On June 25, 2024, the U.S. News ranking was released, which covers a total of 2,250 colleges and universities from 104 countries around the world.
Exploring the World’s Top Universities with U.S. News & World Report Ranking will lead you to the forefront of education. We analyze and evaluate the performance of universities worldwide in terms of teaching quality, research impact, internationalization and resource investment.
The aim is to help students fully understand the unique appeal and competitive advantages of each university. Whether you are a student or a career planner, our blog will provide in-depth insights and valuable information on the latest developments and trends in this U.S.News College rankings.
What is U.S. News Ranking?
U.S. News & World Report Rankings: Published annually by U.S. News & World Report, these rankings assess universities and academic disciplines globally and are highly regarded.
Impact: The U.S. News Ranking 2024 significantly influence students, educators, and institutions, helping them understand the strengths and weaknesses of universities.
Ranking Categories:
- Undergraduate Rankings: Evaluate U.S. undergraduate institutions based on factors like academic reputation, student retention, faculty, resources, and graduation rates.
- Graduate School Rankings: Assess graduate programs in areas such as business, law, medicine, and engineering.
- Global University Rankings: Analyze universities worldwide, focusing on research output, academic reputation, and international collaboration.
Ranking Process: The process of U.S. News University Rankings is transparent, relying on data provided by universities and verified third-party statistics, rigorously reviewed by U.S. News to ensure accuracy.
What are the indicators of U.S. News Rankings 2024-2025?
| Ranking Indicator | Proportion weight |
|---|---|
| Global research reputation | 12.50% |
| Regional research reputation | 12.50% |
| Publications | 10% |
| Books | 2.50% |
| Conferences | 2.50% |
| Normalized citation impact | 10% |
| Total citations | 7.50% |
| Number of publications that are among the 10% most cited | 12.50% |
| Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited | 10% |
| International collaboration – relative to Country | 5% |
| International collaboration | 5% |
| Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited in their respective field | 5% |
| Percentage of total publications that are among the top 1% most highly cited papers | 5% |
2025 U.S.News College Ranking Top 200 List
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | United States |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institutes of Technology(MIT) | United States |
| 3 | Stanford University | United States |
| 4 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 5 | University of California Berkeley | United States |
| 6 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 7 | University College London | United Kingdom |
| 7 | University of Washington Seattle | United States |
| 9 | Columbia University | United States |
| 10 | Yale University | United States |
| 11 | University of California Los Angeles | United States |
| 12 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| 13 | John Hopkins University | United States |
| 14 | University of Pennsylvania | United States |
| 15 | University of California San Fransico | United States |
| 16 | Tsinghua University | China |
| 17 | University of Toronto | Canada |
| 18 | Princeton University | United States |
| 19 | Cornell University | United States |
| 19 | University of Michigan | United States |
| 21 | University of California San Diego | United States |
| 22 | National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| 23 | California Institute of Technology | United States |
| 24 | Northwestern University | United States |
| 25 | University of Chicago | United States |
| 26 | Duke University | United States |
| 27 | Nanayng Technolgical University | Singapore |
| 27 | University of Melbourne | Australia |
| 29 | University of Sydney | Australia |
| 30 | Washington University(WUSTL) | United States |
| 31 | Peking University | China |
| 32 | New York University | United States |
| 33 | ETH Zurich | Switzerland |
| 33 | University of Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| 35 | Monash University | Australia |
| 36 | King’s College London | United Kingdom |
| 36 | University of New South Wales Sydney | Australia |
| 38 | University of Edingburgh | United Kingdom |
| 39 | University of British Columbia | Canada |
| 40 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | United States |
| 41 | University of Queensland | Australia |
| 42 | Chinese University of Hong Kong | HongKong, China |
| 43 | University Paris Cite | France |
| 44 | University of Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 44 | University of Hong Kong | HongKong, China |
| 46 | Utrecht University | Netherlands |
| 47 | University of North Carolina Chapel Hill | United States |
| 48 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Germany |
