CHARLOTTE: RISING STAR IN NEW NATIONAL RANKINGS
With record student success and research expenditures, UNC Charlotte is a university on the move, and national publications are taking notice. Here are a few recent national rankings of note.
Niche 2025 Best Colleges in America
Review website Niche has ranked Charlotte’s campus No. 1 among all public universities in North Carolina and among the top 10% nationwide. Niche’s “2025 Best Colleges in America” rankings also awarded Charlotte “A” grades for diversity, student life and for campus food.
In addition, four Charlotte academic programs rank among the nation’s top 100: accounting/finance, information technology, computer science and criminal justice. Niche rankings rely on sources such as the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, as well as student-submitted surveys.
U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges
Charlotte is one of the top 10 fastest-rising universities in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. Overall, Charlotte has climbed 76 spots since 2020. The University also continues to stake its claim as one of the nation’s top 100 public universities, ranking No. 81 for 2025.
The University is also the only public university in North Carolina to rank among U.S. News’ “Most Innovative Schools.”
2025 Forbes America’s Best Colleges
Charlotte rose 137 spots this year in the 2025 Forbes America’s Best Colleges rankings, and ranks No. 3 among UNC System institutions. The rankings feature “colleges that offer the best educational, financial, and career outcomes for all students.”
In a separate rankings, Forbes:
- Named Charlotte one of the top employers in North Carolina for 2025. This is the sixth consecutive year the University has been included in the ranking.
- Ranked Charlotte’s online Bachelor of Arts in Political Science No. 4 in the nation. Forbes Advisor notes the program’s flexibility for nontraditional students who work full-time.
Times Higher Education 2024 International Impact Rankings
UNC Charlotte was recognized again by Times Higher Education for its commitment to sustainability. For THE’s 2024 International Impact Rankings, released June 12, Charlotte ranks in six categories and in the top 10 among U.S. universities for: Good Health and Well-Being, and for Responsible Consumption and Production.
Other Rankings
Charlotte also was recently featured on Princeton Review’s “Best South” and Green Colleges 2025 lists; among Money magazine’s “2024 Best Colleges in America”; and in The Wall Street Journal’s “2025 Best College in the U.S." Charlotte also climbed 10 spots on Washington Monthly’s 2024 “Southeast Best Bang for the Buck” listing and is again featured in the magazine’s 2024 national rankings.