Photo: EbonyEaton · CC BY-SA 4.0Watts College of Nursing is 13.4 miles from Butner
No college sits inside Butner’s boundary, but Watts College of Nursing’s campus in Durham, with 134 students on campus, is 13.4 miles from the center of town, and Durham Technical Community College is 13.5 miles away in Durham. About 4% of Butner’s residents are enrolled in college, below North Carolina (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Butner. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Butner
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Butner
Two private colleges within 14.3 miles, one public college within 14.1 miles, and Durham Technical Community College 13.5 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Butner’s median household income ($74,739) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Butner: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Butner
Is Butner a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Butner residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below North Carolina (6). The nearest campus, Watts College of Nursing, is 13.4 miles away in Durham.
What colleges are near Butner?
Within 15 miles: Watts College of Nursing (13.4 miles, 134 students on campus), Durham Technical Community College (13.5 miles, 1,941), North Carolina Central University (14.1 miles, 6,226) and Duke University (14.3 miles, 16,196).
What is the closest community college to Butner, and what does it cost?
Durham Technical Community College in Durham, 13.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,986 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $1,664, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does North Carolina Central University cost if we live in North Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $6,699 a year in-state and $19,735 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $13,032 (under $30,000 income) to $23,658 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Butner. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →