Duke, UNC-CH Among Top Schools In U.S. News Rankings

Several North Carolina colleges and universities have again made a strong showing in this year's U.S. News and World Report rankings, which were released Monday.

The U.S. News college rankings assess over 1,400 institutions on 17 measures of academic quality including tuition, graduation rates, and campus life.

Duke University topped the national rankings for North Carolina schools, coming in at 9th overall and 13th in best value. Total tuition for the Durham private school is about $80,000, which doesn't factor in financial aid and scholarship programs.

Duke's longtime sports rival UNC-Chapel Hill was listed at 28th and named the 5th best public university in the country.

In the Piedmont Triad, Wake Forest University tied with UNC-Chapel Hill at 28th and was also rated 24th for best value.

High Point University led the roundup of Best Regional Colleges in the South, ranking No. 1 overall and taking the second spot for undergraduate teaching.

As for Best Regional University in the South, Appalachian State placed 6th overall and 3rd among public institutions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, slight adjustments were made this year in assessing SAT and ACT scores, and there was a greater reliance on historic data in ranking schools.