North Carolina State University is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It ranks #9 globally in ARWU’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2025 subject list, the sharpest North Carolina State University ranking on any global table.

Across overall world rankings, North Carolina State University ranks #320 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #174 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026, with engineering and statistics as its strongest disciplines.

  • QS World University Rankings 2027: #320 globally, #50 in USA
  • Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #174 globally, #67 in USA
  • THE World University Rankings 2026: #301 globally, #54 in USA
  • ARWU (Shanghai) 2025: #201-300 globally, #41 in USA

Note for Indian applicants: NC State’s overall world rank sits in the 270-320 band on QS and THE. ARWU’s subject list places its Electrical Engineering at #9 globally and Statistics at #27 globally. For Indian engineering applicants, the university trades headline brand prestige for subject-level research depth.

Read More: North Carolina State University Admissions 2026 


North Carolina State University Overall Rankings 2026

The North Carolina State University ranking spans from #174 on Collegedunia Study Abroad to #320 on QS, a 146-position gap that reflects how each body weights research output, employer reputation and India-relevance.

Ranking Body (Edition) North Carolina State University Rank
Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 #174 globally, #67 USA
QS World University Rankings 2027 #320 globally, #50 USA
THE World University Rankings 2026 #301 globally, #54 USA
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 #201-300 globally, #41 USA

The four-body average lands near #241 globally, with Collegedunia’s India-weighted view ranking NC State 146 positions higher than QS. For Indian applicants weighing degree value, the range across bodies matters less than the consistent top-70 US public university tier.

Key insight: All four bodies place North Carolina State University inside the global top-320 and inside the US top-67 for 2026, a band stable enough to anchor visa-officer brand recognition for Indian applicants.


North Carolina State University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students

Three signals matter most when Indian applicants compare North Carolina State University to its closest Indian alternative for engineering: subject-rank strength, US public-tier position and India-weighted value.

Signal NC State Position What it means for Indian applicants
Closest Indian alternative (engineering) QS 2027 #320 IIT Bombay ranks #134 in QS 2027, 186 positions ahead overall
Strongest engineering subject (ARWU 2025) Electrical Engineering #9 globally Top-10 subject rank narrows the gap to IIT-tier research access
US public-tier rank (QS 2027 USA) #50 among US universities Sits in the top 60 US public research universities Indian masters applicants short-list
India-weighted view (Collegedunia 2026) #174 globally, #67 USA Lifts the university 146 positions above QS, signalling stronger Indian outcomes

Bottom-line signals for Indian applicants

  • Subject vs overall gap: ARWU Electrical Engineering #9 sits 311 positions above NC State’s QS overall #320, the widest subject-vs-world gap on any North Carolina State University ranking body.
  • Peer-tier positioning: Inside the QS USA top 50, NC State sits alongside state-flagship engineering schools, the tier most Indian engineering masters graduates target for OPT placements.
  • India-relevance lift: Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks NC State 146 positions higher than QS, a signal of stronger Indian-applicant outcomes than the global rank suggests.

North Carolina State University QS World University Rankings 2027

The North Carolina State University QS ranking slipped 48 positions in the 2027 cycle, the steepest single-year drop in the five-year window. QS, which ranks universities based on academic reputation, employer opinion and research, released the 2027 edition on 18 June 2026.

Year North Carolina State University QS World Rank
2027 #320
2026 #272
2025 #311
2024 #274
2023 #312

The five-year average lands at #298, and across all five editions the rank has stayed inside the 270-320 band. For Indian applicants, the band stability means alumni QS brand value stays comparable across graduating classes, even with the 48-position 2027 drop.

Trend signal: NC State’s five-year QS movement of 48 positions sits inside normal volatility for universities ranked 250-350, where small shifts in employer-reputation surveys can move the rank by 30-50 places without changing the underlying research output.

Read More: North Carolina State University Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students

North Carolina State University Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings 

Collegedunia Study Abroad places North Carolina State University inside the global top-200 across overall, engineering and computer science categories, with every category confirmed for the 2026 edition.

