Best Value North Carolina Colleges
North Carolina has 34 colleges ranked by value, part of our national best value ranking. We weigh academic quality against average net price so you find schools that deliver strong results without overpaying.
Duke University offers the best value in North Carolina for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $21,981. The top value public university is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also high value: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University and Davidson College.
Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Sort by net price, acceptance rate, or academic rating to find the best deal for your budget.
Duke University
- Private 4 Year
- Durham, NC
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Jan 3 application deadline
Duke is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate public policy, biomedical engineering, and economics. The residential campus in Durham centers on Collegiate Gothic quads and a separate East Campus for first-year housing.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 6%
- Net Price $21,981
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public 4 Year
- Chapel Hill, NC
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UNC-Chapel Hill is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and public health. Chapel Hill is a classic college town built around the historic campus.
- SAT Range 1390-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 15%
- Net Price $10,154
Wake Forest University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Wake Forest is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergraduates live on the residential campus in Winston-Salem.
- SAT Range 1410-1520
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 22%
- Net Price $24,401
Davidson College
- Private 4 Year
- Davidson, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 7 application deadline
Davidson is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. An honor code shapes unproctored exams and student self-governance on the residential campus near Charlotte.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 13%
- Net Price $27,720
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Public 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
NC State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and textiles. The campus sits in Raleigh within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 1300-1470
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $15,522
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Public 4 Year
- Winston Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 15 application deadline
UNCSA is a public arts conservatory known for undergraduate dance, drama, music, and filmmaking. Students train on a specialized campus in Winston-Salem devoted to intensive performing-arts study.
- SAT Range 1140-1370
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 30%
- Net Price $13,140
Catawba College
- Private 4 Year
- Salisbury, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Catawba is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental science and ecology. The residential campus sits in Salisbury in North Carolina's Piedmont region.
- SAT Range 1030-1300
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $18,447
Meredith College
- Private 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Meredith is a private women's college known for undergraduate business, education, and design. The residential campus sits in Raleigh near the state's government district.
- SAT Range 1098-1348
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $24,323
Campbell University
- Private 4 Year
- Buies Creek, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Campbell is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate health sciences, business, and PGA golf management. The rural campus anchors the small town of Buies Creek.
- SAT Range 1030-1230
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $25,736
Queens University of Charlotte
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 7 application deadline
Queens is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The historic campus sits in Charlotte's Myers Park neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1140-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $31,839
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
University of North Carolina Asheville
- Public 4 Year
- Asheville, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNC Asheville is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate environmental studies and the arts. The campus sits in the mountain city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $13,798
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Public 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
UNC Charlotte is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in North Carolina's largest city.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $15,045
University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Public 4 Year
- Wilmington, NC
-
3.4 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UNCW is a public university known for undergraduate marine biology and coastal sciences. The campus sits in coastal Wilmington near the Atlantic beaches.
- SAT Range 1230-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $18,976
Elon University
- Private 4 Year
- Elon, NC
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 10 application deadline
Elon is a private university known for undergraduate communications and business. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Elon.
- SAT Range 1130-1280
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $44,440
Appalachian State University
- Public 4 Year
- Boone, NC
-
4.3 | 10 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Appalachian State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and sustainable development. Boone is a mountain college town in North Carolina's Blue Ridge range.
- SAT Range 1120-1280
- Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,978
Barton College
- Private 4 Year
- Wilson, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Barton is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and education. The residential campus is in the small city of Wilson in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 970-1150
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $23,962
Belmont Abbey College
- Private 4 Year
- Belmont, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Belmont Abbey is a private Benedictine Catholic college known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. The historic campus adjoins Belmont Abbey monastery in the Charlotte metro area.
- SAT Range 960-1200
- Avg GPA 3.32
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $24,726