Rankings

Whether it’s Princeton Review ranking NC State among the nation’s best values for universities or one of 81 nationwide "Colleges with a Conscience," NC State has a lot to be proud of. And Princeton Review is not alone. When it comes to recognizing NC State’s outstanding academic quality, affordable tuition rates, admission and retention rates, student-faculty ratios, financial aid and four-and-six year graduation rates, others agree. Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked NC State University 19th and U.S. News & World Report ranked the university 20th among the nation's best values for colleges and universities.

It’s not just academic value that places NC State among the nation’s top 50 public universities. It’s a commitment to innovation that affects people’s lives in relevant and powerful ways. This page provides rankings from various sources and publications.

NC State University in Top Ranks of U.S. Universities

Princeton Review/USA Today, 2011

  • 9th in Best Overall Public University Value  

Center for World-Class Universities, 2009 

  • 112th in the Top 500 World Ranking 

Kiplinger Magazine, 2012

  • 19th in Best Value for In-State Students

National Science Foundation, 2010

  • 7th in Industry Research Funding among universities without medical schools (2008) 
  • 9th in Total Research Expenditures Among Public Universities Without Medical Schools (2008)
  • 25th in Graduate Students in Science and Engineering Fields in Doctorate-Granting Institutions (2006)

U.S. News & World Report , 2011

  • 101st National Universities Ranking
  • 46th Public National Doctoral Ranking
  • 100th High School Counselor Ranking
  • 3rd in Best Overall Public University Value
  • 9 Graduate Programs among top 30 Public Universities
  • 27th in Undergraduate Engineering Program 
  • 10th in Undergraduate Biological/Agricultural Engineering 
  • 19th in Undergraduate Chemical Engineering 
  • 16th in Undergraduate Civil Engineering
  • 17th in Undergraduate Environmental Engineering
  • 10th in Undergraduate Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering 
  • 81st in Undergraduate Business
  • 31st in Graduate Engineering
  • 83rd in Graduate Business 
  • 29th in Graduate Aerospace Engineering 
  • 9th in Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  • 35th in Graduate Biomedical and Bioengineering
  • 20th in Graduate Chemical Engineering
  • 22nd in Graduate Civil Engineering
  • 28th in Graduate Computer Engineering
  • 47th in Graduate Computer Science
  • 50th in Graduate Economics 
  • 31st in Graduate Electrical Engineering
  • 28th in Graduate Environmental Engineering
  • 13th in Graduate Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering
  • 31st in Graduate Materials Engineering
  • 39th in Graduate Mechanical Engineering
  • 7th in Graduate Nuclear Engineering 
  • 12th in Graduate Statistics
  • 48th in Graduate Sociology
  • 3rd in Graduate Veterinary Medicine
  • 1st in Textiles (2007) 

American Association of Engineering Education, 2010 

  • 8th among All U.S. Engineering Colleges in Number of B.S. Degrees Awarded
  • 15th among All U.S. Engineering Colleges in Number of B.S. Degrees Awarded to Women
  • 6th among All U.S. Engineering Colleges in Number of B.S. Degrees Awarded to African Americans

Association of Research Libraries Membership Index, 2008

  • 25th in Public University Libraries

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 2008

  • 4th in Engineering undergraduate degrees awarded to African Americans (2006)
  • 6th in Math & Statistics undergraduate degrees awarded to African Americans (2006)
  • 7th in Agriculture undergraduate degrees awarded to African Americans (2006)
  • 12th in Agriculture graduate degrees awarded to African Americans (2006)
  • 12th in Engineering graduate degrees awarded to African Americans (2006)

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2008 

  • 6th in Engineering Doctorates awarded among official 16 peers (2008)
  • 5th in Engineering M.S. degrees awarded among official 16 peers (2008)

Ranking Web of World Universities, 2009

  • 39th in Web Presence

The Center for Measuring University Performance, 2008 

(also known as the “Lombardi Rankings”)

  • 27th among public American Research Universities (2008)
  • 10th among American Public Research Universities without medical schools (2008)
  • 29th in National Academy Membership among Public Universities (2007)
  • 45th in Endowment Assets among Public Universities (2007)
  • 37th in Faculty Awards among Public Universities (2007)
  • 20th in the Number of Awarded Doctorates among Public Universities (2006) 
  • 17th in Annual Giving among Public Universities (2007)

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