Did you know that North Carolina’s fastest-growing college is located right here in Wilmington?
Community colleges have become an increasingly popular option for North Carolina students, with growth outstripping that of the state’s full-time, public universities. And no community college is growing faster than Cape Fear Community College.
According to data from the N.C. Community College System, full-time enrollment hours at Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) grew by a whopping 18% between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years -- an increase of almost 2,000 enrollment hours.
It was the fifth consecutive year of growth for CFCC, and the biggest year-over-year jump since the record began two decades ago.
education for Pender County residents
How much are public universities growing?
CFCC isn’t just growing fast for a community college. It’s also growing faster than the University of North Carolina System schools.
In 2025, UNC System schools grew by an average of 3.4% from the previous year. For comparison, CFCC’s growth more than tripled that.
According to a news release from the community college, CFCC added about 3,400 students in that same period -- an increase of 14% to its student population.
It’s not the only Wilmington-area school growing fast. The University of North Carolina Wilmington grew by 5.6%, two percentage points higher than the state average.
Brunswick Community College also grew by 5% -- though the college recorded four straight years of double-digit percentage growth before that.
According to CFCC's news release, the national enrollment growth for community colleges was about 3%.
Where is CFCC growing most?
While CFCC is seeing large overall growth, the school’s general education programs saw the biggest jumps.
The Associate in General Education degree saw a 31% increase in enrollment, while the Career and College Promise program, oriented for dual-enrollment highschoolers, grew by 21%.
"Today's students are looking for education that leads directly to opportunity," CFCC President Jim Morton said in the release. "At Cape Fear Community College, we're delivering affordable, high-quality training that equips people with the skills employers need today. That's why our graduates are succeeding, and why we're outperforming state averages."
Charlie Kingree is the trending topics reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Why Cape Fear Community College is growing so fast
