2026 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in North Carolina
[Child Development & Psychology](/majors/psychology/child-development-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 6 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value child development & psychology schools.
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2026 Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools in North Carolina
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in child development & psychology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Child Development & Psychology Schools
For return on investment in child development & psychology, no school beat East Carolina University this year. Located in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $7,361 in tuition and fees, compared with $23,638 for out-of-state students. Child Development & Psychology graduates carry a median of $24,747 in student loans. Soon after graduation, child development & psychology degree recipients from East Carolina University generally make around $51,931. That is a strong return on a $24,747 median debt. East Carolina University admits about 89% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Davidson College one of the best values for child development & psychology. Davidson College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Davidson. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $64,430. Typical student debt for child development & psychology graduates is $19,906. Child Development & Psychology graduates of Davidson College earn a median of $41,505 early in their careers. Set against $19,906 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Davidson College admits about 13% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in child development & psychology will find it at Duke University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $68,758. Students borrow a median of $12,125 to complete the child development & psychology program here. Soon after graduation, child development & psychology degree recipients from Duke University generally make around $39,359. Set against $12,125 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Duke University admits about 6% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced 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 · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
