Best-Value Colleges in North Carolina
21 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.
Quick answer
The best-value college in North Carolina is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill - a net price of $11,305 against $72,200 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 6.4×, 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 | $11,305 | $72,200 | 6.4× | 92% | $9,095 |
| 2 |  Davidson College Davidson, NC | $15,060 | $81,400 | 5.4× | 92% | $69,315 |
| 3 |  North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | $16,486 | $68,758 | 4.2× | 85% | $8,815 |
| 4 |  Duke University Durham, NC | $23,706 | $97,800 | 4.1× | 96% | $72,795 |
| 5 |  University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC | $12,291 | $48,160 | 3.9× | 58% | $7,731 |
| 6 |  Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC | $13,025 | $49,458 | 3.8× | 59% | $4,685 |
| 7 |  University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $15,142 | $57,289 | 3.8× | 68% | $7,317 |
| 8 |  East Carolina University Greenville, NC | $16,880 | $55,146 | 3.3× | 62% | $7,438 |
| 9 |  Appalachian State University Boone, NC | $16,082 | $51,836 | 3.2× | 73% | $7,642 |
| 10 |  Catawba College Salisbury, NC | $15,993 | $48,793 | 3.1× | 52% | $35,500 |
| 11 |  University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC | $19,570 | $54,967 | 2.8× | 71% | $7,266 |
| 12 |  Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | $28,165 | $78,158 | 2.8× | 91% | $70,332 |
| 13 |  Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs, NC | $21,150 | $48,039 | 2.3× | 62% | $36,350 |
| 14 |  Meredith College Raleigh, NC | $22,801 | $51,539 | 2.3× | 65% | $47,448 |
| 15 |  Campbell University Buies Creek, NC | $25,057 | $54,886 | 2.2× | 56% | $42,830 |
| 16 |  Guilford College Greensboro, NC | $22,813 | $47,590 | 2.1× | 48% | $42,320 |
| 17 |  Elon University Elon, NC | $35,785 | $74,545 | 2.1× | 83% | $48,723 |
| 18 |  Barton College Wilson, NC | $24,367 | $47,913 | 2.0× | 52% | $39,050 |
| 19 |  Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC | $29,421 | $57,673 | 2.0× | 66% | $48,445 |
| 20 | CCHS Carolinas College of Health Sciences Charlotte, NC | $41,061 | $64,624 | 1.6× | 100% | $19,341 |
| 21 |  High Point University High Point, NC | $41,019 | $61,389 | 1.5× | 70% | $49,146 |
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 $11,305 against $72,200 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 6.4× (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.
Keep exploring
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. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.