The University of Arizona has again been recognized as one of the world’s top research institutions by U.S. News & World Report.

UArizona ranked 108 out of 2,000 higher education institutions across 95 countries in the 2023 Best Global Universities ranking, released Tuesday. The university was No. 44 among universities in the U.S. and No. 23 among public universities.

UArizona again earned its best placement in the space science category, placing No. 10 overall, No. 6 in the U.S. and No. 2 among public universities. The university earned top marks for its research reputation in space sciences, along with the number of citations and publications by UArizona researchers.


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UArizona’s other top mark came in water resources – one of four new categories added to this year’s list – finishing No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 21 globally.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the brilliant research scientists and scholars at the University of Arizona,” said university President Robert C. Robbins. “It is through their rigorous investigations and creative thinking that our university continues to create transformative impact for our state and world, holding our place alongside the world’s premier academic research institutions.”

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities ranks colleges and universities in 47 separate subjects – up from 43 the year before. The University of Arizona earned a spot on 34 of the subject ranking lists.

The university’s overall research reputation ranked No. 49 in the U.S. and No. 94 globally.

“Our continued success in these rankings demonstrates the depth of our research enterprise,” said Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, senior vice president for research and innovation. “University of Arizona research is responsible for tangible impacts in nearly all fields of study, including our groundbreaking climate and water research, our commitment to developing proactive, personalized health solutions, and our exploration of the furthest reaches of the galaxy.”

UArizona earned top-100 global placements for its programs in geosciences (No. 31), meteorology and atmospheric sciences (No. 48), environment/ecology (No. 49), arts and humanities (tied for No. 58), plant/animal sciences (No. 65).

The ninth annual Best Global Universities rankings provide insight into how research institutions compare throughout the world. To produce the global rankings, which are based on data and metrics provided by the analytics company Clarivate, U.S. News & World Report uses a methodology that focuses on a university’s global and regional reputation and academic research performance using indicators such as citations and publications.

U.S. News uses a separate methodology for the subject-specific rankings that is based on academic research performance in each subject. U.S. News uses various measures, including publications and citations, as well as indicators for global and regional reputation in each specific subject area.