2027 at a glanceNorth Carolina Degree Completion Programs at a Glance
- The #1 school for degree completion in North Carolina in 2027 is University of North Carolina at Charlotte, because 64% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 6 other colleges on this list) and its rate is $159 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 7 other colleges on this list).
- #2 is Western Carolina University: 69% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 7 other colleges on this list).
- #3 is Appalachian State University: 74% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (the highest on this list).
The ranking
Degree Completion Programs in North Carolina, Ranked
#1Charlotte, North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte
BSBA in Business Administration
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #1: 64% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 6 other colleges on this list) and its rate is $159 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 7 other colleges on this list).
Charlotte lets you earn the BSBA in business administration fully online, with spring, summer and fall admission. Transfer applicants need a 2.7 GPA, and declaring the major takes 60 credit hours plus the progression courses. Applicants who meet the business transfer requirements can finish the remaining progression courses as Pre-Business students.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 5%
- Where You Start
- Business transfer applicants need a 2.7 overall GPA and C or better in completed progression courses. Declaring the major requires at least 60 credit hours and the required progression courses.
- Transfer Credits
- Use Charlotte's Transfer Credit Advisor to check previously evaluated course equivalents.
- Degree Requirements
- 120 earned credit hours to graduate, including a 45-credit-hour major.
- Study Schedule
- Fully online, with spring, summer and fall admission.
#2Cullowhee, North CarolinaWestern Carolina University
BS in Emergency and Disaster Management
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #2: 69% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 7 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $42 per credit for North Carolina residents (the lowest on this list).
Western Carolina sets in-state undergraduate tuition at $500 a semester under NC Promise, and students in online programs get that rate. Part-time distance students pay $41.67 per credit hour in 2026-27. The online emergency and disaster management degree takes an associate degree or equivalent coursework for entry and finishes with a community capstone project.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 22%
- Where You Start
- Online program admission requires an associate degree from an accredited institution, or equivalents of WCU English 101, English 202 and five additional liberal studies requirements. The program reviews these prerequisites after the university's initial admission decision.
- Transfer Credits
- Official transcripts are required before previous coursework can be evaluated for transfer credit.
- Published Tuition
- $67.71 per credit hour for North Carolina residents and $317.70 for nonresidents, including required fees (distance learning undergraduate, 2026-27)
- Study Schedule
- The degree offers an online route with full-time and part-time study and a designated distance education advisor.
#3Boone, North CarolinaAppalachian State University
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #3: 74% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (the highest on this list) and its online rate is $181 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 6 other colleges on this list).
Appalachian State runs its online Organizational Leadership and Learning degree in eight-week courses built around projects. Transfer applicants need 24 semester credits and a 2.25 cumulative GPA. The degree totals 120 credits. Appalachian is also on the list of UNC schools in the ReUp re-enrollment partnership.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 8%
- Transfer Credits
- At least 25% of the degree must be completed at App State, which leaves up to 90 of 120 credits that can transfer
- Published Tuition
- $181.17 per credit hour for North Carolina residents and $967.00 for nonresidents, before fees (App State Online, 2026-27)
#4Greenville, North CarolinaEast Carolina University
Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #4: Its online rate is $191 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 2 other colleges on this list) and 61% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 5 other colleges on this list).
East Carolina built its online Liberal Studies concentration as a degree-completion path for adults who already have college work. You can add a minor in criminal justice, human development and family science, security studies or sociology. ECU also takes part in the UNC System partnership that helps former students come back and graduate.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 23%
- Published Tuition
- $191.04 per credit hour for North Carolina residents and $889.63 for nonresidents (distance education undergraduate, Fall 2026)
#5Wilmington, North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington
Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #5: 74% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 8 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $191 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 3 other colleges on this list).
