Top accolades include No. 11 HBCU in nation; No. 7 best college for veterans and No. 8 top performer on social mobility among southern regional universities
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) continues to shine bright in the newest edition of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings.
The Eagles took the No. 11 spot among the top historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for 2024, climbing from its No. 14 ranking from the previous year. Additionally, in the category of southern regional universities, NCCU rose to No. 24 among the best value schools from last year’s No. 44 spot.
“North Carolina Central University serves as a catalyst that ignites the transformative journeys of student scholars and prepares them to achieve their full purpose,” said NCCU Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye. “The newest rankings underscore our commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders to drive positive change through ‘The Eagle Promise,’ which includes dynamic academic training from world-class faculty.”
Further recognition in the category of southern regional universities includes:
- No. 7 best college for veterans
- No. 8 top performer on social mobility (up from No. 10 in 2023)
- No. 9 top public school
- No. 26 regional university
During the 2022-2023 academic year, NCCU experienced tremendous growth in sponsored research, achieving a record $53.1 million in funding (97.4% increase), as well as $16.4 million in fundraising gifts (8.6% increase). For fall 2023, enrollment has grown by 5.5% to 7,965 along with the number of students who are housed on campus to 3,235 (2.9% increase; 40% of total student population).
The 2024 rankings were based on graduation and retention rates, social mobility, faculty resources, alumni giving and other factors. More details regarding the ‘Best Colleges’ listings are available at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings.
