Pelletier House and Wantland Spring · Photo: Hammerattack at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Jacksonville is home to two colleges, with 2,309 students on campus
Coastal Carolina Community College (2,122 students on campus) and Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville (187) are inside the city. About 8% of Jacksonville’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 Jacksonville. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Jacksonville
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Jacksonville
One private college within 5.2 miles, and Coastal Carolina Community College 2.9 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, University of North Carolina Wilmington, is 44.4 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 and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Jacksonville’s median household income ($57,697) 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: 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-Jacksonville (22).
What students study in Jacksonville
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Jacksonville’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Questions about college in Jacksonville
Is Jacksonville a college town?
No. About 8 of every 100 Jacksonville residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as North Carolina (6). The largest campus in the city, Coastal Carolina Community College, has 2,122 students on campus.
What colleges are in Jacksonville?
Coastal Carolina Community College and Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville are inside the city.
What is the closest community college to Jacksonville, and what does it cost?
Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, 2.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,512 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $9,461, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of North Carolina Wilmington cost if we live in North Carolina?
Tuition and fees are $7,277 a year in-state and $24,152 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,778 (under $30,000 income) to $25,573 (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 Jacksonville. 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 →