By Robert Speir and David Mildenberg
Attracting students to North Carolina’s private colleges is an increasing challenge, a study of recent enrollment trends indicates.
Twenty-eight of the state’s 38 private institutions of higher education with at least 500 students reported enrollment declines over the past four years, according to statistics compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics. Overall, 13 schools reported declines of at least 15%.
High Point University and Cabarrus College of Health and Sciences reported some of the strongest enrollment growth. High Point gained 8% over four years to more than 6,000 students. In September, it said enrollment totaled 6,335.
The fastest grower was Concord’s Cabarrus College of Health and Sciences, which added 227 students, a 43% increase. The college focuses on producing nurses, medical assistants, respiratory therapists, surgical technologists, occupational therapy assistants, and more. Started in 1942, it operates on the Cabarrus County campus of its partner, Charlotte-based Atrium Health, which is North Carolina’s largest hospital operator.
Another school bucking the enrollment trend was Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, where enrollment gained 13% to 797. Officials credit an emphasis on experiential education, including internships and career-related experiences that are required for each student.
“When people ask me how we have done it, and they hear about this renewal, I say there is no magic formula,” says President Damián Fernández, who is in his third year leading the campus. “We promised better outcomes and we reduced the price.”
Last year, Warren Wilson cut its stated tuition from $41,500 to $25,500. The college formed in 1894 has had a balanced budget in the past two years, after posting several annual losses, Fernández says. It also reports record fundraising, including a $10 million gift in December from an anonymous donor that boosted its endowment by nearly 20%.
But those are the exceptions. Most N.C. private colleges are encountering enrollment challenges, both in small towns and big cities. Factors include the waning number of U.S. high school graduates and more students opting for trades-related education.
Among the institutions with the largest percentage declines in recent years were for-profit Strayer University, which offers classes in Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh; Chowan College in Murfreesboro; North Carolina Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount; and Shaw and Saint Augustine’s universities in Raleigh.
The private schools face tough competition from the UNC System, which has reported a 10% increase in enrollment since 2021. The 16 campuses enrolled about 248,000 students last fall. That was about 23,000 more students than a decade earlier.
The UNC System hasn’t raised in-state tuition rates for nine years, which is unmatched nationally, officials say. Tuition for out-of-state students has increased, along with fees for parking, housing, food and other services that have risen over the past decade.
Only one private college in North Carolina has closed in the past decade: St. Andrews University in Laurinburg announced it would end operations as of May 5. The school “reached a point where financial sustainability is no longer attainable,” President Tarun Malik says. Once affiliated with the Presbyterian church, St. Andrews formed in 1958 after the merger of two other schools.
Another college, John Wesley University of High Point, merged into Piedmont International University in Winston-Salem in 2018.
Other schools face tough decisions. Saint Augustine’s University said it enrolled 200 students in the 2024-25 academic year, down from more than 900 a year earlier. The historically Black college lost its accreditation earlier this year.
In May, Guilford College Provost Kami Rowan wrote to faculty of the Greensboro institution: “Without significant changes to our financial model, we simply do not have the cash flow or revenue to continue operating.” The school pledged to raise $5 million by its fiscal year ending on June 30.
Many N.C. private colleges remain robust financially because of strong alumni support and solid endowments. For example, Catawba College in Salisbury has received more than $200 million in recent years from an anonymous backer. Salisbury businessman Fred Stanback, a college roommate of Warren Buffett, is believed to be the donor, but that has not been verified. Catawba enrolled 1,241 students last fall, about 9% fewer than three years earlier.
N.C. private colleges include Duke University, which has an endowment of about $12 billion; Wake Forest University, with an endowment of $1.8 billion, and Davidson College, with a $1.3 billion endowment. The trio remains highly selective and have annual tuition in the $70,000 range. Each campus provides substantive financial aid to many students, reducing their out-of-pocket cost by tens of thousands of dollars.
Keeping college affordable and relevant is a daily challenge for colleges, with potential students from families with household incomes of $75,000 to $110,000 opting out of college at the fastest pace of income groups, says Warren Wilson’s Fernández. “We want to tell those middle-class families that Warren Wilson is an option for you,” he says. “Private colleges are important for many reasons, including the democratic vitality of our nation.” ■