North Carolina Central University Online
North Carolina Central University, or NCCU, is a Historically Black College and University that is part of the University of North Carolina system, including North Carolina Central University online. Located in Durham, NC, in the eastern part of the Piedmont region, NCCU is near the Research Triangle Park (RTP) which includes Duke University, NC State University, and the University of NC at Chapel Hill. RTP is one of the largest high tech research and development parks in the world.
The City of Durham is known as the “City of Medicine” and acts as a global center for information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. Musical organizations, museums, theaters, and numerous other cultural and educational opportunities and hotspots surround the college and its neighborhood.
North Carolina Central University History and Mission
Founded in 1909 as the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua, NCCU’s predecessor became the first public liberal arts institution for African Americans in the nation. The school’s founder, Dr. James E. Shepard, was a Durham, NC pharmacist and religious educator. He declared the school’s purpose to be “the development in young men and women of the character and sound academic training requisite for real service to the nation.” The school evolved through several iterations until it settled in as North Carolina Central University in 1969.i
NCCU embraces a strong tradition of teaching, research, and service and “prepares students to become global leaders and practitioners who transform communities. Through a nationally recognized law school; highly acclaimed and innovative programs in the visual and performing arts, sciences, business, humanities; and education programs, NCCU students are engaged problem solvers.” Their students, “enhance the quality of life of citizens and the economic development of North Carolina, the nation, and the world.”i
North Carolina Central University Points of Pridei
- NCCU’s art museum houses one of North Carolina’s leading collections of art by African-American artists and by artists dealing with the Black experience.
- The school was the first of the UNC system to offer a bachelors degree in Jazz Studies.
- NCCU requires all students to volunteer in the community as part of their education.
- NCCU has an LGBTA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally) Center.
- The University has two state-of-the-art research facilities that collaborate with pharmacy and biotech companies in the nearby Research Triangle Park. NCCU online courses.
North Carolina Central University Requirements and Application Process
The NCCU application process is as follows:
For First-Year Undergraduate Students
Applicants to undergraduate programs at UNNC must submit the following:
- An online application
- Evidence of graduation from an approved or accredited high school, a GED certificate, or adult high school diploma
- Standardized test scores for the ACT and SAT
- Evidence of participation in scholastic, community, and civic organizations including leadership participation
International and transfer students may need to meet additional requirements. The application fee for undergraduate students is $40.
For Graduate Students
Applicants to graduate programs at NCCU must submit the following:
- An online application
- Evidence of having earned a bachelors degree from an accredited university
- Official copies of transcripts from all schools previously attended
- Official test scores from GREs or other graduate-level exams when appropriate
- Supporting documents, which vary by program (some examples of possible supporting documents include a writing sample, a statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation)
The application fee for most graduate programs is $50.
International students may have to submit additional paperwork and meet other requirements.
Otherwise, NCCU requirements vary by undergraduate, graduate, and law programs. For undergraduate programs, NCCU GPA requirements are 2.75 to 3.0 in most cases. For graduate programs, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on at least 60 percent of their undergraduate coursework.
North Carolina Central University Tuition and Financial Aid
In the 2016-2017 school year, undergraduate tuition at NCCU cost an estimated $6,132 per year for in-state students. Out-of-state students paid an estimated $18,590 that same year. Books and supplies cost students an estimated $1,500 more per year regardless of their residential status.ii
That same school year, graduate tuition at NCCU cost an estimated $4,647 for in-state students. Out-of-state graduate students paid an estimated $17,347. Both sets of students paid an additional estimated $2,477 per year in fees.ii
During the 2015-2016 school year, 97 percent of beginning undergraduate students at NCCU, or 1,063 students, received financial aid by way of scholarships, grants, and loans. Of those students, 87 percent, or 963 students, received grant or scholarship aid. Sixty-nine percent of NCCU’s beginning undergraduate students, or 756 students, received state or local government grants or scholarships, and 82 percent, or 907 students, received institutional grants or scholarships. Eighty-five percent of beginning undergraduate students, or 937 students, received federal student loans. Of all undergraduate students, 79 percent, or 4,877, received grant or scholarship aid. Approximately 79 percent of all undergraduate students, or 4,895 students, received federal student loans.ii
North Carolina Central University Online Admissions and Enrollment
NCCU admissions had 8,613 applicants in fall 2016. Sixty-seven percent of those applicants were admitted, and 20 percent of those admitted enrolled. In 2016, new enrollments brought NCCU’s total enrollment to 8,094 students. Of those students, 6,283 were undergraduate students and 1,811 were graduate students.ii The NCCU acceptance rate is 67 percent, which U.S. News labels as “less selective.”iii
Of undergraduate students, 85 percent attended school full time and 15 percent attended part time. At 66 percent, the majority of undergraduate students were female. Seventy-nine percent of enrolled undergraduate students were Black or African American. The majority of enrolled undergraduate students, 79 percent, were aged 24 or younger.ii
Of the graduate students at NCCU in fall 2016, 72 percent attended class full time, and 28 percent attended part-time.ii
Eight percent of NCCU online students took NCCU online courses entirely online. Twenty-nine percent of all NCCU students enrolled in some distance education, some North Carolina Central University online classes and and 63 percent attended classes entirely on campus.ii
North Carolina Central University Majors
During the 2015-2016 school year, the majority of undergraduate students earned degrees in:ii
- Biology
- Biomedical sciences
- Business administration and management
- Mass communications and media studies
- Family and consumer sciences
- Public health education
- Registered nursing
- Criminal justice and safety studies
- Parks, recreation, and leisure facilities management
- Psychology
- Social work
- Political science
Based on the masters and doctorate degrees conferred in 2015-2016, some of the more popular NCCU graduate programs were in:ii
- Library and information science
- Social work
- Public administration
- Family and consumer sciences
- Information sciences
- Business administration and management
- Law (the only doctorate-granting program that year)
Commonly pursued schools within the university were: the North Carolina Central University School of Business, the North Carolina Central University Law School, and the NCCU School of Education.
Faculty at North Carolina Central University
In fall 2016, NCCU had 388 full time faculty members and 188 part-time faculty members. Those faculty members utilized the labor of 136 graduate students, most of whom helped conduct research.ii The student-to-faculty ratio at NCCU was 16:1 in 2016. The majority of classes, 59.1 percent, had 20-49 students. 37.2 percent of classes had fewer than 20 students.iv
North Carolina Central University Rankings
U.S. News ranks NCCU #13 (tie) in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, #31 in Top Public Schools, and #80 in Regional Universities South.v Two NCCU graduate programs, one in Library and Information Studies and one in Social Work, ranked #37 and #220 respectively.vi U.S. News ranked NCCU’s online programs as #56 (tie) in Best Online Graduate Education Programs and #226 (tie) in Best Online Bachelors Programs.vii
North Carolina Central University Accreditation
North Carolina Central University has regional institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges. In addition, many of NCCU’s programs have programmatic accreditation.ii
i www.nccu.edu/discover/index.cfm | ii nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=199157 | iii usnews.com/best-colleges/north-carolina-central-2950/applying | iv usnews.com/best-colleges/north-carolina-central-2950/academics | v usnews.com/best-colleges/north-carolina-central-2950/overall-rankings | vi usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/north-carolina-central-university-199157/overall-rankings | vii usnews.com/education/online-education/north-carolina-central-university-199157