Category Collegedunia Study Abroad Rank 2026
Overall #174 globally, #67 USA
Engineering #85 globally, #36 USA
Computer Science #114 globally, #47 USA

The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of North Carolina State University lifts the engineering placement 103 positions above QS Engineering #188 and 187 positions above QS Computer Science #301. For Indian engineering applicants, the India-weighted view signals stronger placement and ROI outcomes than QS subject ranks alone capture.

India-relevance: Collegedunia’s #67 USA overall rank places NC State inside the same Indian-applicant short-list tier as Purdue, Texas A&M and Ohio State, three campuses that together host over 8,000 Indian masters students annually.


North Carolina State University Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings

The North Carolina State University THE ranking climbed roughly 50 positions between 2023 and 2026, moving from the 351-400 band to #301 globally. THE, which ranks universities based on teaching, research and citations, released the 2026 edition in October 2025.

Year North Carolina State University THE World Rank
2026 #301
2025 #251
2024 #251
2023 #351-400

The 2025-to-2026 drop of 50 positions reverses two years of stability at #251. For Indian applicants, the THE band still places NC State inside the global top-310 across all four editions, the same tier most major US public research universities occupy.

What it signals: NC State’s THE rank of #301 sits 19 positions above its QS #320 in the current cycle, signalling teaching reputation and applied research score slightly stronger than overall research-output volume.


North Carolina State University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings

NC State has stayed inside the ARWU 201-300 band for five consecutive years, with subject-level rankings telling a far sharper story than the overall band. ARWU, which ranks universities mainly based on research publications and citations, released the 2025 edition in August 2025.

ARWU Subject (GRAS 2025) Global Rank
Electrical & Electronic Engineering #9
Textile Science & Engineering #16
Energy Science & Engineering #24
Statistics #27
Agricultural Sciences #33
Veterinary Sciences #34
Education #46
Mechanical Engineering #76-100

Seven ARWU subjects sit inside the global top-50, with Electrical and Electronic Engineering at #9 the only single-digit rank in the set. For Indian engineering applicants, ARWU’s research-led methodology validates NC State’s lab depth in disciplines where IIT graduates typically pursue US masters degrees.

Key insight: The 311-position gap between Electrical Engineering #9 and the overall ARWU 201-300 band marks the widest subject-vs-overall divide on any major ranking body covering NC State, a strong signal for applicants targeting specific disciplines over headline prestige.

Subject ranking highlights

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering: ARWU #9 globally, the strongest single-subject placement and 311 positions above the overall world band.
  • US News Education and Educational Research: #64 globally, #22 in USA in the 2026-2027 subject list, NC State’s strongest US News subject rank.
  • QS Business and Management: #101 globally in QS Business 2026, sitting 219 positions above the QS overall rank.
  • Statistics: ARWU #27 globally and Collegedunia Computer Science #114 globally, validating data-science research depth.

North Carolina State University QS Subject Rankings 2026

The QS subject view places NC State engineering and business inside the global top-200, while computer science sits at the edge of the top 300.

Subject Global Rank USA Rank
Engineering and Technology #188 #34
Business and Management #101 #38
Computer Science and Information Systems #301 #40

QS Business at #101 globally sits 219 positions above the QS overall rank, while QS Computer Science #301 tracks much closer to the overall world band. For Indian applicants targeting an MBA or analytics masters, the business subject rank tells a stronger value story than the overall QS rank does.

India-relevance: The QS Engineering USA position of #34 lands NC State inside the engineering tier US employers actively recruit from at OPT and STEM-extension stages, the entry point Indian masters graduates typically target.


North Carolina State University US News Best Global Subject Rankings 2026-2027

NC State’s strongest US News North Carolina State University subject ranking sits in Education and Educational Research, where the university anchors the top 25 nationally for three consecutive editions.

Subject Global Rank USA Rank
Education and Educational Research (2026-2027) #64 #22

US News Education at #64 globally climbed one position from #65 in the 2025-2026 edition, with NC State holding the top spot among all North Carolina universities. For Indian applicants targeting US masters in Education, the rank places NC State inside the top 25 US institutions for the discipline.


