2026 Best Value Entrepreneurship Schools in North Carolina
[Entrepreneurship](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/entrepreneurial-studies/entrepreneurship/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong entrepreneurship education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools to find the best return on investment for entrepreneurship students.
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2026 Best Value Entrepreneurship Schools in North Carolina
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in entrepreneurship, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Entrepreneurship Schools
For return on investment in entrepreneurship, no school beat Fayetteville Technical Community College this year. Set in the city of Fayetteville, Fayetteville Technical Community College is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,628, compared with $8,772 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for entrepreneurship graduates is $16,909. Entrepreneurship graduates of Fayetteville Technical Community College earn a median of $40,584 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,909 median debt.
University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a great value for students pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship, landing the #2 spot this year. University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a large public school located in the city of Greensboro. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,661, while out-of-state students pay about $24,012. Entrepreneurship graduates carry a median of $24,977 in student loans. Entrepreneurship graduates of University Of North Carolina At Greensboro earn a median of $42,595 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in entrepreneurship will find it at University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Charlotte, University Of North Carolina At Charlotte is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $7,239 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $22,492. Entrepreneurship graduates carry a median of $24,673 in student loans. Early-career entrepreneurship graduates make about $51,799. That is a strong return on a $24,673 median debt. Roughly 80% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in entrepreneurship will find it at East Carolina University, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $7,361 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $23,638. Entrepreneurship graduates carry a median of $28,227 in student loans. Soon after graduation, entrepreneurship degree recipients from East Carolina University generally make around $51,931. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 89%.
Students looking for strong value in entrepreneurship will find it at Duke University, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $68,758. Typical student debt for entrepreneurship graduates is $13,296. Early-career entrepreneurship graduates make about $83,388. Set against $13,296 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
Johnson And Wales University Charlotte placed #6 among the best values for entrepreneurship. Set in the city of Charlotte, Johnson And Wales University Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $41,982. Entrepreneurship graduates carry a median of $25,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, entrepreneurship degree recipients from Johnson And Wales University Charlotte generally make around $36,024. Set against $25,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 80%.
High Point University placed #7 among the best values for entrepreneurship. High Point University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of High Point. In-state tuition and fees average $45,312. Students borrow a median of $23,785 to complete the entrepreneurship program here. Early-career entrepreneurship graduates make about $113,352. Set against $23,785 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 75%.
Elon University placed #8 among the best values for entrepreneurship. Elon University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Elon. In-state tuition and fees average $46,958. Entrepreneurship graduates carry a median of $21,619 in student loans. Soon after graduation, entrepreneurship degree recipients from Elon University generally make around $62,626. That is a strong return on a $21,619 median debt. The acceptance rate is 66%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 22 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 6 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.
