Penn State has been ranked as No. 89 in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, which ranks over 1,500 global universities annually. While the university has dropped slightly from its No. 83 ranking last year, it still remains in the top 8% of all universities worldwide.
Among the 197 United States institutions, Penn State was rated as No. 24 overall. It was the eighth public university in the country and sixth in the Big Ten conference, behind UCLA, Michigan, Northwestern, Washington, and Illinois.
Penn State received an overall score of 61.7 in the rankings. The university performed well in sustainability and international research network but struggled in areas such as faculty-student ratio, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio.
Sabine Klahr, interim vice provost for Penn State Global, expressed pride in the university’s continued recognition as a premier world-class institution. This acknowledgment, she said, is a result of the cutting-edge work by faculty, staff, and students across the university that contributes to its status as a top-tier institution for research, education, and global impact.
Penn State’s best-ranked programs included mineral and mining engineering, sports-related subjects, and earth and marine sciences. However, the university ranked poorly in art and design, pharmacy and pharmacology, and politics.
For the full QS rankings, you can click here.