The new US News rankings are out. Here’s how NC colleges and universities fared.
North Carolina colleges and universities were listed prominently in this year’s U.S. News & World Report annual rankings, which were released Monday.
Rankings are based on a school’s price, academic rigor, study abroad programs, undergraduate teaching and other factors.
Duke was the highest-rated school in the state at 12th overall among national universities. UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 28th overall and was named the 5th best public university in the nation.
Here’s a look at how colleges and universities across the state stack up in the 2021 U.S. News & World Best Colleges rankings.
National universities
▪ Duke University ranked 12 overall and 13th for best value among its peers. Duke was also ranked 9th best for undergraduate teaching. Duke’s undergraduate computer science program and undergraduate engineering program ranked in the top 25 among peers. Duke also boasts the 4th best biomedical engineering program in the country among schools with a doctorate program.
In terms of student debt, Duke ranked 4th for the lowest student debt load at graduation. The median amount of debt for Duke students is $11,500, compared to UNC graduates’ debt, which is about $16,000.
Duke was also highly ranked in several categories for academic programs that are linked to student success, including writing in the disciplines (3rd), senior capstone (4th), internship program (8th), undergraduate research (8th), service learning (8th) and study abroad (10th).
▪ UNC-Chapel Hill ranked 28th overall, a slight increase from last year, and 5th among public schools. It was listed at 14th for best value, just behind Duke. UNC’s undergraduate business program was ranked 7th in the country and its undergraduate computer science program was ranked 31st among peers.
▪ Wake Forest University tied UNC at 28th overall and earned 24th for best value.
▪ N.C. State University ranked 80th overall and 32nd among public universities. It was listed at 65th for best value. NCSU’s undergraduate engineering program was ranked 32nd among its peers.
▪ Elon University, which joined the national universities category last year, ranked 88th overall and 110th for best value. Elon was named the 2nd best university for undergraduate teaching among its peers, behind Brown University. The university was in the top 10 for most innovative schools among national universities.
Elon also earned top marks in the student success category, with the No. 1 study abroad program in the country and the best learning communities. It was listed in the top 10 in several other categories, including first-year experience (2nd), senior capstone (2nd), service learning (2nd), internship program (7th) and undergraduate research (10th).
▪ UNC Wilmington ranked 187th overall and in the top 100 among public universities. It ranked 179th for best value.
▪ East Carolina University ranked 217 overall, up about 10 spots from last year.
▪ UNC Charlotte ranked 227 overall.
▪ Campbell University ranked 258 overall in a tie.
▪ UNC Greensboro also ranked 258 overall.
▪ North Carolina A&T ranked 272 overall and was named the 7th best HBCU in the country. NC A&T ranked 6th for the highest student debt at graduation among national universities with the median student debt at $28,360. NC A&T also ranked in the top 15 for economic diversity with 60% of students receiving Pell grants.
Regional universities in the South
▪ Appalachian State University was ranked the 6th best regional university in the South, 3rd among its public university peers and 21st for best value. App State was named the most innovative school, 2nd best for undergraduate teaching and 3rd best for veterans among its peers.
App State also landed in the top 10 in student success categories, including learning communities (7th) and first-year experience (8th).
▪ Western Carolina University was ranked 25th overall and 10th among public regional universities in the South. It also earned 9th for best value.
▪ N.C. Central University was ranked 47th overall, 21st among public schools and 11th among HBCUs. It earned 42nd for best value and landed in the top 10 for highest student debt among its peers with a median of $31,000 per student at graduation.
▪ Winston-Salem State University was ranked 59th overall, 26th among public schools and 16th among HBCUs.
▪ UNC Pembroke was ranked 73rd overall in a tie and 31st among public schools. UNCP, a non-tribal Native American-serving university in Robeson County, ranked the highest for campus ethnic diversity among its peers. It has a strong connection to the Lumbee tribe.
▪ Methodist University also ranked 73rd overall and was in the top 25 for highest student debt with $27,000 per student.
▪ Fayetteville State University ranked 89th overall, 42nd among public schools and 24th among HBCUs.
National liberal arts colleges
▪ Davidson College was North Carolina’s highest-ranked national liberal arts college at 15th. Davidson was ranked 11th for best value and named the 6th most innovative and 9th best for undergraduate teaching among its peers. Davidson ranked 30th for lowest student debt among its peers with about $18,500 per student at graduation.
▪ Meredith College was ranked 136th among its peers.
▪ UNC Asheville was ranked 140th overall and 7th among public national liberal arts colleges.
Best regional colleges in the South
▪ High Point University was ranked the best regional college in the South for the ninth consecutive year. It was also named the most innovative school among its peers, 3rd for undergraduate teaching and 14th for best value. HPU ranked 16th for best value.
▪ William Peace University ranked 24th overall and 18th for best value. WPU earned 4th best for undergraduate teaching and 8th best for veterans among its peers.
▪ Elizabeth City State University ranked 36th overall, 7th best among its public peers and 22nd among all HBCUs.
▪ St. Augustine’s University ranked 65th overall and 58th among HBCUs. Saint Aug’s ranked in the top 10 for economic diversity among its peers with 81% of students receiving Pell grants. It tied for third highest for student debt with a $35,000 median debt for students at graduation.
▪ Shaw University ranked in the top 100 overall and between 59 and 77 among HBCUs. Shaw graduates also carry the 2nd heaviest debt load with about $38,500 median graduate indebtedness. Shaw also ranked highly for economic diversity with 80% of students receiving Pell grants
How are universities ranked and compared?
National universities: Schools in the National universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and Ph.D. programs, according to U.S. News.
Liberal arts colleges: Liberal arts colleges emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in the liberal arts fields of study, according to U.S. News.
Regional universities: Regional universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s programs but few doctoral programs, according to U.S. News. The four regions are North, South, Midwest and West.
Regional colleges: These colleges focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, according to U.S. News. The four regions are North, South, Midwest and West.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities: These historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were compared only with one another for these rankings and must be currently designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an HBCU, according to U.S. News.
Best value schools: This ranking takes into account a school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid, according to U.S. News.
Undergraduate teaching, most innovative, business and engineering programs: The rankings in these categories were based on peer assessment surveys, according to U.S. News.
Student debt: This ranking was based on bachelor’s degree graduates in 2018 who carried the heaviest and lightest debt loads, according to U.S. News. The data includes loans taken out by students from the federal government. The dollar amounts are the median amount of federal borrowing by graduates who have debt, not all graduates.
Student success: These eight categories focused on programs that enhance education outcomes for students, according to U.S. News. The rankings were based on peer assessment surveys from college presidents, provosts and admissions deans. All institutions were eligible and compared to each other.
Veterans: For this ranking, schools reported on their enrollment of and benefits for veterans and active-duty service members in the annual survey, according to U.S. News.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 5:30 AM with the headline "The new US News rankings are out. Here’s how NC colleges and universities fared.."
