No. 1 Public University in New York

The University at Buffalo has earned the No. 1 spot among all public universities in New York State in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Released by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds, this recognition cements UB’s position as a leader in academic excellence, research and discovery, and global engagement, among other measures.

The rankings place UB, New York State’s flagship and a member of the Association of American Universities, 33rd among all public colleges and universities in the U.S.—up four spots from last year—and 64th among U.S. public and private institutions, an improvement of five spots from a year ago.

On the global stage, UB jumped 56 spots to No. 410 among the world’s most prominent public and private colleges and universities.

Achieving the highest standards of scholarly excellence, UB's academic and research activities tangibly demonstrate why this ranking is merited.

Annual sponsored research expenditures crossed the $200 million threshold three years ago and continue to climb, recently surpassing $249 million, and scholarly citations of faculty work have been trending dramatically upward. Home to tens of thousands of scholars from all over the country and world, UB also holds formalized partnerships with universities in Vietnam, South Korea, India and elsewhere, extending the university’s reach on a global scale.

UB students reap the benefits of this robust academic environment. A wide range of experiential learning programs provide career-driven, immersive educational opportunities, and the number of students competing for and successfully securing the nation’s most prestigious fellowships and awards is steadily rising.

This fall, UB enrolled more than 30,000 students for the seventh consecutive year, including a record-breaking class of first-year students, further expanding its academic community and the possibilities for generating meaningful innovation and impact.

And while rankings serve to illustrate the institution’s rising prominence nationally and globally, UB President Satish Tripathi emphasized that it is the university’s overarching mission to truly make a difference in the world that fuels all of UB’s endeavors.

“As a public research university, we do all these things not for the purpose of rising in the rankings. These mission-driven priorities are all intended to achieve greater societal impact,” said Tripathi.

The QS rankings are based on a weighted index of themes, with research and discovery, which includes indicators for academic reputation and faculty citations, accounting for 50%, followed by employability and outcomes (20%), global engagement (15%), learning experience (10%) and sustainability (5%).

Highlights of UB’s indicator rankings among U.S. public colleges and universities include ranking 12th in international student population, 13th in sustainability, 27th in faculty citations, 31st in employment outcomes and 37th in academic reputation.