North Carolina State University at Raleigh

In the 2027 U.S. News rankings, North Carolina State University at Raleigh placed 73rd among national universities, moving from 58th in 2025. Admissions have grown selective over the past decade, resulting in an overall admit rate of 41.7% in 2025. This acceptance rate is higher than 20% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public research universities. Once admitted, applicants show a strong inclination to enroll relative to peer benchmarks, as the university's yield rate reached 31.8% in 2025, higher than 93% of peer schools in the same group. This dynamic shows that the institution attracts strong interest from its admitted pool while admitting less than half of applicants. For prospective students, these metrics mean that admission requires solid academic preparation, particularly as applicant volume keeps acceptance rates restrained.

Applicants targeting North Carolina State University should prepare for an academically demanding admissions environment. The median SAT score was 1370 in 2025, which was higher than 69% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public universities. Most students now apply without reporting scores, as only 18% of enrolled undergraduates submitted SAT scores in 2025. Looking at international applicants, unofficial applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway show that across 227 admitted student profiles, the median unweighted GPA was 3.7 and the median SAT score was 1260. These figures indicate that while standardized test marks remain solid among admitted cohorts who choose to report them, maintaining a strong secondary school academic record is essential for competitive applicants.

Undergraduate degree completions at North Carolina State University are moderately distributed, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 25.4% of all bachelor's graduates in 2025. The single largest undergraduate program was Business Administration and Management, General, which graduated 921 students that year, followed by General Biology and Computer Science. However, the university's highest national rankings appear in specialized engineering and health disciplines rather than general business. For instance, in U.S. News rankings, graduate Veterinary Medicine was ranked 4th in 2026, and undergraduate Biological/Agricultural Engineering ranked 7th in 2027. Technical and computing fields also translate into the strongest early-career compensation. Based on 2023 earnings data one year after graduation, Computer Science bachelor's recipients led the institution with median earnings of $90,903, closely followed by Computer Engineering. For applicants, this means NC State pairs popular, accessible business programs with nationally elite engineering and computing options that command substantial market returns.

North Carolina State University enrolled 38,464 students in 2025 across undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree programs. Undergraduate students make up the majority of the campus population. Among incoming freshmen in 2025, Asian students numbered 552, representing 9.5% of the class, while international students accounted for 2.1%. White students constituted the largest racial group among freshmen, followed by Hispanic and Asian students. The demographic profile shifts noticeably at the graduate level. In the graduate student body, international students formed a major presence with 3,011 students, accounting for 30% of all graduate enrollment. Domestic Asian students represented a smaller proportion of graduate students. Continuing undergraduates also maintained steady representation, with Asian students making up nearly ten percent of that group. Overall, international students are concentrated primarily within graduate programs rather than undergraduate cohorts.

The age distribution at North Carolina State University reflects a traditional undergraduate population alongside an early-career graduate cohort in 2025. Among the 28,422 undergraduate students, the vast majority fall into standard college ages: 11,845 students, or 41.7%, were aged 18 to 19, and 11,856 students, or 41.7%, were aged 20 to 21. In contrast, the graduate division serves slightly older students: 32.8% were aged 22 to 24, while 32.4% were aged 25 to 29. This age profile creates an undergraduate campus experience centered on traditional-age college life, complemented by graduate programs tailored to young professionals and continuing scholars.

International enrollment at North Carolina State University exhibits a sharp divergence between undergraduate and graduate populations. At the undergraduate level, international presence is minimal and has contracted over time. In 2025, international students made up 2.5% of the undergraduate student body, a share that is higher than 33% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked public research universities. At the graduate level, the dynamic is entirely different: international students constituted 30% of all graduate students in 2025. International graduate scholars are heavily concentrated in advanced technological and quantitative disciplines. For example, among master's degree recipients in 2025, international students earned 73.9% of the degrees in Computer Science and represented a clear majority of graduates in Computer Engineering. For prospective students, this profile indicates that international engagement is concentrated within graduate STEM departments rather than the broader undergraduate student body.

Families considering North Carolina State University can explore several notable institutions within the surrounding region. Located 21 kilometers away in Durham, Duke University is ranked 8th among national universities in the 2027 rankings. Just 22.8 kilometers away in Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill holds the 27th spot among national universities. Further west, Wake Forest University is situated 92.8 kilometers from campus and ranks 34th in the national university category. For those interested in a liberal arts environment, Davidson College is located 123.4 kilometers away and is ranked 16th among national liberal arts colleges. These nearby colleges present diverse educational environments within short driving distance.

Campus safety records at North Carolina State University point to a moderating incidence rate that is dominated by substance-related disciplinary violations. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate of 7.2 per 1,000 students, representing an overall decline over the preceding decade. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the vast majority of documented campus infractions involved internal administrative discipline rather than criminal violence. Disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations formed the single largest category, totaling 838 incidents over those years, alongside 145 disciplinary referrals for drug violations. Other reported incidents during the 2023 to 2025 timeframe included lower totals of sexual harassment, stalking, and substance arrests. For students evaluating campus life, these statistics show that safety concerns at NC State primarily revolve around institutional policy enforcement regarding alcohol and drugs rather than severe physical offenses.