NC State University and its College of Engineering continue to climb the Best Colleges ratings of undergraduate education programs produced annually by U.S. News and World Report.
In the 2024 ratings released this week, NC State moved up on the main Best National Universities list, ranking 60th in the nation, an increase of 12 spots over 2022. Among public institutions, the university remains in the top 30 nationally, moving up one place to 28th.
NC State came in at 30th on the list of the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, up from 33rd on the 2023 list. NC State ranked 17th among public institutions on that list. NC State ranked 50th on the list of the top computer science undergraduate programs, an improvement of four spots from 54th.
In listing of undergraduate specialties, NC State ranked seventh in biological and agricultural engineering, 12th in industrial engineering, 15th in environmental engineering, 17th in chemical engineering, 20th in materials engineering, 21st in civil engineering, 25th in both computer engineering and mechanical engineering, and 26th in electrical engineering. NC State has traditionally ranked very high in nuclear engineering but U.S. News did not release a nuclear engineering undergraduate program list for 2024.
The Best Colleges list, published annually by U.S. News and World Report, assesses more than 1,500 public and private colleges and universities on a set of 19 weighted indicators. Over the past several years, NC State has made significant strides in the overall rankings — jumping a total of 32 spots since 2017 to this year’s ranking of 60th best in the nation.
“Our work is driven by our mission of providing education, research and service to help North Carolinians thrive, and we are pleased to see our efforts reflected in these rankings,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson. “Our greatest strength as a university is our people — our incredibly talented and dedicated faculty, staff and students who come together to help us achieve that mission and make a lasting impact on our world. I am proud to see that NC State continues to be recognized as a place where ideas turn into action — a place where we truly think and do.”
The university was also ranked 53rd for best value this year, an improvement of 13 spots over last year’s rankings. And NC State continues to be one of the best universities in the country for veterans, ranking 36th overall, gaining seven spots since last year.
While the rankings look at universities as a whole, NC State was ranked higher than ever this year for first-year and undergraduate experiences as well. NC State ranks 51st nationally for first-year experiences and 41st overall for undergraduate research and creative projects.
This year’s performance is NC State’s best ever in the U.S. News rankings.
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