essay matter at NC State?＋
It helps, but it is not decisive on its own. NC State rates the application essay as a considered factor in its holistic review, below the rigor of your record and your GPA, which are the only two very important factors. Because admission turns heavily on grades and course rigor, a focused, well-revised essay is a chance to add context that your transcript alone can't show.
Source: North Carolina State University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with NC State. Banner photo by Dennis Ludlow, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).