Comparing the value of education to the price students pay in tuition, UNC ranked second in best-valued schools in the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education College Rankings.
According to The Wall Street Journal, UNC students pay roughly $10,000 for tuition on average due to financial aid programs that help lower and middle-income students afford college. UNC has programs in place, such as Carolina Covenant Scholars, which ensure students with families who make less than double the federal poverty level graduate debt free.
This sentiment to an affordable education was reaffirmed by Chancellor Carol Folt.
“As we remain steadfast in our mission of serving the public in our state and around the world, we will continue to make a world-class education affordable, conduct ground-breaking research and lead in innovation for the future,” Folt said in a statement.
Many students have expressed their own ideas for why UNC ranked so highly compared to other universities.
“I think it has to do with UNC fully preparing their students to be the best in their fields or be prepared in the graduate programs that they pursue,” Kaitlin Scott, a junior psychology and exercise and sport science major said. “UNC does that really well through their class structures.”
There are about 200 merit-based scholarships offered to incoming first-years at UNC per term, and many students also receive need-based financial scholarships. Financial support is one of the criterion The Wall Street Journal looks for when determining value for rankings such as UNC’s. They also look at the academic value of the school itself.
Folt said this is one of the core justifications for UNC’s high rank.
“Our students, faculty and staff’s commitment to excellence is evident in Carolina’s placement among the top valued college for public education,” Folt said in the statement.
