Photo: Mikeiamunion21 · CC BY-SA 3.0Wake Technical Community College is 5.8 miles from Garner
No college sits inside Garner’s boundary, but Wake Technical Community College’s campus in Raleigh, with 12,454 students on campus, is 5.8 miles from the center of town. About 6% of Garner’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as 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 Garner. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Garner
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Garner
Seven private colleges within 10.2 miles, one public college within 7.4 miles, and Wake Technical Community College 5.8 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 $75–110k, where Garner’s median household income ($78,756) 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 Garner: 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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Miller-Motte College-Raleigh (22).
Questions about college near Garner
Is Garner a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Garner residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as North Carolina (6). The nearest campus, Wake Technical Community College, is 5.8 miles away in Raleigh.
What colleges are near Garner?
9 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: North Carolina State University at Raleigh (7.4 miles, 34,210 students on campus), Wake Technical Community College (5.8 miles, 12,454) and Meredith College (8.7 miles, 1,561).
What is the closest community college to Garner, and what does it cost?
Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, 5.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,254 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $8,759, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does North Carolina State University at Raleigh cost if we live in North Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $8,799 a year in-state and $32,847 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $6,382 (under $30,000 income) to $24,652 (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 Garner. 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 →