N.C. A&T Alumni Times

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has reclaimed its status as the top public historically black college or university (HBCU) in the nation and retained its ranking as the top HBCU in North Carolina for the seventh consecutive year.

In its 2019 rankings released today, U.S. News & World Report lists N.C. A&T tied with Claflin University to rank No. 7 overall out of 76 institutions on the list – one spot higher than last year’s ranking. N.C. A&T last held the top position among HBCU publics in the 2016 edition and ranked no. 2 for the past two years.

“Our disciplined focus in recent years in the implementation of our strategic plan is responsible for many gains across the university, including our upward movement in a range of external rankings,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “As we continue to pursue the ambitious goals we have set for North Carolina A&T, we will become even more competitive as a land-grant, doctoral, higher-research activity institution. I am delighted with our current recognition, but even more excited for what lies ahead.”

To be considered for this U.S. News & World Report listing, an institution must be designated as an HBCU by the U.S. Department of education, a baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and has been a part of the 2019 Best Colleges survey and ranking process.

These institutions have been ranked based upon graduation and retention rates, high school class standing for new students, admissions test scores, the strength of faculty and peer assessment scores, among other variables. Information for this ranking was largely drawn from the fall 2017 entering class.

“We focus throughout the year on variables measured in the U.S. News & World report survey, not necessarily because of this rankings system but because we know those measures to be important to student success on our campus,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Beryl McEwen. “Measures such as tuition costs, our faculty-student ratio, class sizes and the rate at which our students persist from year to year form a picture of N.C. A&T that we’re happy to share with prospective students and families, along with this new ranking.”

A&T has also been ranked among the best undergraduate engineering programs where the highest degree is a doctorate; the best undergraduate business programs; and the best national universities.

This ranking comes on the heels of the news of A&T’s record enrollment of 12,142 students – a 2.2 percent increase over last year’s enrollment – and another record year for research funding where faculty researchers earned more than $64.2 million in contracts and grants.

It also follows the recently released Money magazine “Best Colleges for Your Money 2018” rankings, which identified N.C. A&T as the most affordable university among 21 North Carolina campuses included in the issue. A&T also ranked among the top three schools in the state for young alumni career earnings.