Penn State is tied at No. 23 in the United States out of 184 nationally ranked institutions in the 2027 QS World University Rankings, released June 17. Internationally, Penn State is tied at No. 92, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,504 institutions ranked overall by QS.
Penn State also tied at No. 7 among U.S. public institutions, and at No. 5 among Big Ten universities, and is once again the top-ranked public university in Pennsylvania.
The QS rankings, based in London, are considered one of the three most respected international university ranking systems, along with the rankings compiled by Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, according to Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Penn State Global.
"Penn State consistently ranks as a top University globally and an exceptional champion of teaching, research and service directly addressing the major challenges facing humanity today," Klahr said. "Our focus on sustainability, research innovation and graduate readiness makes Penn State a vital institution advancing new knowledge and developing a highly skilled workforce."
Among the nine indicators used by QS to compile the rankings, Penn State placed in the top 100 globally in sustainability (No. 21), international research network (No. 35), academic reputation (No. 82) and employer reputation (No. 92). Other performance indicators that comprise the QS methodology include employment outcomes; citations per faculty; international faculty; international students; and faculty-student ratio.
Penn State's efforts in sustainability led to a ranking of No. 21 worldwide and No. 4 in the U.S. among those ranked by QS - as previously reported in the separately released QS Sustainability Rankings. Penn State's sustainability efforts also were recognized by the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, where the University ranked No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 64 worldwide.
The strength of the University's international research network placed Penn State at No. 35 in the world, and No. 6 in the U.S., among those ranked by QS. As examples of its international research network:
- Penn State continues to lead strong international collaborations, advancing research among and across disciplines, from gaining insight into how humans could adapt extraterrestrial resources to support space exploration via microscopic animals called tardigrades to developing artificial eyes to bring human-like sight to robots and self-driving cars. Teams at the University also continue to receive funding from national and international sources, including a group that received $1.6 million to explore how building design, infrastructure and development decisions can help reduce malaria risk worldwide.
- The University remains a proponent of impact, encouraging the application of research to improve lives. Through a partnership with the Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Penn State's Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium can now expand pediatric clinical trials beyond the United States and Canada to help accelerate access to life-saving therapies for children worldwide.
- Faculty at the University serve as pioneers and leaders across fields, as well as for trainees and early-career professionals within their own disciplines. Recent accolades include the election of Hadi Hosseini, associate professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, as president of the International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, and Research Professor of Health and Human Development Sarah Chilenski's mentorship recognition by the international Society for Prevention Research.
Penn State's strong academic reputation, as measured by the annual QS Academic Reputation Survey, ranked No. 82 in the world and No. 22 in the United States. Earlier this year, QS also recognized Penn State's excellence in its 2025 World University Rankings by Subject, with 40 subject areas ranked in the top 100.
Penn State's employer reputation, as measured by the survey, is ranked No. 92 in the world, while also placing No. 24 in the United States.
