Best Education Colleges in North Carolina2026 Rankings
With 53 Education 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 Education programs in this ranking. Public universities average $24,634 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 Education graduates average $32,852, with a state-wide graduation rate of 55% for ranked programs.
Not sure if your profile matches these schools?
Every Education program here has a different student profile it targets. Before you finalize your list, it's worth understanding where you stand.
Drop your application data into our Free Application Review. Our AI will analyze your admission chances and stats in 2 minutes. Get practical next steps for improvements where it matters most.
Get My Free Application Review →2026 Rankings: Education Programs in North Carolina
| # | 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 | $40,723 | 6:1 | 59 | 6,417 |
| 2 | Wake Forest UniversityPrivate | Excellent· 46 | 22% | 91% | $12,769 | $52,635 | 9:1 | 37 | 5,471 |
| 3 | North Carolina State University at RaleighPublic | Excellent· 44 | 40% | 85% | $13,992 | $50,866 | 15:1 | 77 | 26,389 |
| 4 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPublic | Excellent· 43 | 19% | 92% | $11,220 | $29,897 | 15:1 | 51 | 20,556 |
| 5 | Elon UniversityPrivate | Strong· 37 | 67% | 83% | $32,133 | $45,880 | 11:1 | 64 | 6,402 |
| 6 | Queens University of CharlottePrivate | Strong· 35 | 68% | 66% | $24,168 | $53,907 | 9:1 | 39 | 1,362 |
| 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 | $43,283 | 16:1 | 67 | 19,304 |
| 10 | Shaw UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 30% | 20% | $16,310 | $26,963 | 11:1 | 26 | 839 |
| 11 | Saint Augustine's UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 59% | 33% | $17,866 | $23,746 | 11:1 | 27 | 766 |
| 12 | Elizabeth City State UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 48% | $8,929 | $34,414 | 17:1 | 32 | 1,863 |
| 13 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonPublic | Strong· 35 | 74% | 71% | $18,377 | $42,584 | 17:1 | 49 | 14,176 |
| 14 | Methodist UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 75% | 40% | $23,113 | $39,592 | 9:1 | 47 | 1,425 |
| 15 | University of North Carolina at CharlottePublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 68% | $14,014 | $42,692 | 21:1 | 69 | 23,567 |
| 16 | Fayetteville State UniversityPublic | Strong· 34 | 80% | 35% | $8,806 | $42,080 | 19:1 | 33 | 5,493 |
| 17 | Salem CollegePrivate | Good· 33 | 87% | 56% | $18,561 | $36,646 | 7:1 | 35 | 390 |
| 18 | University of North Carolina at PembrokePublic | Good· 33 | 92% | 45% | $10,905 | $35,639 | 14:1 | 33 | 5,386 |
| 19 | North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 40% | $17,786 | $36,227 | 13:1 | 28 | 1,169 |
| 20 | North Carolina A & T State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 46% | 55% | $13,024 | $49,099 | 20:1 | 58 | 11,925 |
| 21 | Winston-Salem State UniversityPublic | Good· 33 | 69% | 49% | $15,668 | $41,957 | 16:1 | 36 | 4,244 |
| 22 | Mars Hill UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 78% | 42% | $20,703 | $34,519 | 10:1 | 34 | 995 |
| 23 | Johnson C Smith UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 43% | 34% | $17,959 | $31,047 | 11:1 | 24 | 1,047 |
| 24 | Gardner-Webb UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 87% | 62% | $19,334 | $39,850 | 11:1 | 42 | 1,836 |
| 25 | Lees-McRae CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 81% | 44% | $20,899 | $38,074 | 10:1 | 24 | 817 |
| 26 | Montreat CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 66% | 41% | $26,184 | $31,744 | 12:1 | 31 | 750 |
| 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 | Livingstone CollegePrivate | Good· 32 | 74% | 27% | $16,327 | $24,905 | 13:1 | 19 | 798 |
| 30 | Western Carolina UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 87% | 59% | $13,085 | $40,015 | 16:1 | 55 | 9,867 |