| 48 | KU Leuven | Belgium |
| 50 | University of Pittsburgh | United States |
| 51 | Karolinska Institutet | Sweden |
| 51 | Zhejiang University | China |
| 53 | University of Munich | Germany |
| 54 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China |
| 55 | Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg | Germany |
| 56 | Leiden University | Netherlands |
| 56 | Mcgill University | Canada |
| 56 | Sorbonne Universite | France |
| 56 | University of Texas Austin | United States |
| 60 | University of Zurich | Switzerland |
| 61 | Ohio State University | United States |
| 61 | University of Glasgow | United Kingdom |
| 63 | Emory University | United States |
| 63 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | United States |
| 63 | Vanderbilt University | United States |
| 66 | Free University of Berlin | Germany |
| 67 | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | HongKong, China |
| 67 | University of Manchester | United Kingdom |
| 69 | University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS | China |
| 70 | Eramus University Rotterdam | Netherlands |
| 70 | Georgia Institute of Technology | United States |
| 72 | University of Maryland College Park | United States |
| 73 | Boston University | United States |
| 74 | King Abdulaziz University | Saudi Arabia |
| 74 | University of Wisconsin Madison | United States |
| 76 | Universite Paris Saclay | France |
| 76 | University of Groningen | Netherlands |
| 78 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| 79 | City University of Hong Kong | HongKong, China |
| 79 | University of Barcelona | Spain |
| 79 | University of Southern California | Spain |
| 82 | Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| 82 | University of Science&Technolgy of China, CAS | China |
| 84 | University of Tokyo | Japan |
| 85 | Australian National University | Australia |
| 85 | Fudan University | China |
| 85 | University of Technology Sydney | Austrlia |
| 88 | Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 89 | University of California Davis | United States |
| 89 | University of California Santa Barbara | United States |
| 91 | University of Western Australia | Australia |
| 92 | Queen Mary University London | United Kingdom |
| 92 | University of Adelaide | Australia |
| 94 | Rockefeller University | United States |
| 94 | University of Birmingham | United Kingdom |
| 96 | Pennsylvania State University | United States |
| 96 | University of Bristol | United Kingdom |
| 98 | Nanjing University | China |
| 98 | University of Colorado Boulder | United States |
| 100 | Huazhong University of Science&Technology | China |
| 100 | King Abdullah University of Science&Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| 100 | University of California Irvine | United States |
| 100 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | United States |
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Huazhong University of Science&Technology | China |
| 100 | King Abdullah University of Science&Technology | Saudi Arabia |
| 100 | University of California Irvine | United States |
| 100 | Universityiof Illinois Urbana-Champaign | United States |
| 104 | University of Oslo | Norway |
| 105 | Hong Kong University of Science&Technology | HongKong, China |
| 106 | Sun Yat Sen University | China |
| 106 | University of Florida | United States |
| 108 | Wuhan University | China |
| 109 | Ghent University | Belgium |
| 109 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas | United States |
| 111 | University of Bern | Switzerland |
| 112 | Universite PSL | France |
| 113 | University of Helsinki | Finland |
| 114 | Wageningen University&Research | Netherlands |
| 115 | University of Arizona | United States |
| 116 | University of Cape Town | South Africa |
| 117 | Aarhus University | Denmark |
| 117 | Radbound University Nijmegen | Netherlands |
| 119 | Hunan University | China |
| 119 | University of Geneva | Switzerland |
| 121 | London School of Hygenie&Tropical Medicine | United Kingdom |
| 122 | University of Exeter | United Kingdom |
| 123 | Michigan State University | United States |
| 123 | University of Southampton | United Kingdom |
| 125 | Lund University | Sweden |
| 125 | University of Virginia | United States |
| 127 | McMaster University | Canada |
| 127 | Universidade de Sao Paulo | Brazil |
| 129 | University of California Santa Cruz | United States |
| 130 | University of Bologna | Italy |
| 130 | University of Padua | Italy |
| 132 | University of Auckland | New Zealand |
| 133 | Autonomous University of Barcelona | Spanish |
| 134 | Carnegie Mellon University | United States |
| 135 | Indiana University Bloomington | United States |
| 135 | Seoul National University(SNU) | Korea |
| 137 | Baylor College of Medicine | United States |
| 137 | University of Liverpool | United Kingdom |
| 137 | Weizmann Institute of Science | Israel |
| 140 | Sapienza University Rome | Italy |
| 141 | University of Leeds | United Kingdom |
