Carolina a top five public for 23rd straight year

UNC-Chapel Hill is ranked the No. 5 public university in the country and is tied for No. 27 overall in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings released Tuesday. Carolina is No. 1 for best value among public universities for the 20th time.  

Carolina has been ranked among the top 5 public universities for 23 consecutive years. 

“We have a remarkable story to share about our affordability and value. For each year of the past two decades, U.S. News and World Report has named Carolina the best value among public institutions,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “This accolade is largely due to the sustained, bipartisan dedication of our state’s citizens to keeping exceptional education affordable and accessible. As one of the top five public universities in the nation, Carolina boasts world-class faculty, committed staff and outstanding students who can look forward to excellence in teaching, research and service to our community, state and beyond.” 

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as outcome measures — including graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and post-graduate earnings. 

Additional 2025 Best Colleges rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill include: 

• No. 4 among universities awarding bachelor’s degrees in nursing
• No. 6 in management
• Tied for No. 6 in undergraduate business programs
• No. 7 in marketing
• No. 9 in finance
• Tied for No. 9 for Best Colleges for Veterans
• No. 10 in real estate
• Tied. for No. 14 in psychology
• Tied for No. 17 in entrepreneurship

Please note: Not all programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every year. For a complete list of rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.