The University of Wyoming ranks No. 61 among U.S. public universities, No. 99 among all U.S. universities and No. 286 in the world in TIME Magazine’s new list of “The World’s Top Universities of 2026.” (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming ranks in the top 100 of all U.S. universities, public and
private, in TIME Magazine’s new list of “The World’s Top Universities of 2026.”
UW’s standing as the 99th best U.S. university overall -- and the nation’s No. 61
public university -- demonstrates success in achieving a UW strategic plan objective
of raising the university’s national and international profile.
Among all world universities, TIME ranks UW No. 286.
UW’s ranking also is significantly higher than a number of flagship and land-grant
universities in neighboring states.
“We’re a relatively small public university in the least-populated state in the nation,
but we’re also a world-class institution that more than holds its own with bigger
universities in the region, the country and across the globe,” UW President Ed Seidel
says. “This new ranking by TIME shows that the people of Wyoming can be justifiably
proud of their land-grant and flagship university.”
Among other things, TIME says its rankings recognize the extent to which students
achieve extraordinary success, such as in patenting new inventions or rising to leadership
roles in business. The news organization used big data to study the outcomes of millions
of college students and analyzed other publicly available information, with academic
capacity and performance accounting for 60 percent of universities’ overall scores;
innovation and economic impact, 30 percent; and global engagement, 10 percent.
Under the pillar of academic capacity and performance, the study examined both the
resources universities devote to teaching and research, and the results they achieve
in terms of scholarly output and academic excellence.
Under the dimension of innovation and economic impact, the study examined universities’
contributions to the advancement of science and technology, the diffusion of knowledge,
and their influence on economic decision-making through the careers of their graduates.
The new TIME ranking is just the latest in external recognition for UW.
In 2025, Research.com ranked UW No. 146 in its “Best Universities in United States
2025” list, and U.S. News listed UW No. 172 among U.S. universities in its “Best Global
Universities” rankings.
Additionally, 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 expenditures in the 2025 fiscal year surpassed $183 million, almost
a 10 percent increase over the previous year. And UW received $221 million in external
funding for research, instruction and service in the 2025 fiscal year, a 47 percent
increase.
Also, UW again was recognized as one of the top 100 universities in the number of
patents issued, with 14 patents filed in 2025.
“At the end of the day, this growing strength isn’t about rankings -- it’s about what Wyoming students and families get from Wyoming’s university,” Seidel says. “UW delivers an outstanding education, recognized everywhere, that’s also accessible and affordable, just as our founders intended. And our research doesn’t sit on a shelf -- it’s put to work for Wyoming, bolstering our communities, supporting our industries and helping build a strong future for this state.”
