ASU moves up among top-ranked universities in the world for academic, employer reputation
QS World University Rankings places ASU 15th among US public schools

By Mary Beth Faller, ASU News
June 19, 2026

Arizona State University continues to be among the top-ranked institutions for academic and employment reputation, according to two new rankings.

In the QS World University Rankings for 2027, ASU is ranked 15th among U.S. public universities, up one spot from last year and ahead of the University of California, Santa Barbara, The Ohio State University and the University of Maryland.

Among both public and private schools, ASU is 35th, up one spot from the 2026 rankings. Globally, ASU is No. 172 in the QS rankings1, which were released June 19.


In addition, in the U.S. News &amp; World Report Best Global Universities Rankings that were released June 16, ASU’s Tempe campus is 33rd among U.S. public universities, ahead of Stony Brook University, Virginia Tech and the University of Georgia.

Compared with all U.S. universities, public and private, ASU ranked 57th, and globally, U.S. News &amp; World Report placed ASU 179th. This ranking compares institutions worldwide based on academic research performance and international reputation.

The U.S. News &amp; World Report Best Global Universities also ranked by subject, and ASU was in the top 20 for eight subject areas compared with all U.S. institutions, public and private: 

Environmental engineering, No. 4

Green and sustainable science and technology, No. 5

Education and educational research, No. 7

Chemical engineering, No. 10

Water resources, No. 10

Civil engineering, No. 17

Ecology, No. 20

Environment/ecology, No. 20

In the 2027 QS rankings, compared with all U.S. universities, public and private, ASU ranked ninth for international research, 19th for sustainability, 35th for employer reputation and 34th for academic reputation.

"ASU’s recognition in the QS World University Rankings reflects our commitment to creating meaningful impact through teaching, learning and research discovery," said Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost.

"We believe universities have a responsibility to help solve the world's most pressing challenges through the students we graduate and the knowledge and innovations produced by our scholars. This ranking affirms the strength of that commitment and the collective efforts of our faculty, staff and students to make an impact locally, nationally and around the world."

This story originally appeared on ASU News.

1 The ranking company Quacquarelli Symonds provides analytics and insight to the global higher education sector. The QS World University Rankings launched in 2004 and has become a popular source of comparative data about university performance.