UNC Charlotte ranks No. 1 in North Carolina and among the top universities in the nation for awarding bachelor’s degrees to minority students, according to Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s 2023 Diverse 100.
UNC Charlotte also ranked in the top 30 in the nation for graduating African American students with bachelor’s degrees in all disciplines combined. According to the rankings, 27 Charlotte undergraduate areas of study rank in the top 100 for African American graduates, with a dozen top 20 rankings, including:
- Allied Health, Intervention and Treatment Professions, No. 3
- Foreign Language, Literature and Linguistics, No. 3
- Math, No. 4
- Finance, No. 5
- Biological And Biomedical Sciences, No. 9
- Marketing, No. 10
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, No. 14
- Architecture, No. 15
“As this region’s public research university, a major key to our success is UNC Charlotte’s remarkable diversity,” said Jennifer Troyer, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Through intentional and innovative programs, Charlotte has become a national leader in erasing the equity gap and breaking down barriers to help all of our students succeed. National rankings such as the Diverse 100 illustrate this strong commitment.”
More than 2,300 bachelor’s degrees are awarded annually to Charlotte minority students.
Latinx/Hispanic graduates
UNC Charlotte, which leads North Carolina in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanic/Latinx students, received a University record 15 top 100 program rankings for awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanic/Latinx students.
This includes:
- Finance, No. 23
- Computer and Information Sciences, No. 31
- Engineering Technologies, No. 33
- Marketing, No. 50
Four-year graduation rates for African American and Hispanic/Latinx students have more than doubled at Charlotte over the past decade.
For graduate programs, Charlotte ranks in the top 10 in eight categories and No. 3 among North Carolina-based universities for master’s in all degrees combined for African Americans.
The rankings, released Nov. 9, are based on the magazine’s analysis of U.S. Department of Education reports submitted by institutions for the 2021-22 academic year and is the only national report on the ability of U.S. colleges and universities to award degrees to African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American students.
UNC Charlotte continues to introduce innovative programs to support the success of students of all backgrounds, Troyer said. An example is 49er Connect, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a success guide for first-time, first-generation and Pell-eligible students. Success guides work with students on topics such as time management, test taking and study strategies. The program expanded this fall to support transfer students.
This is one of several recent rankings that illustrate UNC Charlotte’s success creating educational opportunities for all students. In September, Charlotte achieved the coveted position as one of the nation’s top 100 public universities in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings. U.S. News also has ranked Charlotte as a top performer in social mobility for four consecutive years.