North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities

Web Performance Report, April 2026

Google PageSpeed Insights scores for all 36 NCICU member institutions, collected April 6, 2026. Covers mobile and desktop performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO.

36 institutions April 6, 2026 Google Lighthouse v11 Mobile + Desktop

At a Glance

90–100
Good
Fast and well-optimized. Users experience minimal delays. The page meets current web performance standards.
50–89
Needs Improvement
Noticeable performance gaps. Users on slower connections or mobile devices may experience friction.
0–49
Poor
Significant issues affecting user experience, search rankings, and potentially conversion rates.

Score Distribution

All 36 institutions sorted by score. Click a bar to view full details.

Good (90–100)
Needs Improvement (50–89)
Poor (0–49)

All Institutions

Click a column header to sort. Click a row to view full detail.

# Institution ↕ Perf ↓ A11y ↕ Best Pr. ↕ SEO ↕ LCP ↕ TBT ↕

Metric Glossary

What each Lighthouse metric measures and what the thresholds mean for real users.

Performance
Overall Performance Score
A weighted composite of all timing metrics. Reflects how fast a page loads and becomes usable. Directly impacts bounce rates and Google Search rankings.
90+ Good50–89 Fair0–49 Poor
Accessibility
Accessibility Score
Checks whether the page is usable by people with disabilities — screen readers, keyboard navigation, color contrast, ARIA labels. A legal compliance consideration under ADA and Section 508.
90+ Good50–89 Fair0–49 Poor
Best Practices
Best Practices Score
Checks for modern web standards: HTTPS usage, no deprecated APIs, correct image aspect ratios, browser console errors, and security headers.
90+ Good50–89 Fair0–49 Poor
SEO
Search Engine Optimization
Audits on-page SEO signals: meta tags, crawlability, font legibility, structured data, and link descriptions. Higher scores correlate with better organic search visibility.
90+ Good50–89 Fair0–49 Poor
FCP
First Contentful Paint
Time until the browser renders the first piece of content. The first visual feedback a user gets that the page is loading. Lower is better.
≤1.8s Good1.8–3s Fair>3s Poor
LCP
Largest Contentful Paint
Time until the largest visible element fully renders. A Core Web Vital used directly in Google Search ranking. One of the highest-impact metrics to optimize.
≤2.5s Good2.5–4s Fair>4s Poor
TBT
Total Blocking Time
Total time the main thread is blocked by JavaScript, preventing user interaction. High TBT makes clicks and taps feel unresponsive. Measured in milliseconds.
≤200ms Good200–600ms Fair>600ms Poor
CLS
Cumulative Layout Shift
Measures visual stability — how much page content shifts unexpectedly while loading. A Core Web Vital. Lower is better.
≤0.1 Good0.1–0.25 Fair>0.25 Poor
Speed Index
Speed Index
Measures how quickly visible content is populated during page load. Progressive rendering scores better than all-at-once rendering. Measured in seconds.
≤3.4s Good3.4–5.8s Fair>5.8s Poor

Why Web Performance Matters

Performance scores have measurable implications for recruitment, compliance, and search visibility.

Enrollment
Impact on Recruitment
Research indicates a 1-second delay in load time can reduce conversions by approximately 7%. For prospective students researching colleges on mobile, slow sites may contribute to lost applications. Google also factors site speed into organic search rankings.
Compliance
ADA & Section 508
Institutions receiving federal funding are subject to Section 508 and ADA Title II requirements for digital accessibility. Low accessibility scores may indicate barriers for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities — and potential legal exposure.
Mobile
Mobile-First Behavior
A majority of prospective students first research colleges on mobile devices. Mobile performance scores across this peer group are almost universally lower than desktop, representing the most significant shared opportunity for improvement.
Search
Core Web Vitals & SEO
Google's Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) are confirmed ranking signals. Poor scores can reduce organic visibility for competitive search terms, including program-specific and geographic higher education queries.