North Carolina State University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook

For Indian applicants, the North Carolina State University ranking for Indian students reads sharper at the subject level than at the overall world level, with engineering, computer science and statistics carrying the strongest signals.

Popular Programs for Indian Students at North Carolina State University

  • Master of Science in Computer Science: Aligned with Collegedunia Computer Science #114 globally and QS Computer Science #301 globally.
  • Master of Science in Electrical Engineering: Backed by ARWU Electrical Engineering #9 globally, the strongest North Carolina State University ranking on any body.
  • Master of Science in Industrial Engineering: Sits inside the QS Engineering tier of #188 globally, #34 in USA.
  • Master of Science in Statistics or Analytics: Aligned with ARWU Statistics #27 globally and ARWU Computer Science and Engineering top-100.
  • Master of Business Administration (Poole MBA): Aligned with QS Business and Management #101 globally, #38 in USA.
India-relevance Signal NC State Position
Strongest subject rank for Indian engineering applicants ARWU Electrical Engineering #9 globally
CD-vs-QS overall gap 146 positions in favour of Collegedunia #174
QS USA tier (engineering applicants’ frame) #50 among US universities
Closest Indian alternative (engineering) IIT Bombay #134 in QS 2027
Indian student count on campus (most recent confirmed) Approximately 1,495 students

Indian student takeaways

  • Subject-led brand: ARWU Electrical Engineering #9 and Statistics #27 place NC State inside the global top-30 for two disciplines Indian masters applicants commonly target.
  • India-weighted lift: Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks NC State 146 positions higher than QS, signalling stronger Indian-applicant outcomes than the global QS rank captures.
  • Peer-tier match: The QS USA #50 placement puts NC State in the same US public research tier Indian engineering masters applicants short-list alongside Purdue, Texas A&M and Ohio State.

Read More: North Carolina State University Scholarships 2026 for Indian Students

NC State’s North Carolina State University world ranking sits in the 270-320 band on QS and THE, but ARWU subject rankings push Electrical Engineering to #9 globally and Statistics to #27 globally, an 11-times multiplier between subject and overall placement. For Indian applicants weighing brand against research depth, the subject view, not the headline number, tells the more useful story.

North Carolina State University Ranking FAQs

Ques. What is the QS ranking of North Carolina State University in 2027?

Ans. North Carolina State University is ranked #320 in QS World University Rankings 2027, with a USA position of #50. The 2027 rank dropped 48 positions from #272 in QS 2026, the steepest single-year movement in the past five editions.

Ques. Is North Carolina State University ranked in the QS top 200?

Ans. NC State is not in the QS top 200. Its current QS World University Rankings 2027 position is #320, and the university has stayed inside the 270-320 band across the last five QS editions.

Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of North Carolina State University?

Ans. Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks NC State at #174 globally and #67 in USA for 2026. Engineering ranks #85 globally and Computer Science ranks #114 globally on the Collegedunia subject list.

Ques. What is North Carolina State University’s THE ranking in 2026?

Ans. NC State ranks #301 in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, with a USA position of #54. The 2026 rank slipped 50 positions from #251 held in both 2024 and 2025.

Ques. Which subject is North Carolina State University ranked highest in?

Ans. NC State’s strongest subject ranking is Electrical and Electronic Engineering at #9 globally on the ARWU 2025 subject list. Statistics ranks #27, Agricultural Sciences #33 and Veterinary Sciences #34, all inside the global top 50.

Ques. Is North Carolina State University a good choice for Indian engineering students?

Ans. NC State’s QS Engineering ranking of #188 globally and #34 in USA in 2026, combined with ARWU Electrical Engineering at #9 globally, places it inside the US engineering tier Indian masters applicants typically target. Subject-level research depth matches or exceeds many universities ranked higher overall on QS.

Ques. How does North Carolina State University compare to IIT Bombay in QS 2027?

Ans. IIT Bombay ranks #134 in QS World University Rankings 2027 while NC State ranks #320, a gap of 186 positions. At the subject level, NC State’s ARWU Electrical Engineering #9 sits in a comparable research tier, narrowing the gap for engineering masters applicants.