# Best Communications Colleges in North Carolina

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 25 | Category: By State
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-communications-north-carolina

## Methodology

Communications programs in North Carolina ranked by outcomes and program concentration

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill) | Chapel Hill, NC | 92% | $72,200 | $11,655 | $14,000 | 0.19x |
| 2 | [Davidson College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/davidson-college) | Davidson, NC | 91% | $81,400 | $17,379 | $18,688 | 0.23x |
| 3 | [Wake Forest University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wake-forest-university) | Winston-Salem, NC | 90% | $78,158 | $28,719 | $21,500 | 0.28x |
| 4 | [Elon University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/elon-university) | Elon, NC | 84% | $74,545 | $41,555 | $20,500 | 0.28x |
| 5 | [Appalachian State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/appalachian-state-university) | Boone, NC | 74% | $51,836 | $16,836 | $20,231 | 0.39x |
| 6 | [University of North Carolina at Charlotte](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-charlotte) | Charlotte, NC | 68% | $57,289 | $15,435 | $21,500 | 0.38x |
| 7 | [University of North Carolina Wilmington](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington) | Wilmington, NC | 71% | $54,967 | $20,109 | $19,500 | 0.35x |
| 8 | [East Carolina University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/east-carolina-university) | Greenville, NC | 62% | $55,146 | $15,739 | $22,750 | 0.41x |
| 9 | [University of North Carolina Asheville](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-asheville) | Asheville, NC | 55% | $44,030 | $12,250 | $20,500 | 0.47x |
| 10 | [University of North Carolina at Greensboro](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-greensboro) | Greensboro, NC | 57% | $48,160 | $10,965 | $22,858 | 0.47x |
| 11 | [Meredith College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/meredith-college) | Raleigh, NC | 68% | $51,539 | $22,488 | $25,000 | 0.49x |
| 12 | [Catawba College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/catawba-college) | Salisbury, NC | 50% | $48,793 | $17,879 | $25,000 | 0.51x |
| 13 | [High Point University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/high-point-university) | High Point, NC | 72% | $61,389 | $38,707 | $24,575 | 0.4x |
| 14 | [North Carolina A & T State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/north-carolina-a-t-state-university) | Greensboro, NC | 56% | $44,440 | $10,846 | $27,000 | 0.61x |
| 15 | [Wingate University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wingate-university) | Wingate, NC | 47% | $52,649 | $20,748 | $25,000 | 0.47x |
| 16 | [Campbell University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/campbell-university) | Buies Creek, NC | 58% | $54,886 | $24,516 | $22,500 | 0.41x |
| 17 | [Queens University of Charlotte](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/queens-university-of-charlotte) | Charlotte, NC | 64% | $57,673 | $30,857 | $25,000 | 0.43x |
| 18 | [Winston-Salem State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/winston-salem-state-university) | Winston-Salem, NC | 48% | $45,344 | $13,479 | $25,000 | 0.55x |
| 19 | [Pfeiffer University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/pfeiffer-university) | Misenheimer, NC | 39% | $51,562 | $19,076 | $26,163 | 0.51x |
| 20 | [Barton College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/barton-college) | Wilson, NC | 48% | $47,913 | $23,626 | $25,877 | 0.54x |
| 21 | [North Carolina Central University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/north-carolina-central-university) | Durham, NC | 44% | $42,968 | $15,359 | $28,250 | 0.66x |
| 22 | [Lees-McRae College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lees-mcrae-college) | Banner Elk, NC | 43% | $43,415 | $28,340 | $17,375 | 0.4x |
| 23 | [Gardner-Webb University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/gardner-webb-university) | Boiling Springs, NC | 59% | $48,039 | $17,674 | $24,222 | 0.5x |
| 24 | [Shaw University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/shaw-university) | Raleigh, NC | 21% | $34,409 | $16,512 | $32,500 | 0.94x |
| 25 | [Johnson C Smith University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/johnson-c-smith-university) | Charlotte, NC | 34% | $42,680 | $20,894 | $30,000 | 0.7x |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Best Communications Colleges in North Carolina." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-communications-north-carolina

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.