2026 Best Value Forestry Schools in North Carolina
[Forestry](/majors/natural-resources-conservation/forestry/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong forestry education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for forestry students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Forestry Schools in North Carolina
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the forestry degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Forestry Schools
Leading the list is Wayne Community College, our #1 best value for forestry in North Carolina. Located in the city of Goldsboro, Wayne Community College is a mid-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $2,566, with out-of-state students paying around $8,710. Students borrow a median of $5,500 to complete the forestry program here. Soon after graduation, forestry degree recipients from Wayne Community College generally make around $33,116. Set against $5,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in forestry will find it at North Carolina State University At Raleigh, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,799, with out-of-state students paying around $32,847. Typical student debt for forestry graduates is $24,749. Soon after graduation, forestry degree recipients from North Carolina State University At Raleigh generally make around $61,142. That is a strong return on a $24,749 median debt. North Carolina State University At Raleigh admits about 42% of applicants.
Duke University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value forestry schools. Located in the city of Durham, Duke University is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $68,758. Typical student debt for forestry graduates is $13,296. Early-career forestry graduates make about $83,388. That is a strong return on a $13,296 median debt. Duke University admits about 6% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 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.
