Excellence

UNC Greensboro is continually recognized in national ranking lists for excellence, access, and affordability. Ranked North Carolina’s most affordable (net cost rank) university by the New York Times and one of America’s Best Colleges by Forbes, Money, and U.S. News and World Report, UNCG is a recognized leader. UNCG is also acknowledged for closing the black-white achievement gap and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for “excelling in access in success” with Pell-eligible students. National media specific accolades include the following:

In 2023, The New York Times unveiled the “Build Your Own College Rankings” search tool. UNCG ranked number one in North Carolina for net cost at $11,629. The customized rankings include overall success rank, 10-year income rank of alumni, economic mobility rank, and more. Visit NY Times Build Your Own College Rankings.

For the 25th consecutive year, UNCG is recognized as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduates in the Princeton Review’s “Best 389 Colleges” guide. Princeton Review also named UNC Greensboro as one of the best regional colleges in the south. 

Both of these prestigious titles are bestowed through feedback from student surveys. The Princeton Review spoke to 165,000 students attending the 389 schools about their professors, financial aid, campus amenities, school services, and more.   

This year, the survey found that our Spartans have a love for personalized academic and health support. Students also emphasized the University’s diversity, saying, “What makes UNCG unique is our strong acceptance of others of society.” Students also noted that while UNCG is a big school, students “don’t feel like a number,” and find their professors “very personable.” 

Read more about how students praised UNCG. University of North Carolina at Greensboro – The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews 

UNCG is one of the U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 best colleges in North Carolina. 

For the fifth consecutive year, UNCG is a top ranked North Carolina institution for social mobility. The media outlet ranks UNCG’s undergraduate teaching No. 2, and the nursing program as No. 2 in the state. UNCG remains on the outlet’s Best in the U.S. lists for Best National Universities, Best Colleges for Veterans, Best Value, Top Public Schools, and is ranked for the business. Economics, psychology and computer science programs. 

Our success in the U.S. News & World Report is attributed to our academic reputation, graduate rate performance, faculty resources, among others. This year marks the 33rd consecutive year that UNCG has been recognized as a U.S. News “Best College.” 

UNCG is honored to be named among Newsweek’s America’s Top Online Colleges 2023 rankings earning a five-star rating. This ranking highlights the nation’s top 200 colleges and universities that offer online degree programs to learners who want to obtain an academic degree, including hybrid programs with online and offline courses or exams. Over 9,000 online learners were surveyed in the United States and asked to rate the institutions based on six different subdimensions: Organization and Accessibility, Support and Services, Cost of the Program, Reputation, Success, and Practical Relevance. 

UNCG has been recognized by Money to be one of the best colleges in America 2023. This title is awarded based on UNC Greensboro’s stellar graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, and alumni salaries.

INSIGHT into Diversity magazine awarded UNCG as a 2023 HEED Award Recipients | Insight Into Diversity award winner for the sixth consecutive year. The HEED award is the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

UNCG is honored to be one of the institutions across the nation accepting this award which focuses on our amazing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

UNCG is honored to be rated #17 on Washington Monthly’s Best Bang for the Buck in the Southeast. This rating is due to UNCG commitment to social mobility.  

Washington Monthly ranks four-year institutions based on their contributions to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and community and national service. 

UNCG is honored to be a top university in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” list. Forbes “America’s Top Colleges” highlights colleges and universities that serve their students with outstanding education opportunities, affordability, mobility in the professional world, and promote leaders.  

UNCG has also been recognized by Forbes and Statista as one of America’s Best-in-State Employers of 2023. This accomplishment is the result of a survey of 70 thousand U.S. employees from all 50 states regarding working conditions, diversity, compensation, potential for development and more.  

The Wall Street Journal award for America's Best Colleges 2024

UNCG is honored to be recognized by The Wall Street Journal on their Best U.S. colleges 2024 list. This rank of the top 400 universities in the nation is based on student outcomes, leadership environment, and diversity.

Students want to have a great experience while attending college. The Wall Street Journal names UNCG No. 1 in N.C. for student experience in 2023. The ranking comes from “one of the largest ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the U.S.”

The Wall Street Journal also names UNCG No. 1 in North Carolina for social mobility. The ranking reflects UNCG’s of how the institution enhances students’ social mobility. The ranking rewards institutions for “taking the highest proportion of students coming from lower-income families, while maintaining high graduation rates and having a positive impact on graduate salaries and minimizing the costs of attending college.”

UNCG is proud to be a 2023 Military Times Best for Vets institution. The Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges list is the largest and most comprehensive rankings of schools for military service members and veterans. The ranking comes from responses from over 325 schools based on their specific contribution to military students. Important factors in determining the rankings were military-specific resources, student success metrics, and financial assistance.

UNCG continues to be applauded for affordability in LendEDU’s latest rankings, which offer an in-dept analysis of the most recent student loan debt figured at hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States.  

UNCG ranks No. 5 in North Carolina for student loan debt, meaning that UNCG students borrow less money than most of their peers at other North Carolina colleges and universities.  To learn more visit Student Loan Debt by School by State Report | LendEDU”

UNCG ranks No. 1 in North Carolina for the number of students who receive the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship. The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables Pell Grant funded students the means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to the country’s national security and economic prosperity.

UNCG is honored to be ranked 6th in North Carolina by NAFSA: Association of International Educators for the number of international students it serves. UNCG’s support of international students contributes $12.2 million and supports 132 jobs in the Piedmont Triad.

UNCG ranks No. 1 in North Carolina for the state of free speech on campus. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) rates policies that regulate student expression annually. FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings score includes UNCG’s speech climate as “Above Average,” ranking the institution 9th in the nation.

Opportunity

UNC Greensboro is committed to serving traditionally underserved populations:

  • 50% of all undergraduates self-identify as first-generation students 
  • 53% of students are people of color
  • 46% of undergraduates receive Pell grants
  • No.1 in the UNC System for total percentage of Hispanic/Latino student enrollment

UNCG students have the opportunity to join:

  • 150+ laboratory spaces; 150 general purpose classrooms
  • 360+ students studied abroad in 2022-23 traveling to 28 countries on six continents
  • More than 700 undergraduates conduct faculty-sponsored research annually
  • 400+ Transfer-to-Transfer Mentoring Program participants welcome new Spartans

Impact

  • $1 billion economic impact in the Piedmont Triad
  • $68 million in external funding annually 
  • 100,000 Spartan alumni live, work, and make a difference in North Carolina
  • UNCG graduates 400 educators and 300 nurses each year.
  • Carnegie Foundation classification for higher research activity and community engagement.
  • UNCG’s Weatherspoon Art Museum, one of the leading collections of 20th and 21st-century American art in the Southeast, serves nearly 40,000 visitors each year.
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