UNC has been ranked fifth among national public universities for the 17th straight year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings.

For the 13th consecutive year, Carolina has also placed first among national public universities and ninth overall in “Great Schools, Great Prices,” which is based on academic quality and the 2016-2017 net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average level of need-based financial aid.

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt says that the university’s consistently high ranking is a testament to an enduring commitment to excellence made by all those involved with the university.

“The Carolina community continues to make a difference in people’s lives, in our state and well beyond North Carolina’s borders, through a continuing dedication to distinguished scholarship, groundbreaking research and life-changing public service,” said Folt.

The top four public universities were University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Virginia and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

UNC’s other U.S. News rankings include 12th among public schools for least debt, a 97 percent first year retention rate for the ninth consecutive year and fifth among the top public universities in faculty resources.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Again Ranks Among Best Universities, Best Value in Public Higher Education
UNC has once again been listed by the US News & World Report as one of the top public universities in the country and the best value among national public universities. The university checks in at No. 30 in the overall university rankings, tying with the University of California – Santa Barbara and New York […]
UNC's Primary Medical Care Program Ranks Best in Nation
UNC School of Medicine’s Primary Care program came in the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” rankings. The program was ranked No. 2 in last year’s rankings. Vice Dean for Education for the UNC School of Medicine Dr. Julie Byerly called the achievement a point of pride for the university. “We’ve […]
UNC Celebrates School of Pharmacy No. 1 Ranking
Leaders from around the UNC campus gathered on Wednesday to honor students and faculty at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, after the school was named the top pharmacy school in the country by US News and World Report. The School of Pharmacy was one of several graduate programs to receive high marks. Dean Bob Blouin […]
Offense Explodes as UNC Baseball Blows Out Duke 22-5 in Series Finale
After scoring just four combined runs in the first two games of their series against Duke, the Diamond Heels broke out of their offensive slump with a 22-5, seven-inning win against the Blue Devils Saturday to clinch the series victory. The 22 runs were the program’s most in a single game since 2010 and its […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 16 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 16 Duke raced out to an early lead and never looked back in a 16-12 win against UNC Saturday at Dorrance Field in the regular season finale for both sides. The Tar Heels found themselves down 2-0 inside of two minutes played, then trailing 4-0 before finally finding the back of the net late […]
UNC Announces South Campus Road Closures For Steam Tunnel Work
UNC’s Office of Facilities Services announced an upcoming road closure as a part of the university’s on-going steam tunnel replacement project.
Missed Opportunities Cost UNC Baseball in Loss at Duke
The Diamond Heels left 11 men on base on their way to a 3-1 loss at Duke Friday night, evening up the series with the Blue Devils at a game apiece. Duke capitalized on sloppy UNC defense in the first inning. After Carolina’s Ryan Lynch recorded the game’s first two outs, the next two Blue […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse Cruises Past Syracuse into ACC Championship Game
UNC scored six unanswered goals in the first quarter on its way to a 19-9 win against No. 4 seed Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Friday evening. The Tar Heels are now through to the conference championship game Sunday. Finals Bound 🚀 The Heels will face the winner if Stanford and Clemson […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
UNC's Henri Veesaar to Declare for NBA Draft
UNC center Henri Veesaar plans to leave Chapel Hill and declare for the NBA Draft. The news came as Veesaar was approaching the deadline to enter his name to the draft process, which is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 24. “This journey didn’t happen alone,” Veesaar said in a statement Friday evening. “To my family […]
›