Which NC colleges cost the least? What NYT rankings say about sticker vs. net prices

Korie Dean
Photo courtesy of Western Carolina University

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a college to attend, including how much it will actually cost you to go there.

Colleges typically list a “sticker,” or advertised, price of attendance for students, which generally includes tuition, fees and housing. But after financial aid and other grants are factored in, the “net” price students pay to attend each college may be lower — sometimes by a significant amount.

A new interactive tool from The New York Times, released Monday, is allowing users to pick the factors they value most to generate individualized rankings of “the best American colleges — for you.” Using the tool’s interactive sliders, users can assign weights to 10 separate factors that consider campus life, academics, cost of attendance and post-graduation income earnings, among other factors.

“For students who know that their family probably won’t be offered much aid, using the sticker price may yield more results in line with their priorities,” The Times’ explanation of its methodology used to create the tool says. “But if they expect to receive some funding from the state government, the federal government or the institution, then the net price should be a better metric.”

The Times’ analysis and interactive tool include rankings of nearly 900 colleges in the U.S., including 26 in North Carolina, both public and private.

Wondering which North Carolina colleges and universities have the lowest cost of attendance? And what do students actually pay after financial aid and grants are factored in? We’ve broken down The Times’ rankings below.

NC colleges with lowest sticker advertised price

Western Carolina University in Cullowhee has the lowest “sticker price,” or the listed and advertised price of tuition, fees and housing for students. For in-state students, WCU lists the price of those fees as $19,018, The Times’ interactive tool says. WCU also ranks No. 3 nationally for this factor.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges based on the listed price of attendance is:

  1. Western Carolina University ($19,018 in-state)

  2. UNC-Greensboro ($20,404 in-state; also ranks 8th nationally)

  3. Appalachian State University ($20,799 in-state; also ranks 11th nationally)

  4. UNC-Asheville ($21,231 in-state; also ranks 17th nationally)

  5. Winston-Salem State University ($22,603 in-state)

  6. East Carolina University ($23,215 in-state)

  7. UNC-Charlotte ($23,716 in-state)

  8. UNC-Chapel Hill ($24,770 in-state)

  9. N.C. State University ($24,986 in-state)

  10. UNC-Wilmington ($25,855 in-state)

  11. Lees-McRae College ($42,640)

  12. Gardner-Webb University ($46,990)

  13. Barton College ($47,750)

  14. N.C. Wesleyan College ($47,789)

  15. Pfeiffer University ($48,254)

  16. Warren Wilson College ($54,080)

  17. Johnson & Wales University ($54,540)

  18. Queens University ($55,498)

  19. Elon University ($55,647)

  20. Wingate University ($55,780)

  21. Meredith College ($56,034)

  22. Lenoir-Rhyne University ($58,910)

  23. High Point University ($59,408)

  24. Davidson College ($73,200)

  25. Duke University ($79,860)

  26. Wake Forest University ($79,886)

NC colleges with lowest net price of attendance

The Times also ranked colleges based on the “net price” of attendance, or “the price that students who receive scholarships and financial aid actually end up paying after those grants and aid are factored in.” Each college was ranked on their average net price for students.

According to The Times, UNC-Greensboro has the lowest net price of any college or university in North Carolina, at $11,629 for in-state students.

The Times’ full rankings of North Carolina colleges based on net price of attendance is:

  1. UNC-Greensboro ($11,629 in-state)

  2. Winston-Salem State University ($12,415 in-state)

  3. UNC-Chapel Hill ($12,469 in-state)

  4. UNC-Asheville ($12,551 in-state)

  5. Western Carolina University ($13,924 in-state)

  6. Appalachian State University ($13,989 in-state)

  7. N.C. State University ($16,411 in-state)

  8. East Carolina University ($16,550 in-state)

  9. N.C. Wesleyan College ($16,679)

  10. UNC-Charlotte ($17,634 in-state)

  11. Lenoir-Rhyne University ($18,772)

  12. UNC-Wilmington ($19,136 in-state)

  13. Gardner-Webb University ($20,776)

  14. Wingate University ($20,827)

  15. Davidson College ($21,042)

  16. Barton College ($23,005)

  17. Lees-McRae College ($23,347)

  18. Meredith College ($24,362)

  19. Warren Wilson College ($24,696)

  20. Johnson & Wales University ($26,181)

  21. Queens University ($27,026)

  22. Pfeiffer University ($32,342)

  23. Duke University ($32,459)

  24. Wake Forest University ($32,845)

  25. Elon University ($38,122)

  26. High Point University ($39,475)

See full NYT rankings of NC colleges

Want to create your own rankings of colleges and universities using The New York Times’ interactive tool? Visit nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/27/opinion/build-your-own-college-rankings.html.

Additional information about The Times’ methodology in creating the toll is available at nytimes.com/2023/03/27/opinion/how-build-your-own-college-rankings-was-built.html.

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