Northwestern University: Rankings
Northwestern University ranked 25 in United States, 31 in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 1-3 across multiple research topics. The ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EliteDegrees's index has 245,645 academic publications and 12,206,770 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of notable alumni.
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 31 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 1 of 4 | In Evanston |
| # 3 of 100 | In Illinois |
| # 27 of 2,597 | In North America |
| # 25 of 2,496 | In United States |
| # 27 of 5,373 | For Medicine |
| # 27 of 4,845 | For Psychology |
| # 30 of 6,308 | For Biology |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Jump to topical rankings below
Biology rankings
Northwestern University ranked 23 for Biology in United States and 30 in the World with 153,824 publications made and 8,131,792 citations received.
Northwestern University
Biology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanotechnology | #6 | #6 | #12 |
| Neuroscience | #18 | #20 | #24 |
| Oncology | #20 | #21 | #27 |
| Biophysics | #21 | #22 | #28 |
| Biochemistry | #25 | #28 | #36 |
| Genetics | #26 | #28 | #36 |
| Molecular | #25 | #27 | #36 |
| Pharmacology | #27 | #30 | #37 |
| Immunology | #27 | #29 | #38 |
| Ethics | #26 | #31 | #44 |
| Astrobiology | #29 | #30 | #44 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #30 | #32 | #46 |
| Virology | #30 | #32 | #46 |
| Evolutionary | #37 | #40 | #53 |
| Biotechnology | #36 | #40 | #61 |
| Paleontology | #35 | #39 | #62 |
| Microbiology | #52 | #60 | #107 |
| Botany | #49 | #54 | #108 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #64 | #76 | #166 |
| Entomology | #79 | #93 | #223 |
| Zoology | #76 | #91 | #224 |
| Animal Science | #73 | #87 | #285 |
| Horticulture | #78 | #94 | #476 |
| Toxicology | #118 | #138 | #528 |
| Forestry | #115 | #143 | #700 |
Medicine rankings
Northwestern University ranked 21 for Medicine in United States and 27 in the World with 145,414 publications made and 6,690,093 citations received.
Northwestern University
Medicine Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatology | #10 | #11 | #13 |
| Audiology | #12 | #13 | #14 |
| Sports | #8 | #10 | #15 |
| Cosmetology | #12 | #13 | #17 |
| Occupational Therapy | #7 | #11 | #18 |
| Urology | #18 | #19 | #20 |
| Surgery | #17 | #18 | #20 |
| Neurosurgery | #9 | #10 | #20 |
| Physical Therapy | #10 | #14 | #21 |
| Radiology | #17 | #18 | #21 |
| Healthcare Administration | #15 | #17 | #21 |
| Radiation Therapy | #16 | #17 | #21 |
| Plastic Surgery | #19 | #20 | #21 |
| Cardiology | #19 | #20 | #22 |
| Pathology | #20 | #21 | #25 |
| Anesthesiology | #19 | #21 | #25 |
| Oncology | #20 | #21 | #27 |
| Health Science | #17 | #21 | #27 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | #13 | #14 | #29 |
| Pediatrics | #19 | #22 | #29 |
| Gerontology | #23 | #25 | #30 |
| Nursing | #18 | #22 | #31 |
| Psychiatry | #23 | #26 | #33 |
| Pharmacology | #27 | #30 | #37 |
| Immunology | #27 | #29 | #38 |
| Ethics | #26 | #31 | #44 |
| Virology | #30 | #32 | #46 |
| Paramedicine and Emergency | #33 | #38 | #47 |
| Ophthalmology | #34 | #35 | #48 |
| Clinical Psychology | #38 | #41 | #57 |
| Dentistry | #25 | #27 | #61 |
| Orthodontics | #26 | #28 | #62 |
| Epidemiology | #30 | #35 | #74 |
| Optometry | #44 | #49 | #94 |
| Pharmacy | #30 | #33 | #109 |
| Social Work | #113 | #128 | #254 |
| Veterinary | #69 | #78 | #313 |
| Forensic Science | #110 | #127 | #423 |
| Toxicology | #118 | #138 | #528 |
| Respiratory Therapy | #25 | #29 | #42 |
| Sonography and Ultrasound | #37 | #40 | #78 |
| Public Health | #32 | #35 | #51 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | #19 | #20 | #22 |
| Critical Care Nursing | #17 | #19 | #21 |
| Family medicine | #17 | #19 | #22 |
| Medical Physics | #30 | #34 | #44 |
| Gastroenterology and Hepatology | #17 | #18 | #28 |
Chemistry rankings
Northwestern University ranked 20 for Chemistry in United States and 30 in the World with 116,791 publications made and 6,523,921 citations received.
Northwestern University
Chemistry Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanotechnology | #6 | #6 | #12 |
| Computational | #11 | #11 | #19 |
| Organic chemistry | #17 | #18 | #28 |
| Physical | #9 | #9 | #29 |
| Biochemistry | #25 | #28 | #36 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #21 | #22 | #53 |
| Pharmacy | #30 | #33 | #109 |
| Radiochemistry | #22 | #26 | #139 |
| Environmental Chemistry | #31 | #36 | #84 |
| Polymer science and Plastics engineering | #9 | #9 | #19 |
| Materials Science | #9 | #9 | #21 |
| Inorganic Chemistry | #5 | #5 | #19 |
| Chemical Engineering | #6 | #6 | #19 |
Engineering rankings
Northwestern University ranked 24 for Engineering in United States and 42 in the World with 96,556 publications made and 5,291,105 citations received.
