US News ranked universities across the globe. Two NC colleges made the top 100
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- U.S. News evaluated more than 2,250 schools from more than 100 countries.
- Duke University ranks 30th globally and fifth in cardiac and cardiovascular systems.
- UNC-Chapel Hill ranks 55th globally and 17th in social sciences.
Ever thought about going to school in New Zealand or Ethiopia or Bangladesh? Well, U.S. News and World Report has. This week, the consumer advice company released its rankings of the best universities across the globe.
It evaluated more than 2,250 schools from more than 100 countries, weighing their academic research performance and international reputation.
The country with the most schools in the rankings is China, with 409. Next up is the United States, with 275 schools in the rankings.
Of those top American schools, nine are right here in North Carolina.
No. 30: Duke University
Duke University is the 30th best school in the world, according to U.S. News. It’s flanked in the rankings by two schools in Australia, with University of Melbourne above it and University of Sydney below it.
U.S. News also ranked universities by subject matter, highlighting research efforts that are competitive globally.
Duke’s top subject areas, according to the rankings, are cardiac and cardiovascular systems, for which it ranks fifth globally, and clinical medicine, where it ranks 10th. It also ranks highly in oncology, surgery and neuroscience.
No. 55: UNC-Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill is the 55th best school in the world, according to U.S. News. It’s ranked just below Utrecht University in the Netherlands and just above University of Texas at Austin.
Carolina’s best subject areas, according to the rankings, are social sciences, where it ranks 17th across the globe, and microbiology, for which it ranks 22nd. It also ranks highly in pharmacology and toxicology, infectious diseases, and psychiatry and psychology.
No. 268: NC State University
NC State is the 268th best school in the world, according to U.S. News. It’s tied for the rank with Tohoku University in Japan.
NC State is a leader in plant and animal science, where it ranks 24th in the world, and education, where it ranks 64th. It also ranks highly in materials science and agricultural science.
No. 514: Wake Forest University
Wake Forest is ranked 514th globally, tied with South China Normal University and University of Oklahoma. The top research area at Wake Forest is cell biology, where it ranks 163th.
No. 727: UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte is the 727th best school in the world, according to U.S. News. It’s tied with schools like University of Indonesia and Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology. One of its top subject areas is social sciences, where it ranks 349th.
No. 1,183: East Carolina University
East Carolina University is ranked 1,183 among universities across the globe. It’s tied with schools like An Najah National University in the West Bank and Guilan University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
No. 1,298: UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro is the 1,298th best school in the world, according to U.S. News, tied with schools like Wuhan Textile University in China and University of Augsburg in Germany.
No. 1,728: North Carolina A&T University
NC A&T is ranked 1,728th, according to U.S. News. That rank is shared by schools like Jain University in India and University of Karachi in Pakistan.
No. 2,021: UNC Wilmington
Near the end of the rankings is UNC Wilmington at 2,021st. It’s tied with schools like University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus and Tomas Bata University Zlin in the Czech Republic.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "US News ranked universities across the globe. Two NC colleges made the top 100."
