New Rankings Underscore A&T’s Impact on Affordability, Career Preparation

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2024) – The top questions students and their parents pose when choosing a college or university is how much it will cost and whether the degree they earn will enable them to get a rewarding job after graduation.

The answers to those questions may hold the key to why so many students are clamoring for admission to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Newly released rankings from Forbes magazine show that graduates of North Carolina A&T earn more than those of any other public historically Black university in America and that they rank third among all University of North Carolina campuses included in Forbes’ “Best Colleges 2024.”

Forbes rankings include a measure of the median salary of each campus’s alumni 10 years after graduation. For N.C. A&T, those graduates – most of whom by that point are in their early 30s – are pulling down $111,700. Those earnings rank A&T third among all HBCUs, trailing only Morehouse ($124,200) and Howard ($120,000), but substantially higher than Florida A&M ($96,900), the only other public HBCU to make the list.

Among UNC campuses, North Carolina State ($128,600) leads the system, followed by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill ($118,200). A&T and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte are tied $111,700, but A&T outperforms UNC Charlotte in both average grant-in-aid support awarded to students and in a lower level of average annual debt accrued.

Forbes’ computation of media earnings is based on data from the national leader in compensation analysis, PayScale, and College Scorecard, the federal government’s website providing essential information about every campus in America where students receive financial aid.

On the “how much will it cost” question, A&T leads all doctoral research universities nationwide in affordability. Money magazine’s “Best Colleges 2024,” released in July, revealed an average cost to attend A&T of $20,100. After the average grant is applied, the cost drops to $9,700.

Cost and ROI considerations helped drive more than 47,000 students to apply to A&T this year for undergraduate and graduate studies. From 2011 to 2024, applications to A&T grew by 350% – the highest rate in the nation of any university with more than 10,000 students.

“North Carolina A&T provides exceptional value, and fantastic return on investment,” said Admissions Director Dominique Harrison. “Many students and families come to us very aware of the cost and ROI advantages that A&T holds, and along with outstanding academics and a campus culture that’s recognized nationwide, they certainly heighten their interest in choosing A&T.”