There’s something in the water flowing into and around High Point University – an educational institution that has earned a terrific reputation not just nationally but internationally over the course of this century.
It has won a vast number of accolades in the past and, recently, the school won more: HPU is the only North Carolina school to be ranked in the Top 10 nationally in the categories of Best-Run College, Best College Dorms, Career Services and Most Active Student Government Association.
For the second consecutive year, in 2025, High Point University has been named the #1 Best-Run College in the nation by The Princeton Review.
That top ranking comes at a very important time in the history of the school, which is preparing to welcome a record enrollment this fall and is ready to break ground on a new $100 million library later this month.
In fact, High Point University has earned the distinction of being ranked in more national categories than any other school in the state in The Princeton Review’s “Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition.”
The Guilford County university is known for its wide variety of special benefits and perks that the students receive – from the world-renowned speakers and visiting lecturers, to the unique community service programs the students take part in, to the tremendous growth of the university this century and the addition of a large number of highly respected graduate programs.
The university is one of only two schools in the state to be included on the latest Princeton Review’s Best-Run Colleges list. That recognition comes at about the same time that High Point University President Nido Qubein begins his 22nd year as HPU’s president – which makes him North Carolina’s longest-serving active college president.
While the average tenure for a college president is under six years – and lately they’ve been dropping like flies across the country in many instances – Qubein began serving as HPU’s seventh president in January of 2005 and he’s still at the helm.
He’s led the university through an extremely impressive transformation from a relatively sleepy southern school to a university that’s drawn worldwide recognition.
HPU has earned top rankings for College Dorms, Career Services, Most Beautiful Campus and more.
The university received high marks in 12 categories, including #2 for Best College Dorms and #9 for Best Career Services.
HPU is regularly ranked on several of the publication’s Top 20 national ranking lists, but the university received more accolades this year than ever before, including:
#1 Best-Run College
#2 Best College Dorms (up from #6 in 2025)
#6 Most Active Student Government Association
#9 Best Career Services (for the second year in a row)
#10 Most Beautiful Campus (up from #18 in 2025)
#16 Best Campus Food (up from #18 in 2025)
#17 Best Student Support and Counseling Services (up from #24 in 2025)
#18 Everyone Plays Intramural Sports
#20 Best College Theatre
#22 Best Athletic Facilities
#24 Their Students Love These Colleges
“HPU faculty and staff are committed to preparing our students for the world as it is going to be, as evidenced by the success of our graduates,” Qubein said in light of the recent results. “The multiple rankings by The Princeton Review are a wonderful acknowledgement of our team. We remain focused on the life skills development and values-based education that is so impactful in the lives of each and every one of our students.”
The awards have drawn a great deal of very positive attention to the school in recent years. The university’s undergraduate and graduate enrollment has increased from 1,500 in 2005 to a record 6,335 students last fall; and the number of faculty members has jumped from 108 to 502. The school is expected to welcome record enrollment again this fall as well.
HPU’s campus has also grown significantly during the last two decades, with the construction of 128 new or renovated buildings on campus and a total investment of over $3 billion.
Qubein has added 12 academic schools as president, including the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, the Webb School of Engineering and three of the university’s newest schools: the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship, the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law and the Workman School of Dental Medicine.
Qubein will reach a new milestone later this year when he surpasses Wendell Patton as the longest-serving president in HPU history. Patton served as HPU’s fourth president from 1959 to 1980, spanning 20 years, 9 months.
In November, Qubein will hit 20 years, 10 months in office.
This is the ninth year in a row that the university has been named one of the top schools in the nation by The Princeton Review rankings, which are based, in part, on responses from students who attend the colleges and universities.
HPU also appears in several national categories that reflect a positive and healthy environment for students, including #18 on the “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” list and #24 for “Their Students Love These Colleges” list.
Five HPU graduates were awarded scholarships from the prestigious Fulbright US Student Program to teach English and earn master’s degrees abroad during the 2025-26 academic year. It marks the highest number of Fulbright recipients from HPU in a single year, surpassing last year’s mark of three award winners.
Qubein and HPU aren’t resting on their laurels: HPU will open its two newest academic buildings on campus in September. Construction is almost complete on a pair of three-story, 77,500-square-foot facilities that will be the permanent homes for the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law and the Workman School of Dental Medicine.
Both schools welcomed their second cohort of students this fall.
Graduate outcomes have soared under Qubein’s leadership. Numerous graduating classes in recent years, including the Class of 2024, have achieved a 99 percent career or graduate school placement rate within 180 days. HPU’s percentage of 2024 graduates who were employed or furthering their education within 180 days of graduation is 14 points higher than the national average reported by NACE.
HPU’s rankings in the way the school is run have jumped from #17 in 2005 to #1. The university has maintained the #1 Regional College in the South ranking for 13 consecutive years in “America’s Best Colleges” by US News & World Report and #1 Most Innovative for 10 consecutive years. In addition, US News has recognized HPU for a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching, internship opportunities, first-year experiences and best value.
The Princeton Review has selected HPU for their “Best Colleges” list since 2018, and named HPU as the #1 “Best-Run College in the Nation” in 2025.
Qubein, too, has been honored with numerous awards from local, national and international organizations throughout his lifetime. He was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans, along with Oprah Winfrey and Colin Powell. He’s also the recipient of the DAR Americanism Award and he is, along with four US presidents, the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. And Qubein has been recognized as both the Citizen of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year in his home city of High Point.
He was also named the Honorary Chairman for the internationally recognized PGA Wyndham Championship.
Prior to his role as HPU president, Qubein was best known as an internationally successful author and consultant who served on the corporate boards of numerous Fortune 500 companies like Truist, La-Z-Boy and Savista.
Qubein has also served as executive chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company.
Business North Carolina has recognized him as one of North Carolina’s most influential leaders in its annual Power List.
Qubein grew up in the Middle East to a single mother after his father died when he was only 6 years old. He came to the US as a young man with a limited knowledge of English and very little money to his name.
He supported himself through various jobs and entrepreneurial endeavors while attending Mount Olive College, and later HPU, where he received his bachelor’s degree. He earned his graduate degree from UNC Greensboro.
All three of his alma maters have bestowed honorary doctorates on him.
In October 2013, The Biography Channel aired “Nido Qubein: A Life of Success and Significance.” While that documentary celebrates his accomplishments as a professional speaker and business consultant, much of the film recognizes his efforts to lead HPU through a period unprecedented growth and accomplishment against the backdrop of the Great Recession caused by the 2008 financial collapse.