UMD Climbs in NSF’s Research Spending Ranking
Annual Survey Puts UMD at No. 18 Overall, No. 11 Among Public Institutions
The University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, which are linked as one research enterprise in the survey, reported combined research expenditures of almost $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2023, up nearly $157 million from the previous year.
Photo by Eric Kruszewski
The University of Maryland’s growing investment in research that takes on society’s biggest issues helped it move up a spot to No. 18 among all U.S. institutions in the National Science Foundation’s latest Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey, the most widely recognized national ranking for universities engaged in sponsored research.
UMD also ranked 11th nationally among public institutions in research and development spending in fiscal year 2023. The University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore are linked as one research enterprise in the survey and reported combined research expenditures of almost $1.4 billion, an increase of nearly $157 million from the previous year.
“This significant increase in research spending reflects the relentless dedication of our faculty, staff and students who continue to push the boundaries of discovery, innovation and creativity,” said Vice President for Research Gregory F. Ball. “Our position among the top research institutions is not just a reflection of our academic excellence, but also a testament to the impactful, transformative work happening across our campus and our continued commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and addressing the world’s grand challenges.”
The state of Maryland is in a group of just eight states with more than one research institution at or above $1 billion in research spending, with Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University nabbing the top spot in the survey.
Ball credits part of the university’s research prowess to its success in establishing strategic collaborative partnerships, such as a recent $388 million cooperative funding agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for research in Earth system science.
Additionally, UMD received a new contract with a $500 million ceiling from the Department of Defense to support the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, the largest contract in the university’s history.
UMD has also been a top-10 school for entrepreneurship education for the past 10 years, according to annual rankings by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The 2025 rankings released Nov. 12 listed UMD No. 7 across all institutions and No. 5 among public universities.
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