These two North Carolina universities rank inside the top 100 globally

All over North Carolina, students from kindergarten through college have been headed back to school. With college classes back in session comes the age-old question: Where does your alma mater stand? Two North Carolina colleges were ranked inside the top 100 global universities for 2026 by U.S. News

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What is the story about?

All over North Carolina, students from kindergarten through college have been headed back to school.

With college classes back in session comes the age-old question: Where does your alma mater stand?

Two North Carolina colleges were ranked inside the top 100 global universities for 2026 by U.S. News and World Report.

U.S. News recently released the organization's annual ranking of the best universities in the world. The full list includes over 2,000 institutions, many of which are in North Carolina. Among these North Carolina colleges, two were ranked inside the top 100 global universities.

Duke University was ranked 30th by U.S. News, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at 55th.

The best colleges in North Carolina

U.S. News ranks global universities based

on their academic research performance and the institution's reputation.

Duke University was the highest-ranked school in North Carolina. At the global level, Duke stood out in several individual subjects. The university ranked 5th for "Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems" and 10th for "Clinical Medicine."

As for national rankings, U.S. News had Duke as the 7th best university in the country and 14th in best value schools.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was ranked 26th nationally.

What are North Carolina's top schools in the global rankings?

For the 2026-27 global rankings, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill were the only North Carolina-based schools to crack the top 100. However, several other schools were included in the full rankings.