| 142 | King Saud University | Saudi Arabia |
| 142 | Swinburne University of Technology | Australia |
| 142 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | United States |
| 142 | University of Nottingham | United Kingdom |
| 146 | University of Hamburg | Germany |
| 147 | University of Milan | Italy |
| 148 | Oregon Health&Science University | United States |
| 148 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | United States |
| 150 | University of Alberta | Canada |
| 150 | University of Utah | United States |
| 150 | Uppsala University | Sweden |
| 153 | Brown University | United States |
| 153 | Stockholm University | Sweden |
| 153 | Tongji University | China |
| 153 | University of Electronic Science&Technology China | China |
| 157 | Southern University of Science&Technology | China |
| 157 | University of Bonn | Germany |
| 159 | Newcastle University-UK | United Kingdom |
| 160 | Case Western Reserve University | United States |
| 160 | Harbin Institute of Technology | China |
| 160 | University of Gothenburg | Sweden |
| 160 | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom |
| 164 | Cankaya University | Turkey |
| 164 | Curtin University | Australia |
| 164 | University of Alabama Birmingham | United States |
| 167 | Purdue University West Lafayette Campus | United States |
| 168 | Central South University | China |
| 168 | Kyoto University | Japan |
| 168 | University of Basel | Sweden |
| 171 | Texas A&M University College Station | United States |
| 172 | University of Gottingen | Germany |
| 172 | University of Warwick | United Kingdom |
| 174 | University of Montreal | Canada |
| 175 | University of Lausanne | Sweden |
| 175 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | United States |
| 177 | Deakin University | Australia |
| 177 | Tel Aviv University | Israel |
| 179 | Arizona State University-Tempe | United States |
| 179 | Beijing Insitute of Technology | China |
| 179 | Maastricht University | Netherlands |
| 179 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | China |
| 183 | Southwest University-China | China |
| 184 | Cardiff University | United Kingdom |
| 184 | Queensland University of Technology(QUT) | Austrlia |
| 184 | Technical University of Denmark | Denmark |
| 187 | Delft University of Technology | Netherlands |
| 187 | Shenzhen University | China |
| 187 | South China University of Technology | China |
| 187 | University of Naples Federico II | Italy |
| 191 | Nankai University | China |
| 192 | Macquarie University | Australia |
| 192 | University of Waterloo | Canada |
| 194 | University of Leicester | United Kingdom |
| 195 | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology(RMIT) | Australia |
| 195 | Tianjin University | China |
| 197 | Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen | Germany |
| 198 | Xiamen University | China |
| 199 | Aix-Marseille Universite | France |
| 199 | University of Rochester | United States |
2025 U.S.News University Ranking Top 10
| U.S. News Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | United States |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institutes if Technology(MIT) | United States |
| 3 | Standford University | United States |
| 4 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 5 | Columbia University | United States |
| 6 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 7 | University College London | United Kingdom |
| 7 | University of Washington Seattle | United States |
| 9 | Columbia University | United States |
| 10 | Yale University | United States |
Harvard University is still sitting in the world’s Top 1 of U.S. News World Ranking, and it attracts a lot of art students scrambling to apply. Economics, Political Science, Computer science, Biology, Law, Medicine, and Business are popular with students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University followed Harvard, ranking the same as before, respectively ranked in the global Top 2, and Top 3.
University of California Berkeley deserves to be the No. 1 public school in the United States, on the list of global Top 5. It also offers a very large number of rich majors such as Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, Business, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology.
The University of Washington ranked among the world’s Top 7 in 2025 U.S. News US University Rankings. As a strong interaction school, the University of Washington’s employment rate is very high, known as the most popular Silicon Valley interaction graduates of the institution.
Columbia University ranked Top 9 in the world, has a very bright ranking. As one of the Ivy League Universities, Columbia University is also very popular with students, and it is super-topped for drama and theatre arts, film and media studies, music, and visual arts!
Yale University is ranked in the Top 10 globally in U.S. News World Ranking. Yale’s Political Science, History, Economics, English, Psychology, and other majors have caused a lot of students to compete to apply.
