WASHINGTON (AFP) - One person was killed and another was wounded in a shooting early on Sunday at a university in the US state of North Carolina, with the suspected gunman still at large, officials said.

The Winston-Salem State University said in a Facebook post that the incident was reported overnight at about 1.20am local time (1.30pm Singapore time).

The school was subsequently placed on a lockdown that lasted for more than three hours.

"We can confirm that there has been one fatality and one injured individual," the post said. "Both are believed to be students."

It urged witnesses with any information on the whereabouts of a male suspect named in the post to come forward.

Sunday's incident is the latest in a series of recent shootings on US campuses.

On Oct 1, a gunman opened fire at a community college in Oregon, killing nine before taking his own life.