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2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina

13 Ranked Colleges
911 Degrees Awarded
$15,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in North Carolina

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across North Carolina, there were 18,179 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,963 and $16,206 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 911 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,192 and $24,368 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in North Carolina

#1

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the #1 spot on the list. North Carolina State University is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students list, NC State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $16,458 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend North Carolina State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full North Carolina State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#2

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend East Carolina University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina. ECU is a public institution located in Greenville, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 251 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ECU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $15,844 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend East Carolina University.

Full East Carolina University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#3

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this fairly large public school handed out 144 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

UNC Greensboro not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $12,748 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at UNC Greensboro

#4

North Carolina A & T State University

Greensboro, North Carolina

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina A & T State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this fairly large public school awarded 178 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

NC A&T also took the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $10,274 for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend North Carolina A & T State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at North Carolina A & T State University

#5

University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Asheville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. UNCA is located in Asheville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

UNCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend UNCA is $12,061 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of North Carolina at Asheville

#6

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Fayetteville State University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Fayetteville State University is $5,899 for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Fayetteville State University

#7

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #7. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Appalachian State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $13,920 for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend Appalachian State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Appalachian State

#8

Winston - Salem State University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston - Salem State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.

WSSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $12,286 for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend WSSU.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at WSSU

#9

Belmont Abbey College

Belmont, North Carolina

Belmont Abbey College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. BAC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Belmont, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students list, BAC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BAC is $21,148 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at BAC

#10

Greensboro College

Greensboro, North Carolina

With a ranking of #10, Greensboro College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Greensboro College also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $18,764 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend Greensboro College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Greensboro College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#11

Livingstone College

Salisbury, North Carolina

Livingstone College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #11. This small school is located in Salisbury, North Carolina, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Livingstone College also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Livingstone College is $18,006 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Livingstone College

#12

William Peace University

Raleigh, North Carolina

William Peace University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

WPU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $24,134 for north carolina bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend William Peace University.

Full William Peace University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#13

Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina list. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

JWU Charlotte did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The estimated yearly cost for JWU Charlotte is $23,774 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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