Best-Value Colleges in North Carolina
20 North Carolina 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in North Carolina is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill — a net price of $12,983 against $72,200 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.6×, with a 92% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | $12,983 | $72,200 | 5.6× | 92% | $8,989 |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC | $10,170 | $48,160 | 4.7× | 58% | $7,593 |
| 3 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | $18,127 | $81,400 | 4.5× | 92% | $60,300 |
| 4 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | $16,931 | $68,758 | 4.1× | 85% | $8,895 |
| 5 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC | $12,579 | $49,458 | 3.9× | 59% | $4,532 |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $14,745 | $57,289 | 3.9× | 68% | $7,214 |
| 7 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC | $16,514 | $55,146 | 3.3× | 62% | $7,361 |
| 8 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC | $16,487 | $51,836 | 3.1× | 73% | $7,541 |
| 9 | Duke University Durham, NC | $34,454 | $97,800 | 2.8× | 96% | $65,805 |
| 10 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC | $19,472 | $54,967 | 2.8× | 71% | $7,317 |
| 11 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | $28,746 | $78,158 | 2.7× | 91% | $64,758 |
| 12 | Catawba College Salisbury, NC | $18,210 | $48,793 | 2.7× | 52% | $33,400 |
| 13 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC | $20,197 | $51,539 | 2.6× | 65% | $43,936 |
| 14 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC | $23,991 | $54,886 | 2.3× | 56% | $40,410 |
| 15 | Guilford College Greensboro, NC | $21,200 | $47,590 | 2.2× | 48% | $41,140 |
| 16 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $27,786 | $57,673 | 2.1× | 66% | $43,285 |
| 17 | Barton College Wilson, NC | $23,665 | $47,913 | 2.0× | 52% | $35,600 |
| 18 | Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC | $24,137 | $48,039 | 2.0× | 62% | $33,450 |
| 19 | Elon University Elon, NC | $41,048 | $74,545 | 1.8× | 83% | $44,536 |
| 20 | High Point University High Point, NC | $40,721 | $61,389 | 1.5× | 70% | $44,208 |
How we ranked this
From every North Carolina four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in North Carolina?+
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill has the highest return on investment among North Carolina 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $12,983 against $72,200 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 5.6× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 92% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among North Carolina four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.