College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes1
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major1
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: North CarolinaSmall classesMajor: Criminal justiceClear all

12 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood

    Salem College

    #24 in North Carolina
    Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 519 students

    About $18,000 a year after aid, on average

    All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Brevard College

    #25 in North Carolina
    Brevard, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 787 students

    About $24,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Gardner-Webb University

    #27 in North Carolina
    Boiling Springs, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,125 students

    About $18,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Belmont Abbey College

    #30 in North Carolina
    Belmont, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,650 students

    About $25,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Methodist University

    #33 in North Carolina
    Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,768 students

    About $25,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Saint Augustine's University

    #35 in North Carolina
    Raleigh, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 943 students

    About $24,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Fair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Greensboro College

    #39 in North Carolina
    Greensboro, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 898 students

    About $18,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Mars Hill University

    #40 in North Carolina
    Mars Hill, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,049 students

    About $20,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Guilford College

    #41 in North Carolina
    Greensboro, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,208 students

    About $22,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Montreat College

    #43 in North Carolina
    Montreat, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 932 students

    About $27,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Lees-McRae College

    Top 25% for low debt
    Banner Elk, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 839 students

    About $28,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Pfeiffer University

    #48 in North Carolina
    Misenheimer, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 954 students

    About $19,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong

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