Carolina Leads Public Universities in Student Accessibility - a Key Priority

To support Carolina's vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university, the University has developed clear priorities to help advance that ongoing pursuit of excellence and to guide decisions about investing resources.

Those priorities are articulated in the Academic Plan and Measures of Excellence, developed beginning in 2002 by the University in consultation with members of the Board of Trustees. The measures of excellence serve as indicators of Carolina’s accomplishments and quality in broad areas including undergraduate education.

New rankings out in August 2007 from U.S. News & World Report magazine's 2008 "America’s Best Colleges" guidebook showed strong improvements in areas including student accessibility, class size and faculty resources. Carolina's progression in four areas among the top public universities can be seen by tracking overall rankings, faculty resources, and six-year graduation rates.

The U.S. News rankings reflect only one assessment of the University's quality. Carolina’s focus is on overall excellence to benefit the people of North Carolina and beyond.

Following is a summary of Carolina's most recent progress highlighted by the 2008 U.S. News "Best Colleges" rankings:

Summary

>>5th best public university overall – seventh consecutive year

Berkeley remains 1st, then Virginia (2nd) and Michigan and UCLA tied for 3rd.
UNC and these campuses continue to hold onto the top five spots in the rankings.

>> 28th best national university overall among publics and privates, a tie with Tufts University.

Privates dominate the overall rankings based on magazine’s formula.
Overall rankings for other top publics range between 21st (Berkeley) and 25th (Michigan and UCLA).

>> Progress in strategic areas that are critical to offering a high-quality liberal arts education. Investments of resources are based on key University priorities.

>> Affirmation as a national leader in student accessibility – a key University priority.

First among publics for the third consecutive year and 9th overall in "Great Schools, Great Prices," based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid.
Category includes measures of undergraduate class size, 2 years of average faculty compensation, student-faculty ratio, percentage of faculty who are full time and have earned highest degree.
Carolina Covenant, a first for a major public university, continues with its fourth class.
Average freshman retention remainded at 96%.

>> Carolina dropped slightly in the faculty resources category, but has maintained overall progress since a low point in the 2004 rankings.

The ranking of 50th, down 10 spots from last year, does not fully take into account the last two years of significant progress with faculty compensation. Previous rankings: 39th in 2005, 50th in 2004.
Category includes measures of undergraduate class size, 2 years of average faculty compensation, student-faculty ratio, % of faculty who are full time and have earned highest degree.
47% of UNC course sections enrolled fewer than 20 students - 4th among the top five public institutions.
Only 11% of course sections enrolled 50 or more students, the same as last year and tops among the four other top public peers.

“This U.S. News analysis tracks with the positive results we have seen from the Carolina Covenant and an excellent overall financial aid program. We are proud to have helped set the bar high for accessibility at the national level and to support deserving students from North Carolina.”

James Moeser,
Chancellor