Welcome back to the PNPI Explorer blog series, where we examine higher education data in different states. This week’s spotlight is on North Carolina.

In 2021 in North Carolina, there were 130 institutions serving 412,602 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. Using the Comparison Tool, we can examine the racial demographics of graduate students at North Carolina institutions. 15.5% of graduate students in North Carolina identify as Black. This is 5.3 percentage points above the national average and makes North Carolina one of the top ten states for Black graduate student enrollment.

Despite stagnant percentages across the United States, North Carolina institutions have continued to increase Black graduate student enrollment over time. The average percentage of Black graduate student enrollment decreased nationally between 2011 and 2021, dropping by four tenths of one percent. North Carolina has not followed suit, increasing by 1.5 percentage points over the same span.

Find something interesting about North Carolina that you would like to share with us? Drop us a note via our feedback page or discuss your findings on LinkedIn! Check back next week when we explore data insights about North Dakota.

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