Elizabeth City State University

Public · Moderately Selective · NC

Photo: Nyttend (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNC · South

SettingRural

Undergrads1,975

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate23.6%

6-yr grad rate43.5%

Drop-out rate23.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$7k

Out-of-state tuition$11k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity82.6%

Gender diversity50%

International1.1%

IdentityHBCU

Overview

Elizabeth City State University is a historically Black university in northeastern North Carolina and a member of the University of North Carolina System, serving the state's rural northeastern corner with a close-knit campus community.

Academics

Aviation science is Elizabeth City State's standout program — the only four-year aviation science program in North Carolina — giving the university a genuine specialized niche well beyond what a school of its size and region would typically offer; nursing and other applied programs round out the curriculum.

Campus & student life

The campus serves a tightly connected regional student body, with a strong sense of HBCU community and tradition running through campus life, and the rural northeastern North Carolina setting keeps the culture close-knit rather than urban.

Getting in

Admission is accessible, and the university's NC Promise tuition program makes cost an unusually small barrier relative to most four-year publics, a genuine draw for regional and first-generation students.

Worth knowing

The aviation science program's unique statewide status and the NC Promise low-tuition guarantee are the two most distinctive, concrete things a prospective student should know about Elizabeth City State.

ecsu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate64.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 920–1080 · ACT 16–22

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying