U of A ranks among top 0.5% of world universities, top 50 in the US in CWUR rankings

June 9, 2025
University Communications
A front-facing view of Old Main, the historic red-brick building at the University of Arizona, framed by palm trees and desert greenery. A wide staircase leads to the main entrance under a prominent gabled roof. Puffy white clouds and a bright blue sky form a dramatic backdrop, highlighting the architectural charm and heritage of the university’s oldest building.

The Center for World University Rankings has once again recognized the University of Arizona as one of the world's best research universities.

The U of A is ranked No. 102 overall in the 2025 edition of the Center for World University Rankings, released June 2. The U of A also placed No. 49 among U.S. institutions and No. 26 among public colleges and universities. 

The ranking places the U of A among the top 0.5% of more than 21,400 colleges and universities worldwide. 

CWUR uses the following categories to rank the world's universities. The percentages indicate the weight given to each indicator:

  • Quality of education, measured by the number of alumni who have won major academic distinctions relative to the university's size (25% of the overall ranking)
  • Employability, measured by the number of alumni who have held top executive positions at the world's largest companies relative to the university's size (25%)
  • Quality of faculty, measured by the number of faculty members who have won major academic distinctions (10%)
  • Research performance:
    • Research output, measured by the total number of research articles (10%)
    • High-quality publications, measured by the number of research articles appearing in top-tier journals (10%)
    • Influence, measured by the number of research articles appearing in influential journals (10%).
    • Citations, measured by the number of highly cited research articles (10%).

The number of faculty members who have been awarded major academic distinctions contributed to the university's showing, with the U of A placing No. 75 overall in this category. The U of A earned an overall score of 81.9 out of a possible 100, as well as a global ranking of No. 117 in the research performance category.

CWUR places equal emphasis on student-related and faculty-related indicators, with no reliance on surveys and university data submissions. According to CWUR, this year's ranking incorporated more than 74 million outcome-based data points.

Originally posted on news.arizona.edu.