The college explorer
Find a college.
See what it returns.
Look beyond the sticker price. Explore real costs, graduate earnings, and how long a degree takes to pay for itself.
How we measure value3,376colleges to explore
434with a Strong ROI verdict
College Scorecard · 2026 release
Federal figures. Our calculations.
115 matching colleges · Showing 1–24
Compare collegesBrowse by state or territory
Payback guideStrong ≤5 yearsSolid ≤10Slow ≤20Weak >20 or no payback
North Carolina 115 matching
View state rankingStrong ROI
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
Net price / year$17,303Payback3.4 years
Solid ROI
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
Net price / year$15,435Payback6.9 years
Strong ROI
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Net price / year$11,655Payback2 years
Solid ROI
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC
Net price / year$15,739Payback9.3 years
Weak ROI
Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC
Net price / year$8,759PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
Net price / year$16,836Payback19.4 years
Weak ROI
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC
Net price / year$3,345PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC
Net price / year$20,109Payback12.2 years
Weak ROI
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC
Net price / year$10,965PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC
Net price / year$10,846PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC
Net price / year$13,315Payback48.5 years
Weak ROI
Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington, NC
Net price / year$9,610PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, NC
Net price / year$3,589PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Guilford Technical Community College
Jamestown, NC
Net price / year$15,002PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC
Net price / year$7,200PaybackNot available
Solid ROI
Elon University
Elon, NC
Net price / year$41,555Payback6.3 years
Strong ROI
Duke University
Durham, NC
Net price / year$29,612Payback2.4 years
Weak ROI
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC
Net price / year$15,359PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC
Net price / year$7,892PaybackNot available
Strong ROI
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Net price / year$28,719Payback3.9 years
Weak ROI
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC
Net price / year$10,260PaybackNot available
Weak ROI
Pitt Community College
Winterville, NC
Net price / year$7,337PaybackNot available
Slow ROI
High Point University
High Point, NC
Net price / year$38,707Payback11.9 years
Weak ROI
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, NC
Net price / year$11,602PaybackNot available