These NC colleges are among the most beautiful in the U.S. Why they made the cut
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- U.S. News lists two North Carolina campuses among the 30 most beautiful.
- Duke praised for biodiversity, historic Georgian/Gothic architecture and a grounds award.
- Elon noted for fountains, 700‑acre arboretum status and curated tree collections.
Walking onto a beautiful college campus — the old trees, the manicured quads, the imposing residence halls — is a spellbinding experience. Is it possible to say which campuses are the most objectively gorgeous?
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.
U.S. News staffers considered architecture, landscaping and natural setting in their decisions. They say campus beauty can be a major factor in where prospective students decide to go to college.
The U.S. News list includes Duke University. Writer Cole Claybourn and editor LaMont Jones cite the natural biodiversity on campus as one of the main reasons why. Here’s what they have to say about the Durham campus:
“Spanning nearly 8,700 acres in Durham, the Duke University campus was also recognized by the [Professional Grounds Management Society] for its landscaping and beauty with the large university and college grounds grand award in 2023,” they write.
“The Duke Forest is home to more than 900 species of plants, including more than 100 species of trees, and more than 7,100 acres of the forest are dedicated to research and environmental study. At the edge of Cameron Woods stands an oak tree estimated to be about 350 years old. Duke’s East Campus features Georgian architecture while the West Campus features Gothic architecture and the towering Duke Chapel, with 77 stained glass windows, ribbed vaults and a 50-bell carillon.”
Elon University in Alamance County is also 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.”
Other Southeastern schools on the list include Berry College in Georgia, Flagler College in Florida, Furman University in South Carolina, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer College in Georgia, Spelman College in Georgia, and the University of Virginia.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 9:08 AM with the headline "These NC colleges are among the most beautiful in the U.S. Why they made the cut."
