Rice University continues its upward momentum in global higher education, rising nine spots to No. 103 worldwide and No. 37 in the United States in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Tied for the 103rd position with Tohoku University in Japan, the new standings place Rice in the 96th percentile among more than 3,100 universities evaluated worldwide.
“These results reflect the strength of Rice’s faculty, students and research enterprise and the impact our community continues to make both nationally and globally,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Our rise in the Times Higher Education rankings underscores Rice’s growing reputation as a world-class university where academic excellence, innovation and collaboration thrive.”
The latest recognition builds on a year of strong rankings for the university. In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, Rice earned the No. 17 spot nationally along with top 10 placements for Best Value Schools (No. 5) and Undergraduate Teaching (No. 8) — affirming its ongoing commitment to excellence, affordability and a distinctive, student-centered educational experience.
In the Times Higher Education assessment, Rice scored particularly well in teaching (92nd), research quality (146th) and research environment (163rd), reflecting the university’s dedication to outstanding instruction, groundbreaking research and academic excellence across disciplines.
Since 2004, Times Higher Education has provided data and analysis to contextualize institutional performance on the world stage. Its annual World University Rankings evaluate universities across key areas of teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry collaboration.
To view the full rankings, visit www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking.