2026 Best Value English Schools in North Carolina
[English](/majors/english-language-literature/general-english-language-literature/english/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 47 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value english schools.
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2026 Best Value English Schools in North Carolina
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the english degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value English Schools
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill tops our 2026 list of the best value english schools in North Carolina. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,994, with out-of-state students paying around $41,203. English graduates carry a median of $14,794 in student loans. English graduates of University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earn a median of $40,247 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 15% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary one of the best values for english. Located in the suburb of Wake Forest, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $11,318. English graduates of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary earn a median of $54,863 early in their careers. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the city of Greensboro, University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $7,661, while out-of-state students pay about $24,012. English graduates carry a median of $19,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Greensboro generally make around $29,494. Set against $19,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of North Carolina At Greensboro admits about 88% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in english will find it at Fayetteville State University, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville State University is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,353, with out-of-state students paying around $8,353. English graduates carry a median of $27,869 in student loans. Early-career english graduates make about $41,449. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Fayetteville State University admits about 82% of applicants.
University Of North Carolina At Charlotte came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the city of Charlotte, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,239, while out-of-state students pay about $22,492. Typical student debt for english graduates is $23,071. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Charlotte generally make around $33,330. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
University Of North Carolina At Asheville came in at #6 for value in english this year. Located in the city of Asheville, University Of North Carolina At Asheville is a mid-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,501, with out-of-state students paying around $24,849. Typical student debt for english graduates is $23,752. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Asheville generally make around $19,136. Set against $23,752 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 92% of applicants are accepted.
Western Carolina University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Located in the town of Cullowhee, Western Carolina University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $4,630 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $8,630. English graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from Western Carolina University generally make around $29,891. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 82%.
North Carolina State University At Raleigh earned the #8 position for value in english this year. North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a very large public school located in the city of Raleigh. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,799, compared with $32,847 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for english graduates is $21,680. Early-career english graduates make about $34,130. That is a strong return on a $21,680 median debt. The acceptance rate is 42%.
North Carolina Central University came in at #9 for value in english this year. Located in the city of Durham, North Carolina Central University is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,699, while out-of-state students pay about $19,735. Students borrow a median of $31,173 to complete the english program here. Early-career english graduates make about $42,873. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
Appalachian State University placed #10 among the best values for english. Appalachian State University is a very large public school located in the town of Boone. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,579, with out-of-state students paying around $25,212. Students borrow a median of $21,430 to complete the english program here. Early-career english graduates make about $23,397. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
Davidson College landed the #11 spot for english value this year. Located in the suburb of Davidson, Davidson College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $64,430. Typical student debt for english graduates is $19,906. Early-career english graduates make about $34,707. Set against $19,906 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Davidson College admits about 13% of applicants.
East Carolina University placed #12 among the best values for english. East Carolina University is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville. In-state tuition and fees average $7,361, while out-of-state students pay about $23,638. Students borrow a median of $25,400 to complete the english program here. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from East Carolina University generally make around $29,133. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
University Of North Carolina At Wilmington came in at #13 for value in english this year. Located in the city of Wilmington, University Of North Carolina At Wilmington is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,277, with out-of-state students paying around $24,152. English graduates carry a median of $24,636 in student loans. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from University Of North Carolina At Wilmington generally make around $24,384. That is a strong return on a $24,636 median debt. University Of North Carolina At Wilmington admits about 64% of applicants.
Gardner Webb University came in at #14 for value in english this year. Set in the rural area of Boiling Springs, Gardner Webb University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,750. Students borrow a median of $25,033 to complete the english program here. English graduates of Gardner Webb University earn a median of $63,220 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,033 median debt. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Wake Forest University placed #15 among the best values for english. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Winston-Salem. Students from in state pay about $67,642 in tuition and fees. English graduates carry a median of $19,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from Wake Forest University generally make around $31,449. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 22% of applicants are accepted.
Duke University earned the #16 position for value in english this year. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,758. Typical student debt for english graduates is $15,362. English graduates of Duke University earn a median of $34,962 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,362 median debt. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
High Point University earned the #17 position for value in english this year. Located in the city of High Point, High Point University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,312. English graduates carry a median of $23,785 in student loans. Early-career english graduates make about $113,352. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 75%.
Elon University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best value english schools. Elon University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elon. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $46,958. English graduates carry a median of $21,619 in student loans. Soon after graduation, english degree recipients from Elon University generally make around $36,302. Set against $21,619 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 66% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 47 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 13 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
