UMD Named a Top Global University in 2 International Rankings

The University of Maryland has been recognized again among the world’s best universities, according to two new international rankings. 

The university has been ranked in the top 2% of more than 2,500 universities around the globe in the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) released by ShanghaiRanking on Friday. UMD also ranks No. 12 among U.S. public institutions—up a notch from 2024—underscoring the university’s growing global impact and excellence in research, teaching and innovation.

The ARWU ranks institutions each year based on academic and research excellence. Factors include Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals earned by alums and faculty, the number of highly cited researchers, publications in top journals like Nature and Science, and overall research performance.

In addition, UMD is listed among the top 0.5% of universities in the world in the 2025 edition of the Global 2000 list released in June by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

CWUR evaluates institutions using seven objective indicators across four key areas: education, employability, faculty and research. These metrics assess alum achievements, faculty distinctions, and research output, quality, influence and citations to provide a comprehensive measure of global university performance.

These add to the university’s growing list of global ranking recognitions. In June, the university ranked No. 29 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s list of 2025-26 Best Global Universities, and No. 11 among U.S. public institutions. Four of the university’s programs ranked in the top 25 globally: geoscience (No. 13), physics (No. 19), meteorology and atmospheric sciences (No. 17) and space science (No. 22).