“ECU has grown in recent decades, in student body as well as in academic reputation, but it’s still a 2nd tier school”
To be honest, and I say this as someone who has uncles and cousins who are ECU alumni, it is a 4th or 5th tier school.
I was trying to be kind and avoid the old “flunk out party school” description. Depending upon course of study, ECU can be a decent school for a dedicated student.