Carolina Places 32nd in New Global Ranking

Posted on Oct. 29, 2014

UNC ranks 32nd among the world’s top 500 research universities, according to the inaugural U.S. News & World Report “Best Global Universities” rankings.

The publisher that perennially ranks Carolina the fifth-best public university in the country has it tied with the University of Melbourne for 32nd among world institutions. Among U.S. research universities included on the list, UNC placed 24th overall and 11th among public campuses.

Harvard University tops the magazine’s list, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California-Berkeley, Stanford University and the University of Oxford.

The London-based Times Higher Education World University Rankings recently place UNC tied for 46th among the top universities in the world — up one spot from last year — and tied for 11th among U.S. public universities in the rankings.

“A great university must be a global university, and this ranking is another indication of Carolina’s international excellence,” Chancellor Carol L. Folt said.

“UNC-Chapel Hill’s position at 32nd in these new rankings is a further indication of the degree to which international scholarship, education and service are integral to our identity,” said Ron Strauss, the University’s top international officer.

The Best Global Universities ranking also provided rankings in 21 subject areas. UNC performed exceptionally well in health, medical and life science fields, typically ranking in the top 25 institutions worldwide. UNC ranks third in the world (and third in the U.S.) for pharmacology and toxicology and ninth in the world (seventh in the U.S.) for social science and public health.

UNC also earned the following worldwide rankings in these subject areas:

• Biology and biochemistry: 45th (27th in the U.S.)
• Chemistry: 44th (17th)
• Clinical medicine: 21st (14th)
• Economics and business: tied for 31st (tied for 24th)
• Environment/ecology: 48th (26th)
• Immunology: 24th (18th)
• Microbiology: tied for 20th (16th)
• Molecular biology and genetics: 21st (17th)
• Psychiatry/psychology: 21st (16th)

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