Best ROI Colleges in North Carolina
Looking for value in North Carolina? Start here. We ranked these colleges by ROI - earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%) - all from U.S. Department of Education data, with no prestige guesswork in the mix.
10 schools ranked
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
| # | School | ROI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University Durham, NC | 96 |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | 94 |
| 3 | Davidson College Davidson, NC | 90 |
| 4 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | 88 |
| 5 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | 87 |
| 6 | Elon University Elon, NC | 75 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | 68 |
| 8 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC | 61 |
| 9 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC | 59 |
| 10 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC | 58 |
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How We Rank
Rankings are based on our ROI score (0-100), which weights five quantifiable factors: Earnings Premium (30%), Payback Period (25%), Debt-to-Earnings (20%), Completion Rate (15%), and Loan Repayment (10%). All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. No subjective criteria are used.
Full methodology →Common Questions
What is the best best-ROI college in North Carolina?
Duke University tops this list at 96/100 on our ROI scale, the highest among the 10 schools ranked here. Rankings weigh net price against median graduate earnings from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data - no prestige guesswork.
Which school on this list has the highest graduate earnings?
Duke University reports the highest median earnings here, about $97,800 ten years after enrollment. In our view higher earnings alone don't make the best value, since what you pay matters just as much - which is why the ranking weighs cost too.
What is the most affordable school on this list?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill carries the lowest net price among the ranked schools, about $11,655 a year after grants and scholarships. Net price is what students actually pay, not the published sticker price.
How are these schools ranked?
We score every school 0 to 100 on five quantifiable factors: earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%). All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, with no subjective reputation scoring. Of the 10 schools here, 8 earn an ROI score of 60 or higher.