Close to completing 150 years of establishment, the University of Colorado Boulder is a top-notch US institution, ranked #320 in the QS World University Rankings and #98 in the US News & World Report. As per the global academic rankings, the University of Colorado Boulder caters to one of the best ‘Natural Science’ courses all across the globe including ‘Earth Sciences’, ‘Atmospheric Science’, ‘Geology’, and ‘Ecology’. Furthermore, The US News has placed the university among the top 120 ‘Arts and Humanities’ offering universities.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of its overall rankings:

Ranking Body 2023 Rank 2024 Rank 2025 Rank
QS World University #317 #264 #320
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) #57 #65 #65
US News Best Global Universities #70 #98 #98
Times Higher Education (THE) #148 #138 ##143

US News & World Report Ranking 2025

The US News has evaluated the academic courses of University of Colorado Boulder and, hence, placed over 13 of them below #100, which is clear from the table provided below:-

Ranked by 2023 2024 2025
Global Universities #70 #98 #98
National University #97 #105 #98
Aerospace Engineering PG #8 #8 #9
Best Graduate Law Schools #49 #56 #56
Biomedical Engineering PG #40 #42 #42
Chemical Engineering PG #17 #18 #18
Civil Engineering PG #16 #12 #12
Computer Engineering PG #32 #29 #29
Electrical Engineering PG #36 #31 #31
Graduate Business School #60 #71 #71
Mechanical Engineering PG #28 #30 #9
UG Business #34 #29 #36
UG Mechanical Engineering #26 #32 #27

QS Ranking 2025

In the 2025 QS World University Rankings, the University of Colorado Boulder is ranked #320 globally, a slight decline from its #264 position in 2024.

Ranked by 2023 2024 2025
World University #317 #264 #320
Accounting and Finance #251 #301 #201
Architecture and Built Environment #101 #151 #151
Biological Sciences #201 #201 #108
Communication and Media Studies #51 #101 #201
Engineering and Technology #214 #212 #212
Global MBA #151 #151 #151
Law and Legal Studies #301 #351 #351
Masters in Business Analytics #43 #51 #51
Masters in Supply Chain Management #31 #31 #33
Mathematics #151 #201 #201
Mechanical Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering #151 #151 #151
Physics and Astronomy #51 #108 #108
Sociology #201 #201 #201

THE (Times Higher Education) Ranking 2025

In the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the University of Colorado Boulder is ranked 143rd. Here's a more detailed breakdown of the University of Colorado Boulder's Rankings:

Ranked by 2023 2024 2025
University #148 #138 #143
Arts and Humanities #176 #176 #251
Engineering #126 #101 #126
Law #101 #126 #126
Life Sciences #126 #151 #151
PG Business and Economics #251 #251 #301
PG Computer Science #176 #126 #151
Psychology #89 #95 #151

ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) Ranking 2025

In the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, the University of Colorado Boulder is ranked in the 201-300 range.

Ranked by 2022 2023 2024
Universities #51 #57 #65
Law #51 #40 #51
Mathematics #201 #201 #301
Physics #15 #14 #17
Political Sciences #76 #51 #101
Sociology #76 #51 151

Subject-Specific Rankings

Here's a summary of some of CU Boulder's subject-specific rankings:

Medicine & Health Sciences
  • Ranked #6 in the US News Best Graduate Medical Schools (2022).
Engineering
Specialization Ranking Body Rank
Aerospace Engineering US News #8
Civil Engineering US News #12
Business & Management Studies
Ranking Body Rank
US News #33
Bloomberg #36
THE #66
Science
Specialization Ranking Body Rank
Physics ARWU #18
Physics QS #17
Biology QS #151
Architecture & Planning
Ranking Body Rank
QS #151
Law
Ranking Body Rank
US News #51
THE #56
QS #126
Humanities & Social Sciences
Ranking Body Rank
ARWU #58
THE #101
Accounting & Commerce
Ranking Body Rank
QS #301
Arts (Fine/Visual/Performing)
Ranking Body Rank
THE #251

Program-Specific Rankings

Program Ranking Body Rank
Masters in Supply Chain Management Global Rankings Highly Ranked
Masters in Business Analytics Global Rankings Highly Ranked

Key Takeaways:

  1. Overall Performance : The University of Colorado Boulder has shown fluctuations in global rankings, with improvements in THE rankings but a decline in QS rankings.
  2. Strengths : The university excels in Medicine & Health Sciences (#6 in US News), Aerospace Engineering (#8 in US News), and Physics (#17 in QS).
  3. Consistency : Programs like Business & Management Studies and Science maintain strong positions across multiple ranking bodies.
  4. Areas for Improvement : Rankings in Arts and Accounting & Commerce are relatively lower, indicating potential areas for growth.