Best value colleges for English in North Carolina.2026 Rankings
With 50 English 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 11 public and 19 private English programs in this ranking. Public universities average $26,346 for in-state students, making them a strong value option. The most competitive school on the list — Duke University — accepts 7% of applicants. Early-career earnings for English graduates average $32,345, with a state-wide graduation rate of 57% 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 | Duke UniversityPrivate | Perfect· 52 | 7% | 96% | $6,901 | $20,483 | 6:1 | 59 | 6,417 |
| 2 | Davidson CollegePrivate | Excellent· 47 | 14% | 92% | $7,610 | $41,411 | 9:1 | 32 | 1,901 |
| 3 | Wake Forest UniversityPrivate | Excellent· 46 | 22% | 91% | $12,769 | $31,449 | 9:1 | 37 | 5,471 |
| 4 | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $32,694 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 | |
| 5 | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $30,060 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 | |
| 6 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $36,302 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 7 | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $23,397 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 | |
| 8 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $34,621 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 9 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 48% | $8,929 | $34,414 | 17:1 | 32 | 1,863 | |
| 10 | Meredith CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 75% | 65% | $17,521 | $35,619 | 10:1 | 37 | 1,288 |
| 11 | Strong· 35 | 68% | 66% | $24,168 | $53,907 | 9:1 | 39 | 1,362 | |
| 12 | Saint Augustine's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 59% | 33% | $17,866 | $23,746 | 11:1 | 27 | 766 |
| 13 | Shaw UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 30% | 20% | $16,310 | $26,963 | 11:1 | 26 | 839 |
| 14 | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $24,384 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 | |
| 15 | Warren Wilson CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 43% | $15,474 | $22,535 | 11:1 | 23 | 720 |
| 16 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $39,333 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 | |
| 17 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $39,592 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 18 | Strong· 34 | 94% | 55% | $13,105 | $19,136 | 11:1 | 31 | 2,790 | |
| 19 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $32,021 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 | |
| 20 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $31,047 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 21 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $34,519 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 22 | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $30,995 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 | |
| 23 | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $36,227 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 | |
| 24 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $34,178 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 25 | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $35,639 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 | |
| 26 | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $41,957 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 | |
| 27 | Brevard CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 40% | 39% | $21,716 | $27,653 | 11:1 | 24 | 760 |
| 28 | Chowan UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 72% | 29% | $18,449 | $29,792 | 15:1 | 27 | 638 |
| 29 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $45,413 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 30 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $38,074 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |