Best value colleges for Business in North Carolina.2026 Rankings
With 50 Business programs spread across North Carolina, narrowing your list takes real data. Our algorithm ranks each school on six factors — admission rate, graduation rate, net price, median graduate earnings, student-faculty ratio, and major breadth — so you can compare apples to apples before you apply.
North Carolina offers 12 public and 18 private Business programs in this ranking. Public universities average $21,967 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — accepts 19% of applicants. Early-career earnings for Business graduates average $32,670, with a state-wide graduation rate of 52% for ranked programs.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $56,877 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 | |
| 2 | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $85,618 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 | |
| 3 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $45,880 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 4 | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $44,126 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 | |
| 5 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $46,068 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 6 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 48% | $8,929 | $34,414 | 17:1 | 32 | 1,863 | |
| 7 | Meredith CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 75% | 65% | $17,521 | $48,955 | 10:1 | 37 | 1,288 |
| 8 | Strong· 35 | 68% | 66% | $24,168 | $54,032 | 9:1 | 39 | 1,362 | |
| 9 | Saint Augustine's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 59% | 33% | $17,866 | $23,746 | 11:1 | 27 | 766 |
| 10 | Shaw UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 30% | 20% | $16,310 | $34,652 | 11:1 | 26 | 839 |
| 11 | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $48,369 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 | |
| 12 | Warren Wilson CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 43% | $15,474 | $22,535 | 11:1 | 23 | 720 |
| 13 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $30,944 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 | |
| 14 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $47,235 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 15 | Strong· 34 | 94% | 55% | $13,105 | $44,945 | 11:1 | 31 | 2,790 | |
| 16 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $46,272 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 | |
| 17 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $37,906 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 18 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $37,725 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 19 | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $45,114 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 | |
| 20 | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $37,358 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 | |
| 21 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $43,299 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 22 | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $36,602 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 | |
| 23 | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $32,541 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 | |
| 24 | Brevard CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 40% | 39% | $21,716 | $30,761 | 11:1 | 24 | 760 |
| 25 | Chowan UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 72% | 29% | $18,449 | $37,634 | 15:1 | 27 | 638 |
| 26 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $42,840 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 27 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $33,292 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |
| 28 | Livingstone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 74% | 27% | $16,327 | $25,757 | 13:1 | 19 | 798 |
| 29 | Montreat CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 66% | 41% | $26,184 | $31,744 | 12:1 | 31 | 750 |
| 30 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 62% | $16,785 | $45,497 | 17:1 | 68 | 19,857 |