Northwestern University
Engineering Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanotechnology | #6 | #6 | #12 |
| Metallurgy | #7 | #7 | #20 |
| Applied Physics | #14 | #14 | #27 |
| Operations Research | #15 | #17 | #27 |
| Optics | #17 | #18 | #29 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #21 | #22 | #53 |
| Construction Management | #16 | #18 | #56 |
| Biotechnology | #36 | #40 | #61 |
| Telecommunications | #34 | #38 | #85 |
| Systems | #40 | #46 | #90 |
| Computer Engineering | #39 | #43 | #95 |
| Robotics | #30 | #36 | #116 |
| Aviation | #51 | #55 | #137 |
| Engineering Management | #73 | #79 | #154 |
| Environmental Engineering | #39 | #49 | #170 |
| Reliability and Quality | #55 | #66 | #177 |
| Automation and Control | #50 | #60 | #215 |
| Architecture | #56 | #68 | #229 |
| Remote Sensing | #94 | #113 | #326 |
| Renewable Energy | #79 | #100 | #481 |
| Geotechnical Engineering | #22 | #26 | #58 |
| Product and Industrial Design | #33 | #37 | #98 |
| Transportation Engineering | #37 | #41 | #89 |
| Structural Engineering | #11 | #11 | #23 |
| Industrial Engineering | #9 | #9 | #18 |
| Mechanical Engineering | #27 | #29 | #56 |
| Civil Engineering | #34 | #38 | #86 |
| Acoustical Engineering | #20 | #21 | #36 |
| Biomedical Engineering | #20 | #21 | #29 |
| Electrical Engineering | #27 | #29 | #67 |
| Aerospace Engineering | #35 | #39 | #74 |
Physics rankings
Northwestern University ranked 22 for Physics in United States and 37 in the World with 96,084 publications made and 5,238,837 citations received.
Northwestern University
Physics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanotechnology | #6 | #6 | #12 |
| Condensed Matter | #11 | #11 | #23 |
| Applied Physics | #14 | #14 | #27 |
| Biophysics | #21 | #22 | #28 |
| Optics | #17 | #18 | #29 |
| Molecular | #21 | #21 | #33 |
| Astrobiology | #29 | #30 | #44 |
| Theoretical | #50 | #57 | #147 |
| Quantum and Particle physics | #21 | #22 | #38 |
| Astrophysics and Astronomy | #30 | #32 | #46 |
| Atomic and Molecular physics | #21 | #21 | #33 |
Computer Science rankings
Northwestern University ranked 31 for Computer Science in United States and 42 in the World with 93,674 publications made and 5,014,255 citations received.
Northwestern University
Computer Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuroscience | #18 | #20 | #24 |
| Cognitive Science | #18 | #21 | #25 |
| Data Science | #24 | #27 | #35 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #30 | #32 | #46 |
| Animation | #23 | #26 | #46 |
| Computational Linguistics | #23 | #26 | #46 |
| Machine Learning | #34 | #37 | #60 |
| Multimedia | #39 | #46 | #78 |
| Computer Vision | #37 | #41 | #79 |
| Telecommunications | #34 | #38 | #85 |
| Computer Engineering | #39 | #43 | #95 |
| Robotics | #30 | #36 | #116 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #43 | #51 | #121 |
| Software Engineering | #48 | #61 | #145 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #54 | #60 | #149 |
| Information Technology | #111 | #122 | #257 |
| Library and Information science | #22 | #23 | #27 |
| Human-Computer Interaction | #36 | #41 | #77 |
| Database Administration | #35 | #39 | #62 |
| Cyber Security | #42 | #45 | #72 |
| Computer Networking | #37 | #40 | #73 |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | #39 | #44 | #81 |
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings
Northwestern University ranked 34 for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in United States and 52 in the World with 88,242 publications made and 4,403,559 citations received.
Northwestern University
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics | #20 | #22 | #26 |
| Publishing | #12 | #13 | #30 |
| Gender Studies | #26 | #28 | #34 |
| Broadcast Journalism | #29 | #30 | #39 |
| Linguistics | #28 | #30 | #40 |
| Law | #29 | #31 | #41 |
| Demography | #29 | #32 | #45 |
| Political Science | #31 | #33 | #45 |
| Anthropology | #30 | #34 | #49 |
| Sociology | #35 | #38 | #51 |
| Media Studies | #29 | #32 | #58 |
| Philosophy | #30 | #34 | #60 |
| Genealogy | #36 | #39 | #61 |
| Education | #38 | #43 | #65 |
| History | #38 | #42 | #71 |
| Archaeology | #38 | #42 | #72 |
| Special Education | #72 | #78 | #132 |
| International Law | #49 | #57 | #147 |
| Social Work | #113 | #128 | #254 |
| Forensic Science | #110 | #127 | #423 |
| Criminology and Criminal Justice | #45 | #51 | #69 |
| Communications and Public Relations | #36 | #41 | #69 |
| Intellectual Property and Patent Law | #47 | #53 | #76 |
| Classics and Ancient History | #33 | #35 | #60 |
| Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | #16 | #19 | #30 |
| Radio and Television broadcasting | #52 | #54 | #91 |
| Theology / Divinity / Religious studies | #41 | #45 | #83 |
| Journalism and Digital Media | #7 | #7 | #7 |
| Law Enforcement | #54 | #56 | #79 |
Psychology rankings
Northwestern University ranked 20 for Psychology in United States and 27 in the World with 73,801 publications made and 3,677,997 citations received.
