Master technician Chandelle Macdonald works in UW’s Stable Isotope Facility, a world-class core research lab that provides quality isotopic analyses for the research community at UW and researchers worldwide. UW’s research prowess has been recognized in two new rankings of the world’s best research universities. (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s research prowess has been recognized in two new rankings
of the world’s best research universities.
Research.com has ranked UW No. 146 in its “Best Universities in United States 2025” list, and
U.S. News lists UW No. 172 among U.S. universities in its “Best Global Universities” rankings.
Research.com analyzed 2,000 universities from over 105 higher education systems across
the globe, considering the cumulative research performance of scholars associated
with each institution, such as numbers of scientific publications and citations of
those papers.
U.S. News evaluated 2,250 universities in more than 100 countries, using in-depth
data about published research, research citations, international collaboration and
reputation among academics.
“Considering our relatively small size, UW more than holds its own as a nationally
and internationally known research institution,” says Parag Chitnis, UW’s vice president
for research and economic development. “Our ranking by Research.com, for example,
puts us the highest among universities in the five-state region of Wyoming, Idaho,
Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, even though some of the other universities
are bigger in terms of students or research expenditures.”
Earlier this year, the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching designated UW as an R1 university, making UW one of 187 institutions nationwide to achieve that status. Just 4.8 percent
of the nation’s nearly 4,000 accredited, degree-granting institutions have reached
this “very high research activity” category.
UW’s research enterprise has been growing in recent years. In fiscal year 2023, external
grants and contracts for research and engagement activities at UW totaled $120 million;
in 2024, $150 million; and in 2025, the university received a record $183 million.
“The university’s research not only creates new knowledge for the state, nation and the world, but it also has practical benefits for Wyoming communities,” Chitnis says. “As Wyoming’s land-grant university, UW serves Wyoming by providing accessible, high-quality education; conducting research that directly addresses state needs; and engaging with communities and industries to promote prosperity.”
