ECU Listed as a Top University in the Nation

East Carolina University is listed as a top university in the nation in a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

ECU is one of the top five nationally ranked public universities in North Carolina, along with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, UNC-Wilmington and UNC-Charlotte.

ECU is one of the top five nationally ranked public universities in North Carolina. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

ECU is listed 109th among top public schools nationally, and 228th among all national universities, according to the magazine’s 2020 “Best Colleges” guide released online Sept. 9. ECU tied with UNC-Charlotte and several other universities in both those rankings.

And in a new web-exclusive ranking of top performers on social mobility, ECU ranked 39th out of 198 national universities that were measured on the six-year graduation rate for students who received Pell grants. Pell grants typically are awarded to students with total family income of less than $50,000, although most go to students with total family income of less than $20,000, according to U.S. News.

As defined by U.S. News, public universities range from small liberal arts colleges to large research institutions and offer lower tuition to residents because they are funded in part by the state. National universities can be public or private and offer a full range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs while emphasizing faculty research.

The magazine ranked 381 national universities, among which 208 are public.

Scores for each institution were based on several factors and weights including outcomes defined by graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance (difference between actual and predicted graduation rates) and social mobility; faculty resources; expert opinion; financial resources; student excellence; and alumni giving.

U.S. News provides rankings for national universities, national liberal arts colleges, regional universities and regional colleges. More information is available at www.usnews.com/colleges.

-by Crystal Baity, ECU News Services, baityc@ecu.edu