Best value colleges for Political Science in North Carolina.2026 Rankings
With 43 Political Science 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 Political Science programs in this ranking. Public universities average $24,926 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 Political Science graduates average $32,887, with a state-wide graduation rate of 58% 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 | $54,970 | 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 | $47,161 | 9:1 | 37 | 5,471 |
| 4 | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $38,321 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 | |
| 5 | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $41,200 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 | |
| 6 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $38,836 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 7 | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $30,096 | 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 | $39,730 | 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 | $31,124 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 | |
| 15 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $39,333 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 | |
| 16 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $39,592 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 17 | Strong· 34 | 94% | 55% | $13,105 | $23,964 | 11:1 | 31 | 2,790 | |
| 18 | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $32,780 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 | |
| 19 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $31,047 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 20 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $34,519 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 21 | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $42,310 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 | |
| 22 | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $36,227 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 | |
| 23 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $34,178 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 24 | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $22,223 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 | |
| 25 | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $26,725 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 | |
| 26 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $45,413 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 27 | Livingstone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 74% | 27% | $16,327 | $24,905 | 13:1 | 19 | 798 |
| 28 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 62% | $16,785 | $35,627 | 17:1 | 68 | 19,857 |
| 29 | Greensboro CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 92% | 41% | $17,363 | $34,112 | 10:1 | 27 | 656 |
| 30 | Guilford CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 84% | 48% | $25,205 | $31,217 | 12:1 | 40 | 1,011 |