A new ranking places UW-Milwaukee among the top third of universities worldwide.
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026-2027 Best Global Universities Rankings on Tuesday, rating the top 2,250 institutions in the world on academic research and reputation.
UWM was one of just four universities in Wisconsin that made the list, along with UW-Madison, Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
In addition, U.S. News ranked universities across several subject areas. UWM’s best ranking is in space science, ranked No. 54 among 250 programs worldwide. Members of the Leonard E Parker Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics at UWM have been at the forefront of astrophysics research, including playing a key part in the first-ever discovery of gravitational waves, an achievement that won a Nobel Prize in 2017.
The ratings use 13 ranking factors focusing on institutions’ research performance. Specifically, the rankings were calculated using global and regional reputation indicators and academic research performance indicators, such as citations and publications.
“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “These rankings reveal institutions that are at the forefront of global scholarship and innovation, serving as a launching pad for future generations of leaders.”
