Institutional rankings of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical vary, depending on the criteria of the publication. According to the 2020 issue of U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical was ranked No. 1 as the best public historically black university (HBCU) in the nation and the 6th best HBCU overall; criteria include tuition and fees, total enrollment, fall acceptance rate, retention, and graduation rates. Among national universities, it is tied for 281 and one of only a few HBCU represented in the National University rankings.