New ranking: ECU top 3 NC public, No. 1 for social mobility
East Carolina University is in the top three public universities and No. 1 for social mobility in North Carolina in a new Wall Street Journal/CollegePulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking.
ECU ranked No. 1 for social mobility among NC public universities.
The rankings focus on how well colleges prepare students for financial success, according to methodology developed and executed by the Wall Street Journal, College Pulse and Statista. The rankings also consider graduation rate, diversity and learning environments based on a survey of about 120,000 students and recent alumni.
The 2026 Best Colleges rates 584 eligible U.S. universities. In North Carolina, ECU was third of 11 public universities on the list, ranking 268th overall. Factors included student outcomes (70%), learning environment (20%) and diversity (10%).
ECU took the No. 1 spot among public universities in North Carolina in social mobility. The ranking gives priority to universities that admit a large proportion of students from lower-income families while maintaining high graduation rates and making a positive impact on graduates’ salaries and minimizing cost of attendance.
Other categories in the annual ranking included student experiences, best salaries and best value.
ECU finished fourth among the state’s public universities for student experiences and best salaries, and seventh in best value.
The ranking, which was released Sept. 29, can be found on the Wall Street Journal website.