North Carolina Central University

North Carolina Central University is the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans, and this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked NCCU among the top ten HBCUs in the country. As NCCU celebrates its Centennial Year, a diverse student body of more than 8,500 students is enrolled in programs such as law, business, library science, nursing, education, criminal justice and biotechnology.

Since 1910, the mission of NCCU has been to prepare students academically and professionally to become leaders. NCCU is a comprehensive institution, offering bachelor’s degrees in more than 100 fields of study and master’s degrees in an estimated 40 disciplines. The university has two state-of-the-art biotechnology research institutes, which collaborate with universities and biotech companies in N.C.’s much-touted Research Triangle Park, where the university is located.

The NCCU School of Law offers the juris doctorate and joint degrees in business administration and library science, and includes the option of evening classes. In 2008 and again in 2009, the National Jurist magazine ranked the Law School the Best Value Law School in the Nation. These accolades were based on affordability, bar passage rate, and job placement. NCCU Law offers students opportunities for experiential learning in an environment with low student-to-professor ratios, making it a top-20 school in the country with regard to clinical training. During the 2008-2009 academic year, 502 students participated in pro bono and clinical internships and externships, providing 9,767 hours in free legal assistance to approximately 93 legal organizations.

Teaching, supported by research, is the primary focus of the university. The university encourages its faculty to pursue intellectual development and rewards effective teaching and research. The university also recognizes the mutually reinforcing impact of scholarship and service. Hence, NCCU encourages and expects faculty and students to engage in service activities related to their academic disciplines. NCCU was the first public university in North Carolina to make community service a prerequisite for graduation. Our Academic Community Service Learning Program (ACSLP) is designed to raise the quality of life in surrounding communities and help instill a sense of service in our students that they will take with them wherever they go.

AT NCCU 

• We’re the highest rated public HBCU in the country according to the 2009 rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
• The National Jurist magazine ranked NCCU’s Law School the Best Value Law School in the nation.
• In 2009, we enrolled 30 percent more freshman than the year before, making the freshman class the largest ever.
• NCCU will rejoin the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) July 1, 2010.
• Our student newspaper, the Campus Echo, has received numerous awards, including the Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
• NCCU’s Marching Sound Machine has been selected to perform at the 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade.
• The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits North Carolina Central University to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees.