Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    North Carolina Central graduates 9 pts more of its students than Norfolk State (52% vs. 43%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Norfolk State has 6 pts more Pell recipients than North Carolina Central (65% vs. 59%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  3. 3

    Norfolk State is more diverse (index 0.35 vs. 0.29)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Norfolk State has 4 pts more first-gen students than North Carolina Central (37% vs. 33%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Norfolk State's yield is 2 pts higher than North Carolina Central's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Norfolk State grads earn $1.7K more ten years out than North Carolina Central's ($44,666 vs. $42,968)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

North Carolina Central admits 87%, Norfolk State 88%; Norfolk State's yield is higher, at 13%.

Acceptance rate
Norfolk State88%
North Carolina Central87%
Quad's selectivity
  • Norfolk StateOpen
  • North Carolina CentralOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
Norfolk State
823–1030
North Carolina CentralNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Norfolk StateGPA and school record required
  • North Carolina CentralGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

North Carolina Central is a bit larger than Norfolk State (6,081 vs. 5,392 undergrads); Norfolk State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Norfolk State5.4K
North Carolina Central6.1K
Pell Grant share
Norfolk State65%
North Carolina Central59%

Majors and faculty

Business/Commerce leads at Norfolk State, and Social Sciences at North Carolina Central; Norfolk State has 15 students per faculty member to North Carolina Central's 16.

Students per faculty member
Norfolk State15 to 1
North Carolina Central16 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Norfolk StateBusiness/Commerce, General14%
  • North Carolina CentralSocial Sciences, General12%

What each costs

Norfolk State and North Carolina Central cost about the same a year on average; Norfolk State's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Norfolk State$20K
North Carolina Central$19.6K
Aid generosity
Norfolk State36%
North Carolina Central35%

What each pays off

Norfolk State's former students earn more, a median $44.7K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 52% at North Carolina Central to 43% at Norfolk State.

Median earnings, 10 years
Norfolk State$44.7K
North Carolina Central$43K
Graduation rate
Norfolk State43%
North Carolina Central52%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Norfolk StateGrowing+299%
  • North Carolina CentralGrowing+63%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why