2025 U.S. News Ranking USA University Rankings
| Ranking in the US | Institution | U.S.News Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University | 18 |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 1 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 3 |
| 5 | Yale University | 10 |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | 23 |
| 6 | Duke University | 26 |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins University | 13 |
| 6 | Northwestern University | 24 |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | 14 |
| 11 | Cornell University | 19 |
| 11 | University of Chicago | 25 |
| 13 | Brown University | 153 |
| 14 | Columbia University | 9 |
| 15 | Dartmouth College | 320 |
| 16 | University of California, Los Angeles | 11 |
| 17 | University of California, Berkeley | 5 |
| 18 | Rice University | 223 |
| 19 | University of Notre Dame | 322 |
| 20 | Vanderbilt University | 63 |
Do you know the best universities in the USA? Firstly, Ivy League schools like Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University are still at the forefront of the 2025 U.S. News US University Ranking. These universities are regarded as top universities in the world because of their outstanding academic resources, strong faculty teams, and profound alumni network. There are also some remarkable changes in the ranking this year. For example, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have narrowed the gap to Ivy League schools due to the rapid development in the technology field.
In addition, this U.S. News & World Report Rankings this year emphasize the indicator of diversity and innovations of students and make some public universities have significant progress, including the University of California Los Angeles and the University of California Berkeley. Their powerful research ability and extensive courses make more students apply to these universities.
2025 U.S. News & World Report Rankings- Top 20 UK University
| Ranking in the UK | Institution | U.S. News Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oxford | 4 |
| 2 | University of Cambridge | 6 |
| 3 | University College London | 7 |
| 4 | Imperial College London | 12 |
| 5 | King’s College London | 36 |
| 6 | University of Edinburgh | 38 |
| 7 | University of Glasgow | 61 |
| 8 | University of Manchester | 67 |
| 9 | Queen Mary University London | 92 |
| 10 | University of Birmingham | 94 |
| 11 | University of Bristol | 96 |
| 12 | London School of Hygenie&Tropical Medicine | 121 |
| 13 | University of Exeter | 122 |
| 14 | University of Southampton | 123 |
| 15 | University of Liverpool | 137 |
| 16 | University of Leeds | 141 |
| 17 | University of Nottingham | 142 |
| 18 | Newcastle University-UK | 159 |
| 19 | University of Sheffield | 160 |
| 20 | University of Warwick | 172 |
Among the U.S. News College Ranking global Top 10, there are 3 UK Colleges on the list, which are the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and University College London.
University College London, as the most grounded G5 institution, is ranked as high as No. 1 in the 2024 QS Global Top 10 in Architecture, while Film, Pure Arts and Interaction are also very impressive.
Imperial College is ranked 12th in the world, a ranking that is not as impressive as the 2nd place it achieved in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, The last G5 institution, King’s College London, is ranked Top 36.
The University of Edinburgh, the legendary G6 choice, is ranked Top 38 in U.S. News World Ranking, and it offers a range of top majors in the UK, including Informatics, Business and Management, Medicine and Life Sciences, Law, and Social Sciences.
2025 U.S. News College Ranking-Australia Top 20
| Ranking in Australia | Institution | U.S. News Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Melbourne | 27 |
| 2 | University of Sydney | 29 |
| 3 | Monash University | 35 |
| 4 | University of New South Wales Sydney | 36 |
| 5 | University of Queensland | 41 |
| 6 | Australian National University | 85 |
| 6 | University of Technology Sydney | 85 |
| 8 | University of Western Australia | 91 |
| 9 | University of Adelaide | 92 |
| 10 | Swinburne University of Technology | 142 |
| 11 | Curtin University | 164 |
| 12 | Deakin University | 177 |
| 13 | Queensland University of Technology(QUT) | 184 |
| 14 | Macquarie University | 192 |
| 15 | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology(RMIT) | 195 |
| 16 | University of Wollongong | 204 |
| 17 | University of Newcastle | 235 |
| 18 | Griffith University | 239 |
| 19 | Western Sydney University | 278 |
| 20 | La Trobe University | 284 |
The performance of Australian universities in the U.S. News Global University Rankings 2025 is notable. Overall, Australian universities have improved their U.S. News University ranking significantly across several subject areas, demonstrating the growing international competitiveness of Australian higher education. Australia’s top universities, represented by The University of Sydney and The University of Melbourne, continue to maintain their leading position in the world university rankings.
The University of Sydney has steadily risen a few places thanks to its outstanding performance in the disciplines of medicine, life sciences and engineering. The University of Melbourne, on the other hand, made significant progress in the social sciences and humanities, further cementing its international reputation.
In addition, The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Queensland also performed well in U.S. News Rankings 2024. ANU’s research achievements in natural sciences and computer science have attracted more international students and researchers. The University of Queensland performed well in the areas of environmental and agricultural sciences, reflecting its research strength and influence in these fields.