UNC Wilmington packs its online Interdisciplinary Studies BA into seven-week courses and ends with a capstone project. Applicants need 24 transferable credits and a 2.4 GPA. You pick between Enterprise and Economy or Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities. UNCW also takes part in the UNC System partnership that helps former students return.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 11%
- Transfer Credits
- At least 30 of the 120 credits must be earned at UNCW, which leaves up to 90 credits that can transfer
- Published Tuition
- $190.67 per credit hour for North Carolina residents and $969.80 for nonresidents, before fees (Online Accelerated Programs undergraduate, 2026-27)
#6Greensboro, North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #6: Its rate is $184 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 5 other colleges on this list) and 59% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 4 other colleges on this list).
UNC Greensboro offers its online Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies BA through humanities, professional studies, religion, social sciences and general psychology concentrations. You start by requesting a transfer review with official transcripts from every earlier college. Greensboro is one of the ten UNC System universities working with ReUp to bring back students who stopped out.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 21%
- Where You Start
- Request a transfer review using official transcripts from your previous colleges.
- Transfer Credits
- At least 31 of the 120 credits must be earned at UNC Greensboro, which leaves up to 89 credits that can transfer
#7Durham, North CarolinaNorth Carolina Central University
Bachelor of Science in Behavioral and Social Sciences
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #7: Its online rate is $185 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 4 other colleges on this list) and 56% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 3 other colleges on this list).
North Carolina Central admits only transfer students to its online Behavioral and Social Sciences degree, so your classmates are other adults rebuilding credit. The program counts earlier coursework, takes part in the End Zone completion initiative, and requires the last 30 credits at NCCU. First-degree students need a 2.0 GPA overall.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 18%
- Degree Requirements
- At least 120 semester credits, with the last 30 at NCCU.
- Published Tuition
- $185.00 per credit hour for North Carolina residents and $727.67 for nonresidents (online undergraduate, 2025-26)
#8Pembroke, North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Pembroke
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #8: Its rate is $42 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and 38% of its undergraduates study fully online (the highest on this list).
UNC Pembroke charges in-state undergraduates $500 per semester in tuition through NC Promise. Its online Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies has no scheduled class meetings and offers General Studies, Professional Studies and Public and Nonprofit Administration tracks. Applied associate-degree coursework can supply up to 60 credits from a two-year college.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 38%
- Where You Start
- Qualifying applied associate-degree coursework can provide up to 60 credits from a two-year college, subject to the BIS requirements.
- Transfer Credits
- At least 25% of the degree must be completed at UNCP, which leaves up to 90 of 120 credits that can transfer
#9Buies Creek, North CarolinaCampbell University
BAS in Homeland Security
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #9: Its online rate is $400 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 1 other college on this list) and it accepts up to 90 transfer credits (higher than 1 other college on this list).
If you hold an applied associate degree in a related field, Campbell's online BAS in Homeland Security was designed for you. A separate route covers military students with qualifying applied-science credits. Courses run in eight-week terms, and the 120-credit degree ends with a career-related internship and a capstone research paper.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 16%
- Published Tuition
- $400 per credit hour for undergraduate Adult and Online Education courses (2026-27)
#10Fayetteville, North CarolinaMethodist University
Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #10: It accepts up to 93 transfer credits (the highest on this list) and its online rate is $445 per credit for North Carolina residents.
Methodist University near Fayetteville lets up to 93 credit hours transfer into its online Exercise and Sport Science degree. Courses are asynchronous and run in eight-week terms. Coursework covers human nutrition, sport psychology, biomechanics and exercise physiology across 124 credit hours.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 15%
- Where You Start
- Applicants submit official transcripts for prior college coursework; up to 93 credit hours may transfer.
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 93 transfer credit hours.
- Degree Requirements
- 124 credit hours total.
Build a Plan Around Your Transfer Credits.
List the college credits you already have in the degree planner, then bring that list and your questions to a North Carolina school’s transfer advisor. The school’s evaluation decides which credits count toward your degree.
