NC Central University — Durham’s historically Black public university — is the only UNC System school that is not considered “financially healthy,” according to a new financial assessment framework used by the system.
That system, the Composite Financial Index, measures institutional financial health based on answers to the following four questions:
- How much does the institution have in reserve?
- Can the institution cover its debts?
- Is the institution’s financial strength improving?
- Is the institution living within its means?
For 2024 and 2025, the UNC System’s answer to each of these questions based on NC Central’s financial statements was negative. That means NC Central has a Composite Financial Index, or CFI, below the minimum threshold for financial health.
In that same time frame, however, enrollment at NC Central reached historic levels, according to the university. It celebrated its largest student body this past fall, with a population of more than 9,100 students…