Is NC State or Ohio State more respected by employers and graduate schools?

In general, both NC State and Ohio State are well respected, and neither one is going to be dismissed by employers or graduate schools. The bigger difference is where and in what fields the name carries the most weight. Ohio State has broader national name recognition simply because it is a very large flagship with a huge alumni network and strong visibility across the country, while NC State has especially strong professional credibility in engineering, computer science, textiles, agriculture, and other applied STEM areas.

For a student who wants a school name that many people across the U.S. will instantly recognize, Ohio State has an edge. Graduate schools also know Ohio State well as a major research university, so the name itself is established and familiar.

For a student aiming at technical fields, NC State often has just as much respect and sometimes more targeted respect among recruiters who know those industries well. Graduate programs also care a lot about your research, grades, recommendations, and coursework, and NC State can support that very well in STEM.

So if by “respect” you mean broad national brand recognition across many audiences, Ohio State is a little stronger. If you mean field-specific credibility, especially in applied STEM, NC State can be every bit as respected and in some circles more directly valued. In practice, outcomes will depend much more on your major, internships, research, and network than on choosing between these two names alone.