U.S. News Ranks UToledo Among 2025 Best Global Universities

July 1, 2025 | News, Research, UToday, Alumni, Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education, Natural Sciences and Mathematics
By Nicki Gorny



The University of Toledo is again ranked among the top research universities in the world by U.S. News & World Report.

UToledo is ranked in the top half of more than 2,250 schools evaluated by U.S. News in its 2025 Best Global Universities list, which considered global and regional research reputation and academic research performance.

Portrait of Distinguished University Professor Dr. Yanfa Yan, a leader in the research and development of perovskite solar cells at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

UToledo is among the top quarter of global universities in materials science, reflecting its status as a leader in research and development of thin-film photovoltaic technology through the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

UToledo ranked in the top quarter of global universities in materials science, a category that encompasses ceramics, textiles, biomaterials, metals and alloys and superconductors and semiconductors. This reflects the institution’s status as a leader in the research and development of thin-film photovoltaic technology through the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

UToledo ranked No. 1 among all global universities for the percentage of total research publications that are among the top 1% most highly cited papers in the materials science category.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized among the top research universities in the world thanks to our expert faculty and strong academic programs,” said Matt Schroeder, interim president of UToledo. “We joined the ranks of the top-tier research universities in the country earlier this year with our prestigious R1 Classification, and this latest recognition by U.S. News & World Report further affirms our reputation for excellence and research innovation.”

UToledo is one of just 280 schools ranked in the United States.

It ranked higher than 88% of institutions in the world in terms of its regional research reputation. It also ranked higher than 83% of institutions in the world in terms of total publications that are among the top 1% of most highly cited papers and higher than 75% of institutions in the world in terms of published books.

In addition to materials science, UToledo also received special recognition as among the best in the world in the subject areas of chemistry and psychiatry/psychology.

The U.S. News ranking underscores the expertise and excellent reputation of researchers at UToledo, many of whom welcome undergraduate researchers into their laboratories as early as their first semester on campus.

El Sevier, an academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical and medical information, counts 35 UToledo faculty researchers among the top 2% in the world. Clarivate, a data analytics firm, cites two of these faculty researchers in its own annual list of the world’s most highly cited researchers: Distinguished University Professor Dr. Yanfa Yan, a leader in the research and development of perovskite solar cells at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, and Distinguished University Professor Dr. Jon Elhai, an expert in cyberpsychology and internet addictions.

UToledo earned its R1 Classification for very high research activity in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in February.

U.S. News has also ranked UToledo among its 2025 Best Colleges, its 2025 Best Graduate Schools and its 2025 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs.