2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in North Carolina
[Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-nursing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in North Carolina
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools
Our analysis ranked East Carolina University the best value for a degree in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing in North Carolina. Located in the city of Greenville, East Carolina University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,361, with out-of-state students paying around $23,638. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $25,264 in student loans. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from East Carolina University generally make around $96,898. Set against $25,264 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #2 makes Gardner Webb University one of the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Gardner Webb University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Boiling Springs. Students from in state pay about $34,750 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $22,461. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $86,315. That is a strong return on a $22,461 median debt. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing 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. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,758. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $29,000 in student loans. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of Duke University earn a median of $116,855 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 6%.
More Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Rankings
View All Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled 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 · 3 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.
