Which NC colleges have the best party scenes, athletics? Here’s what NYT rankings say

There are lots of factors to consider when choosing which college to attend, including campus life for students — which could include things like the school’s athletics programs, diversity and yes, the social and partying scenes.

Is there one factor you value above the rest? Or do you have several factors you’d weigh equally in your search?

A new interactive tool from The New York Times, released Monday, is allowing users to pick the factors they value most to generate individualized rankings of “the best American colleges — for you.” Using the tool’s interactive sliders, users can assign weights to 10 separate factors that consider campus life, academics, cost of attendance and post-graduation income earnings, among other factors.

The Times’ analysis and interactive tool include rankings of nearly 900 colleges in the U.S., including 26 in North Carolina, both public and private.

Below, we’ve considered six factors to be part of a larger picture of campus life at each North Carolina college: athletics, party scene, campus safety, racial diversity, economic diversity and academics.

Wondering where North Carolina colleges rank for each of these factors? We’ve broken down The Times’ rankings here.

NC colleges with best athletics

The Times’ rankings and scores of college athletics programs factor in data, such as program revenue and national championships, and self-reported student surveys compiled by Niche.com, The Times’ explanation of its methodology says.

According to those measures, The Times’ rankings say, Duke University ranks No. 1 in North Carolina for athletics. Duke also ranked No. 14 nationally for this factor, followed by UNC-Chapel Hill at No. 15 nationally and No. 2 in North Carolina.

The Times’ full rankings of athletic programs at North Carolina colleges and universities is:

1. Duke University
2. UNC-Chapel Hill
3. Appalachian State University
4. Queens University
5. Lenoir-Rhyne University
6. Wingate University
7. N.C. State University
8. Barton College
9. Davidson College
10. Winston-Salem State University
11. Pfeiffer University
12. N.C. Wesleyan College
13. East Carolina University
14. Wake Forest University
15. UNC-Greensboro
16. Gardner-Webb University
17. UNC-Charlotte
18. Lees-McRae College
19. Meredith College
20. Johnson & Wales University
21. Western Carolina University
22. High Point University
23. UNC-Wilmington
24. UNC-Asheville
25. Elon University
26. Warren Wilson College

NC colleges with best party scenes

The Times’ “party scene” factor is based on self-reported student reviews and other nightlife statistics compiled by Niche.com, including access to bars and restaurants near the campus.

Based on those contributing factors, The Times’ tool shows East Carolina University in Greenville as having the best party scene of colleges in North Carolina.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges based on party scenes is:

1. East Carolina University
2. Winston-Salem State University
3. Duke University
4. UNC-Chapel Hill
5. Elon University
6. Wake Forest University
7. Appalachian State University
8. N.C. State University
9. UNC-Wilmington
10. UNC-Charlotte
11. UNC-Greensboro
12. Western Carolina University
13. Davidson College
14. Lenoir-Rhyne University
15. High Point University
16. N.C. Wesleyan College
17. Pfeiffer University
18. Johnson & Wales University
19. Barton College
20. Wingate University
21. Warren Wilson College
22. Queens University
23. UNC-Asheville
24. Meredith College
25. Gardner-Webb University
26. Lees-McRae College

NC colleges with best campus safety

The Times’ campus safety factor is based on self-reported student surveys and data from the U.S. Department of Education compiled by Niche.com. Niche’s description of the analysis says colleges with top rankings for campus safety “offer a safe and healthy environment with little or no campus crime, drugs, or alcohol usage.”

According to The Times’ rankings, Gardner-Webb University, a private university in Boiling Springs, has the best campus safety of colleges and universities in North Carolina.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges based on campus safety is:

1. Gardner-Webb University
2. Davidson College
3. N.C. Wesleyan College
4. Meredith College
5. Queens University
6. Appalachian State University
7. Pfeiffer University
8. High Point University
9. Duke University
10. Elon University
11. UNC-Wilmington
12. UNC-Asheville
13. Western Carolina University
14. Barton College
15. N.C. State University
16. UNC-Greensboro
17. Johnson & Wales University
18. Lees-McRae College
19. Winston-Salem State University
20. Lenoir-Rhyne University
21. East Carolina University
22. UNC-Charlotte
23. Wake Forest University
24. UNC-Chapel Hill
25. Wingate University
26. Warren Wilson College

NC colleges with most racial diversity

The Times’ racial diversity factor is “an index based on the racial composition of the undergraduate population as reported to the Department of Education.” The data reflects the racial composition at each university during the 2021-2022 academic year, The Times’ explanation of its methodology says.

