Here’s what NC public universities cost after first tuition hike in 9 years
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Board authorized up to 3% increases for in-state undergrads beginning fall 2026.
- Average tuition and fees rise $125 for incoming in-state freshmen; system expects $50M.
- Hikes apply only to incoming cohorts; current students keep existing rates.
Next semester, incoming students at UNC System schools will see higher prices for tuition for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Board of Governors allowed schools to increase tuition by up to 3% for in-state undergraduates. The school with the largest cost increase for incoming freshmen is UNC-Chapel Hill, at $264 including fees.
The hikes won’t apply to current students — only to incoming classes in fall 2026 and in the future.
As the UNC Board of Governors approved universities’ new tuition rates at a meeting Thursday, board member Art Pope spoke out against the hikes, citing the rising cost of living and a proud legacy of keeping costs low for North Carolinians.
“It’s not necessary, and it’s not good policy,” Pope said.
His colleague Harry Brown responded to Pope’s concerns, saying the financial strain of flat tuition has grown too burdensome on campus budgets.
“I think we’ve asked a lot of these campuses for quite a while,” Brown said. “I would argue that most campuses didn’t think they could find the cuts they found, but they were willing to look, and they’ve done a good job making those cuts. ... They’ve done a lot, and maybe we need to give them a little relief at this point.”
Here are the new tuition rates for each institution in the UNC System.
- Appalachian State University will raise tuition 2.5% for in-state students and 3% for out-of-state students. The school will now cost $4,348 for in-state undergraduates. For out-of-state undergrads, that cost will be $23,208. For in-state graduate students, tuition will come to $5,525. For out-of-state graduate students, the cost is $23,238.
- East Carolina University is raising undergraduate tuition by 3% for in-state and out-of-state students. That brings in-state tuition to $4,585 and out-of-state tuition to $21,351. Costs aren’t increasing for graduate students.
- Elizabeth City State University isn’t raising tuition for in-state undergrads. Out-of-state undergrads will now pay $7,000. Costs aren’t increasing for resident or non-resident graduate students.
- Fayetteville State University isn’t raising tuition for in-state undergrads, holding it at $1,000. For out-of-state undergrads, tuition comes to $7,000. Costs for in-state graduate students are rising 7.3%, coming to $3,688. For nonresident graduate students, the cost is $15,403, a 6.2% increase.
- NC A&T State University will raise tuition by 3% across the board. That means $3,646 for resident undergraduates. For out-of-state undergrads, the cost is now $18,128. For in-state graduate students, costs come to $5,454. Out-of-state graduate tuition is also rising to $18,638.
- N.C. Central University is increasing costs by 3% across the board. The school will now cost $3,840 for in-state undergrads. For out-of-state undergrads, that cost will be $17,267. Costs come to $4,882 for in-state graduate students, and $18,589 for out-of-state graduate students.
- At NC State University, costs are increasing by 3% across the board. For in-state undergrads, tuition comes to $6,731. For out-of-state undergrads, NC State will cost $32,445. Costs will come to $10,537 for in-state graduate students. Nonresident grad students will see tuition rise to $32,474.
- UNC Asheville now costs $4,184 for in-state undergrads, a 1.5% increase. Costs won’t rise for nonresident undergrads and graduate students, both in-state and out-of-state.
- UNC-Chapel Hill will now cost $7,230 for in-state undergrads, a 3% increase. For out-of-state undergrads, costs will increase by 10%, coming to $47,472. Chancellor Lee Roberts has said the school would need to do that three times over to keep up with the price of peer institutions. Costs won’t rise for graduate students, both in-state and out-of-state.
- UNC Charlotte will raise in-state undergrad costs by 3% and all others by 10%. Resident undergrad tuition will now cost $3,926.. For out-of-state undergrads, costs come to $22,018. For resident graduate students, the cost will come to $5,324. For non-resident graduate students, the number is $22,688.
- UNC Greensboro will raise costs by 3% across the board. The school will now cost $4,555 for in-state undergrads, and for out-of-state undergrads, $22,038 For graduate students, resident tuition comes to $5,536; for non-residents, it will cost $21,313.
- UNC Pembroke won’t increase tuition for in-state undergrads, but for nonresidents, tuition will increase to $7,000. Costs won’t rise for graduate students, both in-state and out-of-state.
- UNC Wilmington will raise tuition by 3% across the board. The school will now cost $4,576 for in-state undergrads. For out-of-state undergrads, costs come to $23,275. For in-state grad students, that comes to $5,763; for out-of-state grad students, $23,325.
- UNC School of the Arts will charge in-state undergrads $6,691, a 3% increase. For out-of-state undergrads, the cost will be $24,831. For in-state graduate students, costs come to $10,296. For out-of-state graduate students, costs will rise to $24,999.
- Western Carolina University won’t raise tuition on in-state undergrads. For nonresident undergrads, costs come to $7,000. Costs won’t rise for graduate students, both in-state and out-of-state.
- Winston-Salem State University isn’t increasing costs for in-state undergrads. For out-of-state undergrads, the school will now cost $14,338, a 2% increase. For in-state graduate students, costs will come to $3,949, a 2% increase. For out-of-state graduate students, costs will also increase 2% to $14,695.
The nine-year hold on tuition increases had a positive effect on UNC System graduates’ financial standing, the system reports. Less than half of graduates had student loan debt in 2025, down from 62% in 2017. The amount of those loans, too, has decreased, by 35% between 2018 and 2025.
“Everybody understands the rising costs that we’ve all experienced, even in our households,” board chair Wendy Murphy told reporters after the board meeting. “But the board has done a lot of work with President [Peter] Hans on cutting administrative jobs, and we looked at the way they’re doing things on campuses, and we’ve created best practices and efficiencies, and we’ll continue to do that. But we’ve got to maintain what everyone expects from the university system.”
The system projects the increased costs will amount to $50 million in increased revenue.
This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Here’s what NC public universities cost after first tuition hike in 9 years."
