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Colleges in and near Carrboro

Carrboro is a college town: 17 of every 100 residents are students

No college sits inside Carrboro’s boundary, but the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus in Chapel Hill, with 30,684 students on campus, is 2.2 miles from the center of town, and Durham Technical Community College is 12 miles away in Durham. Across North Carolina, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town17% of residents are studentsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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 Carrboro. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
55,181 students on campus
Nearest college
2.2 mi
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Residents in college
17%
Above NC (6%)
Nearest community college
12 mi
Durham Technical · $1,986 tuition
Nearest public university
2.2 mi
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $8,994 in-state
Median household income
$86K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Carrboro

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town17 of every 100 Carrboro residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.A university 2.2 miles awayThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has 30,684 students on campus in Chapel Hill, 91% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at University of North Carolina at Chapel HillLiving in North Carolina, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill charges $8,994 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $41,203. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 12 miles awayDurham Technical Community College in Durham: tuition and fees $1,986 a year for North Carolina residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Carrboro

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

17 of every 100 Carrboro residents are in college (NC: 6).

3,675college students live in Carrboro households rather than dorms
33.4median age · NC 39.1
56%of homes rented · NC 33%
$1,470median rent · 20% above the state
CarrboroCarrboro, NC
Cost of living$1,470/mo median rentD−SafetyCrime reported to the FBICHealthCDC estimatesA+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundA−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Carrboro’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 11.7% of Carrboro residents are below the poverty line, 8.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 4 points either way). 25% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D−

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 17%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health A+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Carrboro’s median age is 33.4 (North Carolina 39.1), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Carrboro

Two private colleges within 10.7 miles, two public colleges within 11 miles, and Durham Technical Community College 12 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillDuke UniversityNorth Carolina Central UniversityCarrboro
University or collegeCommunity college
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity or college · Public · 30,684 on campus · 2.2 mi · Chapel Hill15%admitted$12knet price91%graduate$72kearningsDuke UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 16,196 on campus · 9.8 mi · Durham6%admitted$30knet price97%graduate$98kearningsWatts College of NursingUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 134 on campus · 10.7 mi · DurhamNorth Carolina Central UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 6,226 on campus · 11 mi · Durham87%admitted$15knet price42%graduate$43kearningsDurham Technical Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,941 on campus · 12 mi · Durham · mostly online$2knet price45%graduate$36kearnings55% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Tuition and fees: $1,986 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 it costs

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.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Carrboro’s median household income ($85,743) falls.

Durham Technical Community College12 mi · Durham · mostly online · sticker $10,430 · tuition $1,986$9,407a year
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill2.2 mi · Chapel Hill · sticker $26,055$16,415a year
Duke University9.8 mi · Durham · sticker $87,072$17,100a year
North Carolina Central University11 mi · Durham · sticker $26,556$22,401a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Carrboro: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDuke UniversityNorth Carolina Central UniversityDurham Technical
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill91% graduate$72k earnings$14k typical debt
Duke University97% graduate$98k earnings$13k typical debt
North Carolina Central University42% graduate$43k earnings$28k typical debt
Durham Technical Community College45% graduate$36k earnings$15k typical debt

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 Carrboro

Is Carrboro a college town?

Yes. 17 of every 100 Carrboro residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across North Carolina. The nearest campus, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is 2.2 miles away in Chapel Hill.

What colleges are near Carrboro?

Within 15 miles: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2.2 miles, 30,684 students on campus), Duke University (9.8 miles, 16,196), Watts College of Nursing (10.7 miles, 134), North Carolina Central University (11 miles, 6,226) and Durham Technical Community College (12 miles, 1,941).

Why is Carrboro’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 11.7% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 8.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 4 points).

What is the closest community college to Carrboro, and what does it cost?

Durham Technical Community College in Durham, 12 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.

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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 Carrboro. 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 →