According to The Times’ interactive tool, Duke University ranks the highest for racial diversity of colleges and universities in North Carolina.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges and universities according to their racial diversity is:

1. Duke University
2. UNC-Greensboro
3. N.C. Wesleyan College
4. Wingate University
5. Johnson & Wales University
6. UNC-Charlotte
7. Queens University
8. UNC-Chapel Hill
9. Barton College
10. Pfeiffer University
11. Gardner-Webb University
12. Meredith College
13. East Carolina University
14. Davidson College
15. Lenoir-Rhyne University
16. N.C. State University
17. Wake Forest University
18. UNC-Asheville
19. Lees-McRae College
20. Warren Wilson College
21. High Point University
22. UNC-Wilmington
23. Western Carolina University
24. Winston-Salem State University
25. Elon University
26. Appalachian State University

NC colleges with most economic diversity

The Times’ economic diversity factor uses data from a 2017 analysis that “tried to determine which schools in America were most successful at helping students from low-income families reach the upper classes.” The specific data used looks “at the household income of the students attending each college,” with schools “with a more even distribution of students from all income levels” scoring higher in this factor.

According to The Times, N.C. Wesleyan College, a private college in Rocky Mount, is the most economically diverse college in North Carolina.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges and universities according to economic diversity is:

1. N.C. Wesleyan College
2. Johnson & Wales University
3. Winston-Salem State University
4. Pfeiffer University
5. Lees-McRae College
6. Barton College
7. Gardner-Webb University
8. High Point University
9. Western Carolina University
10. UNC-Greensboro
11. Lenoir-Rhyne University
12. Wingate University
13. UNC-Asheville
14. UNC-Charlotte
15. East Carolina University
16. Queens University
17. Warren Wilson College
18. Appalachian State University
19. UNC-Wilmington
20. Meredith College
21. N.C. State University
22. UNC-Chapel Hill
23. Elon University
24. Duke University
25. Wake Forest University
26. Davidson College

NC colleges with best academic profile

The Times’ “academic profile” factor considers the graduation rates, SAT and ACT scores and student-to-faculty ratio at each university.

Duke University ranks No. 1 in North Carolina for the university’s academic profile, according to The Times’ analysis. Duke also ranks No. 5 nationally for this factor.

The Times’ full ranking of North Carolina colleges based on academic profiles is:

1. Duke University

2. Davidson College

3. Wake Forest University

4. UNC-Chapel Hill

5. N.C. State University

6. Elon University

7. Warren Wilson College

8. UNC-Wilmington

9. Queens University

10. Appalachian State University

11. UNC-Asheville

12. Meredith College

13. High Point University

14. Johnson & Wales University

15. Western Carolina University

16. Gardner-Webb University

17. Lees-McRae College

18. UNC-Charlotte

19. Lenoir-Rhyne University

20. East Carolina University

21. Wingate University

22. Barton College

23. UNC-Greensboro

24. Pfeiffer University

25. N.C. Wesleyan College

26. Winston-Salem State University

See full NYT rankings of NC colleges

Want to create your own rankings of colleges and universities using The New York Times’ interactive tool? Visit nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/27/opinion/build-your-own-college-rankings.html.

Additional information about The Times’ methodology in creating the toll is available at nytimes.com/2023/03/27/opinion/how-build-your-own-college-rankings-was-built.html.

Korie Dean

The News & Observer

919-335-8507

Korie Dean covers higher education in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer, where she is also part of the state government and politics team. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and a lifelong North Carolinian.