Peer Universities

Peer universities are a collection of universities to be used for benchmarking and comparison. This list provides an objective point of review and departure for strategic planning. The peer institution lists are consulted for analyses of performance benchmarks, including but not limited to: tuition and fees, retention and graduation rates, degree production, faculty workload, staff salaries, space utilization, private fundraising and endowments, student financial aid, institutional revenues, and distribution of institutional expenses.  This allows for comparative analysis and benchmarking of institutional performance.

The UNC System Office 2025 Peer Study used IPEDS data to perform a cluster analysis of prospective peer sets for the System’s 16 constituent universities. Each institution received lists of prospective peer institutions based on results of the cluster analysis. Working from these lists of prospective peers, NC State proposed a new set of 12 peers, which was approved by the Board of Governors on May 15, 2025. The new peer set is in effect for five years, July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2030.

NC State Official Peer University Dashboard

This dashboard presents comparison metrics using IPEDS data for NC State and our 12 official peers. The detailed report provides peer comparisons of student admission, enrollment, success, charges, and financial aid, as well as institutional data such as finance and instructional staff.   There is a separate tab that focuses on the ten variables used in the UNC System Office’s Peer Study.  The IPEDS data source is the IPEDS Access Database.

View Our Official Peer University Dashboard

NC State Official Peer University Summary

Note: In-State Tuition/Fees are for full-time, first-time undergraduate students for the FULL ACADEMIC YEAR.
This data is based on IPEDs provisional data.