Two institutions with profiled nutrition programs sit in Raleigh: North Carolina State University and Meredith College. Between them they run 9 credentials, from a flat $15,500 for Meredith’s dietetic internship to about $196,700 for four years of Meredith’s bachelor’s tuition (derived, 2026-27). Durations run from about 11 months for the internship to four years for the bachelor’s degrees.
The RD route in Raleigh runs through Meredith. It holds three ACEND programs, a master’s-level DPD, a graduate program that builds about 1,040 practice hours into 47 credits, and a dietetic internship, while NC State has no ACEND program and says its degrees do not lead directly to dietetic internships or RDN certification. Meredith reports that up to four NC State nutrition undergraduates get priority admission to its Accelerated track, a detail that NC State’s own pages do not mention.
Nutrition Programs in Raleigh — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meredith College Raleigh | Bachelor’s Food and Nutrition — not ACEND M.S. Nutrition, DPD track — 36 credits M.S. Nutrition, Accelerated track — 47 credits, ACEND graduate program M.S. Nutrition, Advanced Career Track — 30 credits, online, not ACEND Dietetic Internship — flat tuition | M.S. $725/credit plus a $125 semester fee (about $26.6K, $34.7K, and $22.1K by track, derived); internship $15.5K; bachelor’s $49.2K/yr (private) | Hybrid (DPD and Accelerated); Online (Advanced Career); Campus (Internship) | Yes — Accelerated track, or the DPD or Advanced track plus the internship |
| North Carolina State University Raleigh | B.S. Nutrition Sciences — 120 credits M.S. Nutrition — thesis, 30 credits Master of Nutrition — online, 36 credits Ph.D. Nutrition — 72 credits | B.S. ~$37.0K in-state (tuition and fees); M.S. ~$17.6K and Master of Nutrition ~$22.1K in-state (derived) | Campus; Online (Master of Nutrition) | No — no ACEND program; Meredith articulation for up to 4 undergraduates |
Costs are each profile’s derived totals at published 2026-27 rates, and they are not like for like: NC State is public with resident and non-resident rates, and Meredith is private with one rate. UNC Chapel Hill, the Durham programs, and the rest of the state are on the North Carolina nutrition programs page.
Which Raleigh Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose Meredith if the RD credential is the goal and you want to stay in Raleigh. Its Accelerated track builds the practice into the degree, but the cohort is about a dozen students, and the DPD track and the online Advanced Career Track both lead to the separate internship.
Choose NC State if you want a science-heavy nutrition degree as preparation for health-professions school, or an online master’s in human or feed nutrition. It has no ACEND program, though Meredith describes an agreement that gives up to four NC State undergraduates priority admission to its Accelerated track.
Raleigh Nutrition Schools
Meredith College
Raleigh; Department of Nutrition, Health and Human Performance; a private college with hybrid, online, and campus programs.
- Bachelor’s Food and Nutrition — 46-credit major, not an ACEND program
- M.S. Nutrition, DPD track — 36 credits, about $26,100 in tuition
- M.S. Nutrition, Accelerated track — 47 credits, about 1,040 practice hours, about $34,075
- M.S. Nutrition, Advanced Career Track — 30 credits, online, about $21,750
- Dietetic Internship — $15,500 flat, about 11 months
The Accelerated track’s first cohort was 8 students and 12 were inducted in July 2026, after ACEND denied a growth request in 2025. All three ACEND terms end June 30, 2027, and the DPD track does not guarantee an internship place. Full Meredith College profile.
North Carolina State University
Raleigh; Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences; campus-based, with one online master’s.
- B.S. Nutrition Sciences — Science and Applied tracks, 120 credits, about $36,986 in-state with fees
- M.S. Nutrition — thesis, 30 credits, about $17,562 in-state tuition
- Master of Nutrition — online, non-thesis, 36 credits, about $22,100 in-state
- Ph.D. Nutrition — 72 credits, typically funded
NC State has no ACEND program, and its online master’s pairs human nutrition with feed science but is excluded from assistantship funding. The Applied bachelor’s track lists RDN among destinations, which means prerequisites for a program elsewhere. Full NC State profile.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Raleigh
Which programs carry the credential
Only Meredith’s ACEND programs do. Its online Advanced Career Track is not ACEND-accredited but supplies the master’s degree, and NC State’s four degrees need an accredited program elsewhere to reach the credential.
Cost architecture
NC State charges residents $585.39 per graduate credit and Meredith $725 plus a $125 semester fee. Meredith’s M.S. is eligible for half-tuition assistantships for up to two years, while NC State’s thesis degrees may be funded and its online master’s is not eligible.
Entry point and timing
Meredith’s master’s tracks take any bachelor’s with eight prerequisites and a 3.0 prerequisite GPA, and its Accelerated track starts only in the fall with a January 1, 2027 deadline. NC State’s graduate programs expect biology and organic chemistry and a 3.0 GPA, with a fall deadline of June 25 for US applicants.
Before applying in Raleigh, confirm Meredith’s current ACEND status, since all three terms end June 30, 2027 and a 2023 decision about reorganizing its internship does not match the directory. Also confirm whether the NC State articulation agreement is still in effect. For other North Carolina programs, see the North Carolina nutrition programs page.