CCNY's Class of 2026 at this year's commencement. U.S. News & World Report has ranked CCNY one of the best universities in the world.
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings and consumer advice, ranks The City College of New York a Best Global University in its 12th annual rankings of the top institutions worldwide published today. The award indicates excellence in research and a stellar academic reputation.
Out of more than 2,250 elite universities in 100-plus countries that U.S. News evaluated, CCNY’s overall rank is #897 (tied). Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University and England’s University of Oxford – in that order – are the four top ranked schools in the world.
This latest recognition of CCNY’s quality follows its inclusion in the top 2.2% out of 21,291 universities globally by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) early this month. CCNY has been consistently ranked in the top 2% by CWUR for more than a decade.
The following countries have the most schools in U.S. News’ 2026 Best Universities overall rankings:
- China: 409
- United States: 275
- India: 123
- United Kingdom: 93
- Japan: 86
“For students seeking universities with strong academic excellence and global recognition, the Best Global Universities rankings offer an essential comparative resource,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “Our methodology focuses on a school's research mission and scholarly impact, helping students identify institutions that are truly at the forefront of global knowledge creation.”
CCNY’s #896 global ranking reflects its Global score of 39.5. U.S. News places its Regional Research reputation at #155, and its Global Research reputation at #504. The College also scores well in the International Collaboration - Relative to Country category at #276.
The City College’s highest subject ranking is in physics, where it is #363 (tied), reflecting an overall score of 45.8. Following are CCNY’s other high placings in this category:
- Physics Normalized Citation Impact, #48;
- Physics Percentage of Highly Cited Papers that are Among the Top 1% most cited, #72;
- Physics Regional Research Reputation, #83;
- Physics Global Research Reputation, #367;
- Physics Percentage of Total Publications that are Among the 10% Most Cited, #85;
- Physics International Collaboration - Relative to Country, #269; and
- Physics Number of Highly Cited Papers that are Among the top 1% Most Cited, #339.
Click here for all of CCNY’s rankings.
Powered by data and metrics from the Web of Science Core Collection and InCites Benchmarking & Analytics provided by Clarivate, a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university’s global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. Click here to read the methodology.
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About The City College of New YorkSince 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 2.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.7 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. By May 2026, more than $500 million had been raised. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
e:
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu