by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. This list may shock you as many typically expensive schools are very generous with need-based financial aid.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 34 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Duke University the best value (income $0-$30k) school in North Carolina for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Duke University has the honor of being ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Value Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the school is a large public institution.
North Carolina State University has the honor of being ranked #3 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
The quality degree programs at Wake Forest University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the school is a medium-sized private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Wake Forest University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
Out of the 34 master’s degree schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Appalachian State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Boone, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Appalachian State University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. This fairly large public school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Not only is University of North Carolina at Greensboro a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Fayetteville State University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. Fayetteville State University is a public institution located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Not only is Fayetteville State University a great value, but it is also ranked #24 in North Carolina for overall quality.
East Carolina University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. ECU is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina.
East Carolina University has the honor of being ranked #6 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #9. This fairly large public school is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
Not only is Western Carolina University a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in North Carolina for overall quality.
With a ranking of #10, North Carolina A & T State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
North Carolina A & T State University has the honor of being ranked #21 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at North Carolina A & T State University
Elizabeth City State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. Elizabeth City State University is a small public school located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Not only is Elizabeth City State University a great value, but it is also ranked #33 in North Carolina for overall quality.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. UNC Charlotte is a large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte has the honor of being ranked #7 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at University of North Carolina at Charlotte
With a ranking of #13, University of North Carolina at Pembroke did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. UNC Pembroke is a public institution located in Pembroke, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is ranked #25 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. UNCW is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Not only is University of North Carolina at Wilmington a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington Value Report
Salem College did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #15. Salem is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Salem College has the honor of being ranked #22 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Winston - Salem State University landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Winston - Salem State University has the honor of being ranked #19 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Wingate University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #17. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wingate, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Wingate University is ranked #17 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
North Carolina Central University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. This medium-sized public school is located in Durham, North Carolina.
Not only is North Carolina Central University a great value, but it is also ranked #26 in North Carolina for overall quality.
With a ranking of #19, Gardner - Webb University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. Gardner - Webb is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Gardner - Webb University is ranked #12 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
Methodist University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Methodist University is ranked #20 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
Campbell University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. Located in Buies Creek, North Carolina, the school is a medium-sized private not-for-profit institution.
Campbell University has the honor of being ranked #15 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Johnson C Smith University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Johnson C Smith University a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in North Carolina for overall quality.
Lenoir - Rhyne University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. Lenoir - Rhyne University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hickory, North Carolina.
Not only is Lenoir - Rhyne University a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in North Carolina for overall quality.
University of Mount Olive ranked #24 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina list. University of Mount Olive is a small private not-for-profit school located in Mount Olive, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Mount Olive is ranked #30 for quality in the state of North Carolina.
North Carolina Wesleyan College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina ranking. Rocky Mount, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
North Carolina Wesleyan College has the honor of being ranked #23 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