Northwestern University
Psychology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Sexuality | #13 | #15 | #15 |
| Occupational Therapy | #7 | #11 | #18 |
| Neuroscience | #18 | #20 | #24 |
| Cognitive Science | #18 | #21 | #25 |
| Psychiatry | #23 | #26 | #33 |
| Clinical Psychology | #38 | #41 | #57 |
| Education | #38 | #43 | #65 |
| Special Education | #72 | #78 | #132 |
| Social Work | #113 | #128 | #254 |
| Child Psychology | #35 | #38 | #45 |
| Social Psychology | #30 | #32 | #37 |
Environmental Science rankings
Northwestern University ranked 44 for Environmental Science in United States and 85 in the World with 60,708 publications made and 3,224,060 citations received.
Northwestern University
Environmental Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paleontology | #35 | #39 | #62 |
| Geology | #41 | #45 | #80 |
| Ecology | #52 | #58 | #113 |
| Earth science and Geoscience | #40 | #45 | #114 |
| Oceanography | #49 | #55 | #127 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #64 | #76 | #166 |
| Environmental Engineering | #39 | #49 | #170 |
| Environmental Management | #75 | #93 | #331 |
| Forestry | #115 | #143 | #700 |
| Geography and Cartography | #46 | #50 | #98 |
Mathematics rankings
Northwestern University ranked 30 for Mathematics in United States and 41 in the World with 44,208 publications made and 2,452,111 citations received.
Northwestern University
Mathematics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Econometrics | #18 | #19 | #21 |
| Operations Research | #15 | #17 | #27 |
| Actuarial Science | #29 | #31 | #39 |
| Statistics | #30 | #32 | #40 |
| Applied Mathematics | #23 | #27 | #43 |
| Mathematics Education | #43 | #47 | #74 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #54 | #60 | #149 |
Business rankings
Northwestern University ranked 35 for Business in United States and 49 in the World with 24,999 publications made and 1,461,852 citations received.
Northwestern University
Business Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Research | #15 | #17 | #27 |
| Finance | #25 | #27 | #33 |
| Accounting | #27 | #28 | #36 |
| Advertising | #30 | #32 | #38 |
| Actuarial Science | #29 | #31 | #39 |
| Marketing | #29 | #31 | #40 |
| Risk Management | #30 | #34 | #55 |
| Construction Management | #16 | #18 | #56 |
| Management | #34 | #38 | #61 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #43 | #51 | #121 |
| Real Estate | #59 | #62 | #134 |
| Project Management | #45 | #54 | #150 |
| Engineering Management | #73 | #79 | #154 |
| Entrepreneurship | #87 | #103 | #269 |
| International Trade | #82 | #96 | #379 |
| Supply Chain Management | #14 | #14 | #37 |
| Investment Banking and Stock trading | #16 | #17 | #21 |
| Public Policy / Administration | #51 | #56 | #91 |
| Tax Law | #43 | #47 | #73 |
Economics rankings
Northwestern University ranked 25 for Economics in United States and 34 in the World with 23,089 publications made and 1,433,311 citations received.
Northwestern University
Economics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Econometrics | #18 | #19 | #21 |
| Finance | #25 | #27 | #33 |
| Actuarial Science | #29 | #31 | #39 |
| International Trade | #82 | #96 | #379 |
| Development Studies | #24 | #26 | #36 |
| Political Economy | #36 | #40 | #80 |
Art & Design rankings
Northwestern University ranked 31 for Art & Design in United States and 47 in the World with 13,185 publications made and 631,626 citations received.
Northwestern University
Art & Design Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music | #9 | #12 | #17 |
| Photography | #13 | #15 | #22 |
| Aesthetics | #20 | #22 | #26 |
| Literature | #27 | #31 | #46 |
| Animation | #23 | #26 | #46 |
| Creative Writing | #26 | #31 | #48 |
| Multimedia | #39 | #46 | #78 |
| Acting and Drama | #42 | #46 | #89 |
| Graphic Design | #45 | #53 | #92 |
| Sculpture | #35 | #38 | #131 |
| Cinematography | #46 | #57 | #176 |
| Architecture | #56 | #68 | #229 |
| Computer Graphics | #31 | #34 | #53 |
| Fashion Design | #32 | #35 | #48 |
| Singing and Vocal Performance | #31 | #34 | #61 |
| Entertainment Industry Business | #35 | #40 | #65 |
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