U of A ranks among world's top research universities

The University of Arizona has achieved recognition in global academic excellence, securing a position among the world’s elite educational institutions. This acknowledgment comes from the 2025 edition of the Center for World University Rankings, released June 2.

In the latest CWUR rankings, the U of A claimed the No. 102 position globally, while standing at No. 49 among U.S. institutions and No. 26 among public colleges and universities. This placement situates the university among the top 0.5% of academic institutions worldwide.

The CWUR ranking system stands out for its objective approach, utilizing over 74 million data points to evaluate institutions. Unlike some other ranking systems, it doesn’t rely on surveys or university-submitted data, instead focusing on measurable outcomes across both student and faculty achievements. 

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%).

In the research performance category, the U of A secured the 117th position globally, demonstrating its significant contribution to academic research and scholarly output.