Build your degree plan ↗Going Back to College in North Carolina
Start with your transcript. If you finished an associate in arts or science at a North Carolina community college, the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement offers guarantees at UNC System universities, and the 2026 revision accepts agreement coursework with grades of C- or higher. Western Carolina and UNC Pembroke charge $500 per semester in tuition under NC Promise. If you stopped out of a UNC campus, ReUp Education coaches returning students. Private schools like Gardner-Webb and Methodist set their own transfer limits.
Read the official guidance: UNC System ReUp Education Partnership
The UNC System partners with ReUp Education to reenroll people who left college early and coach them through graduation. More than 4,200 North Carolinians have come back to UNC System campuses since 2023.
Who qualifies: Adults who left a participating UNC System university without finishing, including Appalachian State, East Carolina, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Pembroke, UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina.
Visit the official UNC System ReUp Education Partnership page ↗NC Promise Tuition Plan
The state sets in-state undergraduate tuition at $500 per semester at Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, UNC Pembroke and Western Carolina.
Who qualifies: Western Carolina says there are no eligibility requirements and that students in online programs receive the rate.
Visit the official NC Promise Tuition Plan page ↗Comprehensive Articulation Agreement
A statewide agreement governing how credits transfer between North Carolina community colleges and the UNC System, with guarantees for students who complete an associate in arts or an associate in science.
Read the official guidance: Every college on every state list is scored the same way, out of 100. The measures, from most to least weight:
- Transfer Student Completion (25%): the share of transfer students who earn a degree within eight years (IPEDS Outcome Measures).
- Cost per Credit (20%): the online per-credit rate the school publishes, at the resident rate for in-state schools, or the federal per-credit charge when no online rate is published.
- Transfer Credit Maximum (15%): the most transfer credit the featured degree accepts, from the school’s own policy.
- Online Experience (15%): the share of undergraduates who study fully online (IPEDS).
- Graduate Earnings (15%): median earnings of the school’s graduates in that field (College Scorecard).
- School Reputation (10%): a rating of how employers regard the school’s bachelor’s degrees, made the same way for every school from its published facts.
When a measure is missing for a college, it gets the middle value for that measure, so missing data never helps a school move up.
Read the full state ranking method ↗ Before you call an admissions officeQuestions About Finishing Your Degree in North Carolina
Which School Has the Best Degree Completion Program in North Carolina?+
The #1 school for degree completion in North Carolina in 2027 is University of North Carolina at Charlotte, because 64% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 6 other colleges on this list) and its rate is $159 per credit for North Carolina residents (lower than 7 other colleges on this list). #2 is Western Carolina University: 69% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 7 other colleges on this list). #3 is Appalachian State University: 74% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (the highest on this list). The order comes from transfer student graduation rates, cost per credit, transfer credit limits, online experience, graduate earnings and school reputation, weighted the same way for every state.
Do My North Carolina Community College Credits Count Toward a UNC Degree?+
They can. The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement gives guarantees to students who finish an associate in arts or an associate in science at a North Carolina community college. A revision that took effect in Spring 2026 accepts agreement coursework with grades of C- or higher. Check your campus transfer guide for your major, then confirm the online option with the university.
Read the official guidance: What Is Reverse Transfer in North Carolina?+
Reverse transfer helps if you moved to a UNC System university before finishing your associate degree. Your university credits can go back to your North Carolina community college and be combined with the credits you earned there. In many cases that meets every associate degree requirement, so you hold a credential while you work toward the bachelor's. Ask the university registrar after you transfer.
Read the official guidance: Does NC Promise Tuition Apply to Online Programs?+
At Western Carolina, yes. The university says students in online programs receive the NC Promise rate, which is $500 per semester for in-state undergraduates. Part-time distance students pay $41.67 per credit hour in 2026-27. Tuition does not include fees. NC Promise also covers UNC Pembroke, Elizabeth City State and Fayetteville State.
Read the official guidance: 
