North Carolina's State Bar certifies paralegals voluntarily: more than 3,530 hold the North Carolina Certified Paralegal title, which takes a qualified paralegal program, a national certification or five years of experience, plus the Bar's exam.
North Carolina's ranked programs are 4 associate degrees; its certificates for degree holders are compared on the post-baccalaureate page.
As a North Carolina resident you'd pay $1,970 to $2,792 in tuition and fees for a full-time year at North Carolina's ranked programs.
5 approved programs in North Carolina can be finished at least partly online, by each school's own page or, where a page says nothing, the federal record or the ABA's online flag.
ABA-approved programs conferred 24% of the 357 paralegal credentials North Carolina schools awarded in 2023-24.
Paralegals in North Carolina earn a median $57,500, below the national $62,890.
Paralegal certification in North Carolina is separate from the education programs ranked here, and North Carolina has 5 ABA-approved certificates for degree holders, so they are compared by published tuition on the post-baccalaureate certificate page. The rankings below cover 4 associate degrees. Another 18 schools in the state conferred paralegal credentials in 2023-24 without ABA approval. They are listed at the foot of the page with their federal figures.
Approved programs are ranked within each award level on tuition and fees (what a full-time year costs a North Carolina resident), graduation rate and paralegal graduates. Positions below are within North Carolina,
but each score compares a program with every approved program at its level in the country.
How the scores work.
The North Carolina State Bar's Paralegal Certification
In North Carolina the State Bar itself certifies paralegals. The plan, adopted by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2004, reserves the titles "North Carolina Certified Paralegal" and NCCP for those it certifies, and leaves everyone else free to work as a paralegal.
Applicants qualify through education, national certification or experience. The education routes are a degree from a qualified paralegal studies program, or a certificate from one plus an associate's or bachelor's degree in any field. A qualified program is at an accredited school and is ABA-approved, an institutional member of the American Association for Paralegal Education, or offers at least 18 semester credits of paralegal courses. Holders of NALA's CP or NFPA's RP or CRP are excused from the education requirement, and since 2020 a high school graduate with five years (10,000 hours) of paralegal work and an hour of professional responsibility education can qualify too.
One detail matters if you plan to study online. The State Bar's certification page describes a qualifying program as including at least 9 semester credits (or 150 contact hours) taken in a traditional classroom setting, which it defines to include live, real-time instruction online.
The program is voluntary. A paralegal may choose not to be certified and still perform substantive legal work under the supervision of a lawyer using the titles “paralegal” and “legal paralegal”.
Certification takes a written exam. The 2026 sittings were June 13 and October 10. The exam costs $225, a $125 application fee plus a $100 exam fee. Certification lasts a year at a time: to renew, a certified paralegal completes six hours of approved continuing paralegal education each year, one of them in ethics, and pays a $75 renewal fee. The Board reported more than 3,530 certified paralegals in its 2025 annual report, and said 135 paralegals had qualified to sit for the exam through the experience route over the previous five years.
ABA-Approved Associate Degrees In Paralegal Studies In North Carolina
An associate's degree adds general education to the paralegal courses and usually takes two years full time.
Central Piedmont Community College leads North Carolina's 4 approved associate programs, conferring 20 paralegal degrees in 2023-24.
Central Piedmont's on-campus Paralegal Technology program in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers an ABA-approved two-year associate degree and a one-year diploma for bachelor's degree holders, with an elective review course for the North Carolina State Paralegal Certification Exam.
Key Program Details
Associate in Applied Science: 68 credits, two years
Post-baccalaureate diploma: 40 credits, one year
On campus at the Central Campus in Charlotte, North Carolina
Elective review course for the North Carolina State Paralegal Certification Exam
The college says the program is also certified by the North Carolina State Bar
$76 per semester credit
AAS
cpcc.eduOctober 5, 2026
#2In North Carolina
Score61.9/ 100
Paralegal Technology (A25380), Associate in Applied Science
Carteret Community College
Morehead City, North Carolina · Public · ABA-approved
Carteret Community College in Morehead City, North Carolina teaches the core legal classes of its ABA-approved Paralegal Technology program in a synchronous online format, and offers the program as a 37-credit diploma for students who already hold a bachelor's degree and a 69-credit Associate in Applied Science.
Pitt Community College's ABA-approved Paralegal Technology program, near the state and federal courts in Greenville, North Carolina, offers a three-semester post-baccalaureate diploma and a five-semester associate degree, taught by a faculty of attorneys in day and night classroom sections with some fully online classes.
