Best General Studies Associate Degrees in North Carolina, Ranked (2026)

General Studies Associate Degrees in North Carolina

General studies associate degrees in North Carolina are twenty programs that between them barely register in the ranking: Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, with 15 graduates, is the only one that awarded the 10 degrees a year the national ranking requires. It scores 53.7, 181st on the national associate ranking, on $2,367 in resident tuition and fees and a 35% graduation rate. The other 19 awarded between 1 and 8 degrees each.

Eighteen of the 20 are public community colleges, and the two private programs, Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City at $17,280 and Chowan University in Murfreesboro at $27,110, awarded 3 degrees and 1. North Carolina's transfer agreement covers the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science only, which leaves the general studies title outside the main route from a community college to a university, and the small numbers follow from that.

The small programs still hold figures worth knowing. Gaston College in Dallas graduates 63% of its students, Sampson Community College in Clinton 56%, Isothermal Community College in Spindale 55% and Tri-County Community College in Murphy 54%. Isothermal, Mitchell Community College in Statesville and Martin Community College in Williamston teach the degree online. And McDowell Technical Community College in Marion charges $1,958, the lowest tuition in the state.

The Best General Studies Associate Degree in North Carolina

The best general studies associate degrees in North Carolina are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in North Carolina. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.

1. 1

   Catawba Valley Community College

   North Carolina

   53.7

   • Public

   College graduation rate

   35%

   In-state tuition and fees

   $2,367 a year

   Degrees awarded, latest year

   15

   • College graduation rate percentile 51 / 100
   • In-state tuition and fees percentile 95 / 100
   • Degrees awarded, latest year percentile 10 / 100

   About the Program

   Some 4,904 students attend Catawba Valley Community College, a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina. The program's last federal report shows 15 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 10 in every 100 programs measured here. Of the students who start at Catawba Valley Community College, 35% graduate, and that beats 51 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees are $2,367 a year for residents and $7,743 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 95% of programs at this level. Its strongest mark is price, at the 95th percentile.

Other General Studies Associate Degrees in North Carolina

The other general studies associate degrees in North Carolina awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.

Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.

How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in North Carolina?

A general studies associate degree in North Carolina costs a median of $2,445 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24, and 17 of the 18 community colleges charge under $3,200. McDowell Technical Community College charges $1,958, the lowest tuition in the state, Rockingham $1,966, and Catawba Valley, the one ranked program, $2,367. Southwestern Community College in Sylva is the outlier at $5,806. Mid-Atlantic Christian University lists $17,280 and Chowan University $27,110. Nonresidents pay far more at the community colleges, from $6,566 at McDowell to $19,630 at Southwestern.

The Next NC Scholarship combines the federal Pell Grant with state aid to provide at least $3,000 for full-time study at any of the 58 community colleges, for students with an adjusted gross income up to $80,000 and a Student Aid Index up to 7,500. You need North Carolina residency and at least 6 credit hours, so part-time students qualify. At Catawba Valley's $2,367, or at any of the 17 community colleges under $3,200, the $3,000 full-time award is more than the published tuition and fees, so the two-year general studies degree can cost you nothing in tuition at a community college here.

Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in North Carolina?

A general studies associate degree transfers in North Carolina course by course, not as a degree, because the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement between the UNC System and the North Carolina Community College System applies to the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science only. The agreement was revised in October 2025 and took effect in Spring 2026. Graduate with an AA or AS and an overall GPA of at least 2.0 and you're guaranteed admission to a UNC System institution, and the Universal General Education Transfer Component, at least 30 semester hours within the AA and AS, earns one-to-one general education credit at any UNC campus.

What you keep is the course list. Students who transfer without the AA or AS lose the full guarantees but still receive credit for CAA Transfer Course List courses passed with a C- or higher, so a general studies degree built from courses on that list carries most of its credits even without the degree-level guarantee.

Reverse Transfer covers students from all 58 community colleges heading to the 16 UNC institutions, letting university credits combine with community college credits to finish an associate degree later. If a UNC bachelor's is the goal, ask your college about the AA or AS before you enroll in general studies.

What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in North Carolina?

Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in North Carolina pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.

How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in North Carolina

To choose a general studies associate degree program in North Carolina, decide first whether you want this degree or the Associate in Arts, because the state's transfer agreement rewards the AA and AS and leaves general studies outside its guarantees. If it's this degree, price won't separate the community colleges, so completion and location will: Gaston College graduates 63% at $3,186, Sampson 56% at $3,163, Isothermal 55% at $2,030 and Tri-County 54% at $2,363, while Bladen Community College in Dublin graduates 23% at $2,254 and Mid-Atlantic Christian University 21% at $17,280. Catawba Valley, the one ranked program, graduates 35% at $2,367 and is the only program with as many as 15 graduates a year.

Isothermal, Mitchell and Martin community colleges teach the degree online. Ask any college which of its general studies courses sit on the CAA Transfer Course List, whether Next NC covers your enrollment at 6 credit hours or more, and how many general studies graduates it had last year, because at 15 of the 20 campuses here the answer is four or fewer.

If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in North Carolina have their own page.