The University of Washington is a highly ranked public university in the US. The university has been ranked by the top ranking portals for its quality of programs. The university has ranked globally as:

  • QS World University Rankings (2026): #81
  • Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (2026): #25
  • US News Best Global Universities (2026): #8

The University of Washington has been ranked for its highly acclaimed courses, such as Nursing, Computer Science, Arts and Humanities, Mechanical Engineering, etc. The Nursing Program ranked #12 and the Data Science program #19 by the QS World Rankings (2026). Rank is consistent in the major list; however, many programs, such as Performing Arts and Law, faced a decline in the ranking since last year.

As per Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings, the Business and Economics program of the University of Washington has ranked lower since the last two years, with #44 in 2026. Many programs also maintained their position and did steadily well in the competitive lists of ranking. The engineering program ranked lower than in the previous years, while Medicine and Health remained steady, as per THE.

Landscape infographic titled ‘2026 Rankings – University of Washington, Seattle’ showing QS World University Rankings #81, Times Higher Education #25, US News Best Global Universities #8. Below: Collegedunia Study Abroad Rank #684 / 824 Globally and #306 / 357 in the US; US News #1 Public University in the US; AUWR Atmospheric Science #1 Globally. Background features UW Seattle’s Suzzallo Library and Mount Rainier under a clear blue sky

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University of Washington Global Rankings 2026

Multiple international Ranking portals have consistently ranked the University of Washington, Seattle, across the years.

  • QS Rankings: Declined from #63 (2024) to #76 in 2025 and #81 in 2026, showing a consistent downward trend.
  • THE Rankings: Stable at #25 across all three years, indicating consistent performance.
  • U.S. News Rankings: Slight dip from #7 (2025) to #8 (2026), but still within top 10.
  • ARWU (Shanghai): Largely stable at #17–18 range, showing minimal fluctuation over time.

As per the Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026, the University of Washington ranked:

  • #684 out of 824 globally
  • #306 out of 357 in the US.

The table below shows the past trends of the rankings of the University of Washington over the last 3 years by prominent portals:

Ranking Portal Rank 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024
QS World University Rankings #81 #76 #63
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings #25 #25 #25
US News Best Global Universities #8 #7 -
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) #17 #17 #18
Collegedunia Study Abroad Global Ranking #684 out of 824 -
Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking in the US #306 out of 357 -

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University of Washington QS Ranking

The University of Washington has been a consistent feature in the QS World Rankings. However, the rankings have declined since 2024. UW Seattle ranked #63 in 2024, declined in 2025 to rank #76, and finally ranked #81 in 2026.

See the table below for the QS ranking of the University of Washington in various categories across the years:

Ranking Category In 2026 In 2025 In 2024
QS World University Rankings #81 #76 #63
QS WUR Ranking By Subject #2 #2 #3
QS Sustainability Ranking #=344 #239 #236

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University of Washington Seattle Subject Rankings 2026

The University of Washington has ranked for various of its subjects in the various global ranking portals. It includes popular subjects like Data Science, Nursing, and Mechanical Engineering.

QS Subject Ranking University of Washington

UW has four subjects in the global top 10 according to the QS Ranking 2026. The library and information management program of the University of Washington ranked #1 in the US and #2 worldwide.

As per QS Ranking 2026, UW Seattle has 29 subjects in the global top 100. See the table below for reference:

Subject 2026 2025 2024
Nursing #12 #6 #4
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence #19 #13 #12
Computer Science and Information Systems #22 #19 #18
Mechanical Engineering #115 #138 #129
Art and Design #151–200 #151–200 #101–150
Library and Information Management #2 #2 #3
Medicine #25 #23 #21
Education and Training #51 #44 #53

THE Subject Ranking University of Washington

Times Higher Education 2026 has ranked multiple subjects of UW Seattle in the ranking list across the years. Medical and Health, Computer Science, Business and Economics are some popular, highly ranked programs of the University of Washington, according to THE.

  • Medical & Health and Computer Science remain strong, with slight declines to #20 in 2026.
  • Business & Economics shows improvement overall, rising from #54 (2024) to #44 (2026) despite a small dip from 2025.
  • Engineering declined, while Arts & Humanities improved gradually from #80 (2024) to #76 (2026).
Subjects Rank 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024
Medical and Health #20 #19 #18
Computer Science #20 #18 #18
Business and Economics #44 #42 #54
Engineering #56 #51 #50
Art and Humanities #76 #78 #80

US News Subject Ranking UW Seattle

US News Rankings positioned the University of Washington as #1 among public universities in the US. UW Seattle has also ranked for various of its subjects under the US News and AUWR Rankings. These subjects include Clinical and Public Health, Business, Humanities, etc. As per the US News, the highest-ranked subject at UW Seattle is Clinical Medicine, ranked #6 globally.

Subjects Ranked US News rank 2025-26
Medical and Health #6 (Clinical Medicine)
Computer Science #33
Art and Humanities #53
Business and Economics #102
Engineering #120
Artificial Intelligence #72
Mathematics #25
Chemistry #155

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University of Washington Ranking in the US 2026

The University of Washington has also been ranked under the Forbes List of top colleges in the US and the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking over the years. The Forbes list ranks the best universities, while the Financial Times ranks the school of business.

In 2026, the University of Washington ranked #50 as per Forbes America’s Top Colleges. The Foster School of Business at UW Seattle ranked #45 as per the Financial Times MBA Rankings.

Category 2026 2025 2024
Forbes America’s Top Colleges #50 #44 (approx.) Top 40–60 range
FT Global MBA Ranking (For Foster School of Business) #45 #34 #30

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University of Washington Seattle has come out to be a consistently performed well in the US with its rank. UW performs better in research-heavy fields like Life/Health Sciences, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Computer Science, and Public Health. However, some subjects perform weaker, such as Humanities, Arts, Law, and specific Engineering subfields.

Core fields like Computer Science, Medical & Health, and Business remain competitive, though some areas (e.g., Engineering, AI, Nursing) show slight fluctuations. Overall, the university reflects a research-intensive, high-ranking institution with consistent top-tier subject performance, despite minor declines in certain global ranking metrics.