Job search website LinkedIn has published a list of the top 50 colleges for long-term career success in 2026, with four North Carolina schoolsincluded on the list and one school placed in the top three choices.
To determine the 50 top colleges, LinkedIn used data from its website to determine the quality of each school's job placement; internships and recruiter demand; career success; network strength; and knowledge breadth.
To be eligible for placement on the list, colleges must be U.S.-based, regionally accredited four-year baccalaureate programs actively enrolling first-year students. Programs must also have at least 2,000 alumni, with at least 500 graduating between 2020-2025. Military service academies, for-profit colleges, highly specialized
colleges and colleges that only offer online programs or degree completion programs were excluded.
"We identified the 50 U.S. schools that best set their graduates up for career success, from how quickly grads land full-time roles to how many go on to become entrepreneurs or senior leaders," a statement on the list said.
Here's what to know about North Carolina schools on the list, plus the top 10 picks this year and more.
Which North Carolina school is in LinkedIn's top 10 U.S. colleges?
Duke University, located in Durham, was No. 2 on LinkedIn's list. In particular, top industries for the school named by LinkedIn included technology and internet, capital markets and business and consulting services. Most notable skills included scientific computing, AI engineering and web development.
Best colleges in North Carolina
While Duke was the only North Carolina college in LinkedIn's top 10, other colleges in the Tar Heel State made it into the top 50, including:
- Wake Forest University - Top industries capital markets, technology and internet, legal services; Most notable skills computer-aided design, scientific computing, data science; Top 10 school for job placement
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Top industries technology and internet, medical practices, higher education; Most notable skills data science, scientific computing, digital marketing
- Davidson College - Top industries higher education, legal services, technology and internet; Most notable skills web development, pathology, data science; Top 10 school for network strength
LinkedIn's best colleges in the U.S.
The top 10 schools among LinkedIn's list of 50 included:
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
- Duke University, Durham, N.C.
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
- Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
- Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Stanford University, Stanford, California
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC university makes LinkedIn's top 3 schools for long-term career success
