Best colleges for business in North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks first in North Carolina for business value (#1 nationally, value score 95.9): graduates earn $135,874 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $11,305 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 34 North Carolina colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best business colleges in North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks first in North Carolina for business value (#1 nationally, value score 95.9): graduates earn $135,874 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $11,305 a year. 34 North Carolina colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $59,927 and the average net price is $19,249 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 34 North Carolina colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $59,927 and the average net price is $19,249 a year.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Elizabeth City State University: $8,048 a year.
- Median earnings
- $59,927
- National: $64,860
- Median net price
- $19,249
- National: $19,132
- Median federal debt
- $22,062
- business graduates
- Public colleges
- 15 of 34
- in this list
34 colleges
The North Carolina ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in North Carolina 1
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public · #1 nationally
95.9Value- Earnings
- $135,874
- Net price
- $11,305
- Federal debt
- $9,250
- Graduation rate
- 91%
- Rank in North Carolina 2
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public · #25 nationally
84.7Value- Earnings
- $84,349
- Net price
- $16,486
- Federal debt
- $18,250
- Graduation rate
- 85%
- Rank in North Carolina 3
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · #62 nationally
77.8Value- Earnings
- $118,167
- Net price
- $28,165
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 90%
- Rank in North Carolina 4
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · Public · #97 nationally
73.7Value- Earnings
- $75,512
- Net price
- $19,570
- Federal debt
- $17,226
- Graduation rate
- 72%
- Rank in North Carolina 5
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Public · #101 nationally
73.3Value- Earnings
- $70,654
- Net price
- $15,142
- Federal debt
- $16,450
- Graduation rate
- 68%
- Earnings
- $64,932
- Net price
- $16,082
- Federal debt
- $15,000
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Rank in North Carolina 7
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · #233 nationally
64.4Value- Earnings
- $82,572
- Net price
- $29,421
- Federal debt
- $20,194
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Earnings
- $64,723
- Net price
- $16,880
- Federal debt
- $18,163
- Graduation rate
- 63%
- Rank in North Carolina 9
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC · Public · #460 nationally
51.3Value- Earnings
- $60,863
- Net price
- $9,884
- Federal debt
- $21,500
- Graduation rate
- 56%
- Rank in North Carolina 10
Cullowhee, NC · Public · #484 nationally
50.0Value- Earnings
- $57,713
- Net price
- $13,025
- Federal debt
- $17,823
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Rank in North Carolina 11
Belmont, NC · Private nonprofit · #588 nationally
44.5Value- Earnings
- $70,655
- Net price
- $25,416
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Rank in North Carolina 12
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC · Public · #597 nationally
44.3Value- Earnings
- $56,225
- Net price
- $12,291
- Federal debt
- $19,559
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Rank in North Carolina 13
Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · #600 nationally
44.1Value- Earnings
- $60,718
- Net price
- $15,993
- Federal debt
- $20,001
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Rank in North Carolina 14
Wingate, NC · Private nonprofit · #622 nationally
42.4Value- Earnings
- $67,082
- Net price
- $21,511
- Federal debt
- $25,688
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in North Carolina 15
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Asheville, NC · Public · #677 nationally
39.5Value- Earnings
- $56,479
- Net price
- $14,999
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 52%
- Rank in North Carolina 16
Montreat, NC · Private nonprofit · #732 nationally
36.9Value- Earnings
- $67,034
- Net price
- $25,095
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in North Carolina 17
Buies Creek, NC · Private nonprofit · #740 nationally
36.5Value- Earnings
- $59,746
- Net price
- $25,057
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 59%
- Rank in North Carolina 18
Boiling Springs, NC · Private nonprofit · #750 nationally
35.6Value- Earnings
- $61,489
- Net price
- $21,150
- Federal debt
- $22,765
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Rank in North Carolina 19
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC · Public · #771 nationally
34.4Value- Earnings
- $55,233
- Net price
- $10,522
- Federal debt
- $23,750
- Graduation rate
- 44%
- Rank in North Carolina 20
Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit · #800 nationally
33.0Value- Earnings
- $56,173
- Net price
- $23,002
- Federal debt
- $16,750
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Rank in North Carolina 21
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, NC · Public · #806 nationally
32.6Value- Earnings
- $49,903
- Net price
- $8,048
- Federal debt
- $22,062
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Rank in North Carolina 22
Mount Olive, NC · Private nonprofit · #837 nationally
30.6Value- Earnings
- $60,436
- Net price
- $18,927
- Federal debt
- $27,083
- Graduation rate
- 42%
- Rank in North Carolina 23
Fayetteville, NC · Public · #851 nationally
29.3Value- Earnings
- $48,094
- Net price
- $8,500
- Federal debt
- $20,558
- Graduation rate
- 37%
- Rank in North Carolina 24
Mars Hill, NC · Private nonprofit · #855 nationally
28.9Value- Earnings
- $57,743
- Net price
- $20,442
- Federal debt
- $23,251
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Rank in North Carolina 25
Methodist University-North Carolina
Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · #863 nationally
28.2Value- Earnings
- $63,424
- Net price
- $25,760
- Federal debt
- $26,500
- Graduation rate
- 39%
- Rank in North Carolina 26
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC · Public · #876 nationally
27.6Value- Earnings
- $54,999
- Net price
- $16,708
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Rank in North Carolina 27
Banner Elk, NC · Private nonprofit · #894 nationally
26.0Value- Earnings
- $60,108
- Net price
- $28,253
- Federal debt
- Not reported
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Rank in North Carolina 28
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC · Public · #902 nationally
25.2Value- Earnings
- $43,292
- Net price
- $12,817
- Federal debt
- $25,500
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Earnings
- $55,125
- Net price
- $24,367
- Federal debt
- $23,625
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Earnings
- $57,660
- Net price
- $25,617
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Graduation rate
- 40%
- Rank in North Carolina 31
North Carolina Wesleyan College
Rocky Mount, NC · Private nonprofit · #950 nationally
19.0Value- Earnings
- $50,983
- Net price
- $20,318
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 45%
- Rank in North Carolina 32
Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · #971 nationally
15.4Value- Earnings
- $40,328
- Net price
- $17,026
- Federal debt
- $32,500
- Graduation rate
- 20%
- Rank in North Carolina 33
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · #973 nationally
14.9Value- Earnings
- $51,371
- Net price
- $21,397
- Federal debt
- $36,653
- Graduation rate
- 34%
- Earnings
- $47,401
- Net price
- $24,242
- Federal debt
- $26,377
- Graduation rate
- 20%
Method: the same value score as the national business ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about business colleges in North Carolina
What are the best colleges for business in North Carolina?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 North Carolina colleges for business are University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (value score 95.9), North Carolina State University at Raleigh (value score 84.7) and Wake Forest University (value score 77.8). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which North Carolina college has the highest earnings for business graduates?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: its business graduates have median earnings of $135,874 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable business college in North Carolina on this list?
Elizabeth City State University has the lowest average net price of the ranked North Carolina colleges, $8,048 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many North Carolina colleges are ranked for business?
34 North Carolina colleges have a business bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within North Carolina.