These NC colleges are among the most beautiful in the US. See how they ranked.

U.S. News staffers considered architecture, landscaping, and setting in their decisions.

February 19, 2026 9:08 AM

For U.S. News and World Report, the answer is yes. It released its list of the 30 most beautiful campuses across the country, and North Carolina represents, with not one but two schools. Those two campuses are less than 40 miles away from one another — and each have around 6,000 to 6,500 undergrads.

Duke University is at No. 9 on the U.S. News list. 

Elon University in Alamance County is at No. 26 on the U.S. News list. They cite the campus waterworks as chief among their considerations. Here’s what they said:

“Fountains, manmade lakes and its own forest contribute to the beauty of Elon University‘s 700-acre main campus, which is a designated botanical garden and accredited arboretum,” Claybourn and Jones write.

“A three-level fountain with a waterfall accents the Numen Lumen-themed, paved-brick Wallace L. Chandler Plaza, which was designed to reflect the university’s mission to inspire intellectual and spiritual illumination.

“Trees line walks and trails, providing bursts of color each spring and autumn, and numerous oak trees — Elon means ‘oak’ in Hebrew — lend beauty and shade. They’re among nearly 200 species of trees on campus. Curated plant collections beautify modern academic buildings and Georgian-inspired, red-brick residence halls. Learning is often taken beyond the walls to welcoming outdoor classrooms and study spaces. New students are given an acorn and graduates receive an oak sapling to symbolize their growth.”