Best Economics Colleges in North Carolina2026 Rankings
With 28 Economics 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 10 public and 18 private Economics programs in this ranking. Public universities average $27,238 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 Economics graduates average $33,175, with a state-wide graduation rate of 63% for ranked programs.
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| # | 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 | $98,649 | 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 | $56,416 | 9:1 | 37 | 5,471 |
| 4 | North Carolina State University at RaleighPublic | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $60,369 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 |
| 5 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPublic | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $65,344 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 |
| 6 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $69,298 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 7 | Catawba CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 52% | $14,971 | $34,621 | 12:1 | 35 | 1,127 |
| 8 | Meredith CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 75% | 65% | $17,521 | $39,730 | 10:1 | 37 | 1,288 |
| 9 | Appalachian State UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 89% | 73% | $15,766 | $33,742 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 |
| 10 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonPublic | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $44,355 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 |
| 11 | Warren Wilson CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 78% | 43% | $15,474 | $22,535 | 11:1 | 23 | 720 |
| 12 | University of North Carolina AshevillePublic | Strong· 34 | 94% | 55% | $13,105 | $28,301 | 11:1 | 31 | 2,790 |
| 13 | University of North Carolina at CharlottePublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $44,953 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 |
| 14 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $34,178 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 15 | North Carolina A & T State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $45,446 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 |
| 16 | Winston-Salem State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $25,653 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 |
| 17 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $31,047 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 18 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $45,413 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 19 | University of North Carolina at GreensboroPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 58% | $12,295 | $37,785 | 17:1 | 56 | 13,848 |
| 20 | East Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 90% | 62% | $16,785 | $46,425 | 17:1 | 68 | 19,857 |
| 21 | Greensboro CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 92% | 41% | $17,363 | $42,816 | 10:1 | 27 | 656 |
| 22 | Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 81% | 51% | $20,065 | $40,155 | 15:1 | 42 | 1,348 |
| 23 | Guilford CollegePrivate | Good· 31 | 84% | 48% | $25,205 | $31,217 | 12:1 | 40 | 1,011 |
| 24 | Campbell UniversityPrivate | Good· 30 | 94% | 56% | $19,451 | $44,910 | 13:1 | 56 | 2,790 |
| 25 | Southeastern Baptist Theological SeminaryPrivate | Good· 30 | 77% | 46% | $20,909 | $51,360 | 11:1 | 16 | 466 |
| 26 | High Point UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 77% | 70% | $37,597 | $47,613 | 17:1 | 52 | 4,970 |
| 27 | Belmont Abbey CollegePrivate | Average· 28 | 90% | 46% | $24,173 | $38,584 | 12:1 | 25 | 1,454 |
| 28 | Johnson & Wales University-CharlottePrivate | Average· 27 | 75% | 52% | $30,472 | $33,862 | 12:1 | 17 | 1,126 |