Penn State tied for No. 17 among U.S. public institutions and No. 39 among all U.S. universities in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released today (Oct. 9). Overall, the University ranked No. 108 globally, tied with three other institutions, placing Penn State in the top 5% worldwide among 2,191 ranked universities. Penn State also remains the top public university in Pennsylvania.
"Penn State continues to rank highly and finds itself once again in the top 5% of institutions worldwide," said Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Penn State Global. "Despite almost a hundred new institutions entering the rankings, our position remains strong. This is a reflection of the fact that our faculty continue to conduct impactful, cutting-edge research while providing a world-class teaching experience for our students."
Times Higher Education's World University Rankings are considered one of the three most respected international university ranking systems, along with the QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities. For this ranking, THE evaluates research-intensive universities around the globe across their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. The ranking continues to grow each year, from 200 universities in 2004 to nearly 2,200 ranked institutions for 2026. This year alone, 99 new universities made the list.
According to THE, it uses 18 performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons relative to research institutions. The performance indicators are grouped into five pillars: Teaching (the learning environment); Research Environment (volume, income and reputation); Research Quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence and research influence); International Outlook (staff, students and research); and Industry (income and patents).
Penn State's scores improved or remained consistent across nearly every measure in the 2026 rankings, with the University's highest-scoring indicators aligning with its teaching and research missions. Penn State's overall ranking is buoyed by its $1.3 billion research enterprise, with Research Environment serving as the University's highest-ranked pillar, placing No. 74 in the world. Penn State also ranked highly in the Teaching pillar, coming in at No. 103 globally.
Times Higher Education places significant weight on an institution's research community, evaluating its reputation among peers, its overall excellence, and its global influence. Penn State's research enterprise extends around the world from its home in Pennsylvania, impacting people and communities across the globe. As examples of the University's research impact both domestically and abroad:
A Penn State-developed solution is helping patients heal faster from broken ribs and is changing how doctors treat potentially life-threatening chest injuries.
Penn State researchers have developed cutting-edge technology using existing underground fiber optic cables to give Pittsburgh officials an early warning system for failing pipes, sinkholes and landslides.
Penn State is leading the Center for Heterogeneous Integration of Micro Electronic Systems to advance heterogenous integration, the efficient and effective integration and packaging of semiconductor devices, chips and other components.
Penn State and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe have partnered on an initiative called the Global Building Network to develop an international framework to make buildings more sustainable, efficient and healthier.
LionGlass is an entirely new family of glass invented and engineered by a team of Penn State students and scientists that requires significantly less energy to produce and is much more damage resistant than standard soda lime silicate glass.
Penn State is a key member of the Colombia-USA Water-Energy-Food Nexus Alliance, a research coalition composed of the Stockholm Environment Institute Latin America Center and three Colombia universities to promote water security in the country.
In the START Lab, Penn State partners with the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Lab, and aerospace company Pratt & Whitney to create new solutions for sustainable power and propulsion research through advancing gas turbine technologies.
Penn State continues to place highly in rankings released by organizations with methodologies that focus on faculty and research excellence. In the 2025 Center for World University Rankings, Penn State ranked No. 57 globally for the quality of its education, employability, faculty and research. The University also placed No. 8 among all U.S. public universities and No. 82 in the world in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. In addition, Penn State's sustainability efforts have been recognized by Times Higher Education's 2025 Impact Rankings, in which the University ranked No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 64 worldwide.
Click here to learn more about Penn State's rankings highlights.