Key Program Details
Post-baccalaureate diploma: 40 credit hours, three semesters full time
Associate degree: 72 credit hours (2026-2027 plan), five semesters full time
Day and night classes on campus, plus some fully online classes
Paralegal faculty are all attorneys
Pitt says students get Westlaw access and training from the first paralegal course
$76 per semester credit
AASCertificate
pittcc.eduOctober 5, 2026
#4In North Carolina
Score42.2/ 100
Paralegal Technology (A25380), Associate in Applied Science
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, North Carolina · Public · ABA-approved
Fayetteville Technical Community College in Fayetteville, North Carolina offers its ABA-approved Paralegal Technology program as a one-year, 46-credit Paralegal Diploma for bachelor's degree holders and a 68-credit, five-semester Associate in Applied Science, with HyFlex classes that students can attend in person or virtually.
Associate in Applied Science: 68 credit hours, 5 semesters
HyFlex classes, attended in person or virtually
At least 10 legal specialty hours through traditional classroom instruction
160 hours of work-based learning (internship or job shadowing)
$76 per semester credit
AASCertificate
faytechcc.eduOctober 2, 2026
What A Paralegal Program Costs In North Carolina
Across North Carolina's ranked approved programs, you'd pay between $1,970 and $2,792 for a full-time year of tuition and fees as a North Carolina resident,
with a median of $2,469.
Tuition and fees are what each school reported to IPEDS for a full-time undergraduate year in 2023-24, tuition plus required fees, before books, supplies or aid. A certificate of about 30 semester credits is roughly a full-time year of coursework, but programs differ in length and many students take them part-time, so read the figure as a way to compare schools. Colleges set new rates every year. It is not the price of a post-baccalaureate or extension certificate, which schools price separately.
What Paralegals Earn In North Carolina
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in North Carolina at $57,500 a year,
$5,390 below the national median of $62,890, 39th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports.
The 10th percentile is $38,570 and the 90th is $84,410. 13,650 people in North Carolina hold the job. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release. Paralegal pay by state sets them side by side.
Every Paralegal Program In North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina that the ABA lists or that conferred a paralegal credential in 2023-24 is here, approved
programs first. Awards are the paralegal credentials each school reported to IPEDS for that year.
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Certificate 5 · Associate's 4
$2,537
Vance-Granville Community College
Certificate 5 · Associate's 4
$1,956
Wake Technical Community College
Certificate 2 · Associate's 5
$2,336
Wilson Community College
Certificate 6 · Associate's 1
Yes (federal)
$2,572
Gaston College
Associate's 3 · Certificate 3
Yes (federal)
$3,186
Southwestern Community College
Associate's 3 · Certificate 2
$5,806
Mitchell Community College
Associate's 2
$2,651
Surry Community College
Associate's 2
$2,545
Common Questions About Paralegal Certification In North Carolina
Is paralegal certification in North Carolina required?
No. The State Bar's certification is voluntary. An uncertified paralegal may do substantive legal work under a lawyer's supervision and use the title paralegal. Only the titles "North Carolina Certified Paralegal" and NCCP are reserved for those the Bar certifies.
Can an online paralegal program qualify for North Carolina certification?
It can, if it includes enough live instruction. The State Bar describes a qualifying program as including at least 9 semester credits or 150 contact hours taken in a traditional classroom setting, which it defines to include live, real-time instruction by webinar, so a program with no live sessions may not qualify.
How many ABA-approved paralegal programs are in North Carolina?
The ABA's directory lists 5 approved programs in North Carolina. IPEDS shows 23 schools in the state conferring paralegal credentials in 2023-24, and 18 of them run a program the ABA has not approved.
What is the cheapest ABA-approved paralegal program in North Carolina?
Of the programs ranked here, you'd pay the least as a North Carolina resident at Pitt Community College, $1,970 for a full-time year of tuition and fees in 2023-24. That's the figure the school reports to IPEDS, and schools reset it every year.
What do paralegals make in North Carolina?
BLS puts the median for paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) in North Carolina at $57,500 a year, $5,390 below the national median of $62,890, with 13,650 people in the job. The 10th percentile is $38,570 and the 90th is $84,410. Figures are from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release.
Paralegal Programs In Other States
A campus program usually means the state you live in, but an online one does not. These are the
other states with enough ABA-approved programs for a page of their own.
