2027 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in North Carolina

[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students.
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2027 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in North Carolina
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earned the #1 spot for value among area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools in North Carolina. Set in the city of Chapel Hill, University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,994, compared with $41,203 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $12,988 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill earn a median of $31,879 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill admits about 15% of applicants.
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools. Set in the city of Greensboro, University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $7,661 in tuition and fees, compared with $24,012 for out-of-state students. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $27,210 in student loans. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $29,723. That is a strong return on a $27,210 median debt. The acceptance rate is 88%.
Students looking for strong value in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies will find it at University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, which ranked #3. University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte. Students from in state pay about $7,239 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $22,492. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $31,000. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of University Of North Carolina At Charlotte earn a median of $37,411 early in their careers. Set against $31,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
Piedmont International University came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools. Set in the city of Winston-Salem, Piedmont International University is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,575. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $28,154 in student loans. Soon after graduation, area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degree recipients from Piedmont International University generally make around $61,421. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Piedmont International University admits about 40% of applicants.
Duke University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, landing the #5 spot this year. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,758. Students borrow a median of $13,296 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $83,388. Set against $13,296 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 6%.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 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.