UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State ranks in the top 25 in 11 subject area rankings and in the top 100 in an additional 22 subjects, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), which released its 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) on Nov. 18.
According to its website, ARWU evaluates the performance of world universities in relevant subjects, using a number of metrics, including research output, research influence, international collaboration, research quality and international academic awards.
The 2025 GRAS contains rankings of universities in 57 subjects across the broad categories of natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. Penn State was ranked in the top 100 in 33 of these categories.
Approximately 2,000 universities across 100 countries and regions are listed in this year’s rankings.
Penn State ranked in the top 25 of the following 11 subject areas:
- Communication (4)
- Business Administration (8)
- Atmospheric Science (9)
- Mining & Mineral Engineering (11)
- Political Sciences (11)
- Sociology (11)
- Hospitality & Tourism Management (12)
- Education (15)
- Management (16)
- Statistics (16)
- Materials Science & Engineering (17)
In addition, the University ranked in the top 100 in 22 additional subject areas, including:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biological Sciences
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science & Engineering
- Earth Sciences
- Ecology
- Economics
- Finance
- Geography
- Law (Top 50)
- Library & Information Science (Top 50)
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
- Physics
- Psychology (Top 50)
- Public Administration
- Water Resources
“The excellence of our faculty, staff, and students is reflected in these rankings which once again show Penn State as a world-class academic institution,” said Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Penn State Global. “The interdisciplinary and campus-wide nature of our academic enterprise has been recognized by these rankings. This is in addition to the recently released QS Sustainability rankings, which position us as a leader in sustainability efforts, as well as Penn State’s recognition for excellence in global engagement by NAFSA via the Simon Award.”
ARWU began to publish world university rankings by academic subjects in 2009, and also are known as the Shanghai Rankings, as the organization is based in Shanghai, China.
For a full view of Penn State’s profile on ARWU, visit the University's institution page.