2025 U.S. News Ranking- Top 20 China University
| Ranking in China | Institution | U.S. News Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsinghua University | 16 |
| 2 | Peking University | 31 |
| 3 | Zhejiang University | 51 |
| 4 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 54 |
| 5 | University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS | 69 |
| 6 | University of Science & Technology of China, CAS | 82 |
| 6 | Fudan University | 85 |
| 8 | Nanjing University | 98 |
| 9 | Huazhong University of Science & Technology | 100 |
| 10 | Sun Yat Sen University | 106 |
| 11 | Wuhan University | 108 |
| 12 | Hunan University | 119 |
| 13 | Tongji University | 153 |
| 13 | University of Electronic Science & Technology of China | 153 |
| 15 | Southern University of Science & Technology | 157 |
| 16 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 160 |
| 17 | Central South University | 168 |
| 18 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 179 |
| 18 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 179 |
| 20 | Southeast University – China | 183 |
2025 U.S. News World Ranking-HongKong, China
| Ranking in Hong Kong, China | Institution | U.S. News Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese University of Hong Kong | 42 |
| 2 | University of Hong Kong | 44 |
| 3 | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 67 |
| 4 | City University of Hong Kong | 79 |
| 5 | Hong Kong University of Science & Technology | 105 |
| 6 | Hong Kong Baptist University | 471 |
| 7 | Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) | 708 |
| 8 | Lingnan University | 1335 |
The 2025 U.S. News rankings show that Chinese universities continue to make significant progress globally. Tsinghua University and Peking University have steadily risen in the rankings, coming in at No. 13 and No. 27, demonstrating the continued improvement in the quality of education and the impact of their research. In addition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Science and Technology of China also entered the top 50 in U.S. News & World Report Rankings, ranking 36th and 42nd respectively, implying a significant improvement in the overall standard of China’s higher education and enhanced international recognition.
Besides, The University of Hong Kong is firmly in the top 20 of the U.S. News College Ranking, coming in at number 19, demonstrating its excellence in terms of quality of education and international reach. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) also performed well, coming in at 23rd place, highlighting its leadership in the fields of science, technology and engineering. The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong ranked 31st and 45th in U.S.News University Ranking, students can realize the overall strength and international competitiveness of several Hong Kong universities in different fields.
Conclusion about U.S. News Ranking
When students make college choices, you can refer to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Rankings, which reflect the diversity and competitiveness of higher education around the world. Stanford University and Harvard University in the U.S. provide students with a quality academic environment based on excellence in teaching and research. The UK’s Oxford, Cambridge and UCL are both traditional and emerging forces to consider. The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney in Australia excel in research and internationalization and are suitable for students seeking a global perspective. China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University attract international students with their excellence in fields such as engineering and technology. The University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong, China, are highly recognized for their internationalization and quality of education, making them an excellent choice for those seeking a global education experience.
FAQ about U.S.News Ranking
The U.S. News ranking is widely recognized and influential, particularly in the United States. It assesses universities based on various factors like academic reputation, faculty resources, and student outcomes. Its methodology heavily weights metrics that might not fully capture diverse aspects of university excellence, such as teaching quality or inclusivity. Thus, while valuable for comparative purposes, it’s advisable to complement it with other rankings and qualitative assessments for a more comprehensive view.
As the U.S. News ranking shows, the #1 ranked college in America is often Princeton University. Known for its strong academic programs, selective admissions, and substantial endowment, Princeton consistently ranks highly due to its rigorous academics, renowned faculty, and rich historical legacy in higher education.
The most reliable university rankings include QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and U.S. News & World Report Rankings. These rankings assess universities based on factors like academic reputation, research excellence, faculty quality, and international collaboration, offering diverse perspectives on global academic performance.
Yale University, renowned for its Ivy League status and academic excellence, is known for its liberal arts education, distinguished faculty, and historic campus. It is particularly recognized for strong programs in law, medicine, business, and humanities, emphasizing critical thinking and research. Yale’s alumni include numerous Nobel laureates, world leaders, and influential figures across various fields.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia is often considered the top high school in America. Known for its academic programs focusing on STEM disciplines, it consistently ranks high due to its competitive admissions process and strong academic performance. Also, the school emphasis on advanced coursework and research opportunities contributes to its reputation as a leading institution.
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