University of Denver Rankings 2026

University of Denver Global Rankings

Four global ranking bodies place the University of Denver across a 600-position spread, with THE giving its strongest world position and U.S. News its lowest. The table below consolidates every overall University of Denver ranking verified within the last twelve months.

The 600-rank gap between THE (#501-600) and U.S. News (#1105) is the widest cross-body divergence in the University of Denver ranking set, a pattern that signals stronger teaching and reputation scores than pure research-citation volume. The 657-point gap between Collegedunia’s #448 and U.S. News’s #1105 places DU in the upper-middle tier of mid-size US private universities for Indian applicants, well above any global research-only filter.

Key insight: When four bodies disagree by more than 600 positions on the same university, the subject-level rank carries more decision weight than any single overall number, especially for a program-focused Indian applicant.

Read More: University of Denver Admissions 2026: Deadlines, Eligibility & Acceptance Rate for Indian Students

University of Denver QS World University Rankings 2027

The University of Denver QS ranking has fallen about 300 positions over five editions, sliding from the 751-800 band in QS 2023 to the 1001-1200 band in QS 2027. QS, which scores universities on academic reputation, employer opinion, citations and graduate outcomes, released its 2027 edition on 18 June 2026.

The sharpest single-edition slide was between QS 2024 (#901-950) and QS 2026 (#1001-1200), a two-band move that aligns with the methodology refresh QS introduced in 2024, when Sustainability, Employment Outcomes and International Research Network indicators were added. The band has stayed flat in QS 2027, which suggests DU has stabilised at its new level rather than continuing to fall. For an Indian applicant, the band is wide (200 positions) and tells you little about specific programs; the QS subject result for Business is the more useful signal.

What it signals: Two consecutive years at #1001-1200 on QS 2026 and QS 2027 mean the slide has stopped. Mid-size US private universities with research output below 5,000 papers a year now cluster in this band after the 2024 methodology change.

Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of the University of Denver

The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of the University of Denver places it in the top half of the platform’s 824-university global pool, with Law and Arts/Humanities producing its strongest stream-level finishes.

Across the four Collegedunia categories, DU’s Law stream is 233 positions ahead of its Overall rank and 143 positions ahead of Arts/Humanities, the second-strongest stream. For Indian applicants, the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of University of Denver places it inside the top 220 US universities on every measured stream, which keeps it within the practical shortlist range for masters applicants.

India-relevance: The 233-position gap between DU’s Law stream (#215) and its overall position (#448) is the largest within-platform divergence, a signal that the Sturm College of Law brand carries the University of Denver ranking on the Collegedunia list.

University of Denver Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026

The University of Denver THE ranking sits at #501-600 globally and #57 in the USA in the 2026 edition, the highest of any global body that ranks DU. Times Higher Education, which weights teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry income, released its 2026 edition in October 2025.

Psychology (#201-250) outranks the overall University of Denver THE position by about 300 places, and Law and Education each beat the overall by 250. Business and Economics ranks 300 positions behind the overall, the only stream-level gap that goes the wrong way, which means an Indian MBA applicant should not lean on the THE business number when choosing DU. The Psychology and Law sub-ranks are the THE numbers worth quoting in an Indian application letter or scholarship pitch.

Trend signal: DU’s three highest THE 2026 subject ranks, Psychology (#201-250), Law (#251-300) and Education (#251-300), match the three departments that also lead in U.S. News Best Global and ARWU GRAS, which suggests cross-body consensus on where DU’s research strengths actually sit.

University of Denver U.S. News Best Global University Rankings 2025-2026

U.S. News places the University of Denver at #1105 globally and #149 in the USA in the Best Global Universities 2025-2026 edition, released October 2025. U.S. News Best Global is built almost entirely from research-citation and publication data, which explains why DU’s overall rank here is lower than on THE.

DU’s Social Work rank (#12) is 1,093 positions better than its overall U.S. News rank, the widest subject-vs-overall gap any global body produces for the university. Psychology at #2 in USA outranks the school’s overall US position by 147 places, which means an Indian masters applicant in psychology gets a degree signal far stronger than the University of Denver ranking on the headline list. U.S. News also ranks DU at #117 nationally in its separate Best Colleges 2026 list, four spots above 2025.

Note for Indian applicants: When U.S. News puts DU’s Psychology department at #2 in the USA but the overall global rank at #1105, the practical takeaway is that the department, not the university, carries the brand value on a resume.

University of Denver Subject Rankings

The University of Denver subject rankings are uneven by design, with three departments, Social Work, Law and Psychology, placing inside the global top 100 on at least one official body, and Business sitting outside that band.

University of Denver Social Work Ranking

The Graduate School of Social Work is the highest-rated DU department on any global list. U.S. News Best Global 2025-2026 places it at #12 globally and #7 in the USA. For an Indian applicant looking at MSW pathways in clinical, school or policy social work, this is a top-15 global brand.

University of Denver Law Ranking

The Sturm College of Law’s research output reaches further than its overall law-school position suggests. ARWU GRAS 2025 ranks DU Law at #51-75 globally, while THE 2026 places Law at #251-300 and Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 at #215 globally. The 175-position gap between ARWU and THE means ARWU’s citation-heavy method values DU Law more than THE’s broader formula.

University of Denver Psychology Ranking

Psychology is DU’s most consistently ranked department across bodies. U.S. News 2025-2026 places it at #62 globally and #2 in the USA, ARWU GRAS 2025 at #101-150 globally, and THE 2026 at #201-250 globally. The U.S. News national rank of #2 is the strongest single-body number anywhere in the University of Denver ranking inventory.

University of Denver Business Ranking (Daniels College of Business)

The Daniels College of Business posts a mixed pattern. QS 2026 by Subject places DU Business at #201 globally and #44 in the USA, U.S. News Best Colleges 2026 ranks Daniels at #88 nationally (up six spots from 2025), and THE 2026 places Business and Economics at #801-1000. The 600-position gap between QS and THE on the same subject reflects QS’s heavier weighting of employer reputation in business rankings.

University of Denver International Relations Ranking (Josef Korbel School)

The Josef Korbel School of International Studies sits at #12 globally for its Master of Arts in International Relations on Foreign Policy magazine’s 2025 list, and at #20 globally for undergraduate International Studies. For Indian students aiming at diplomacy, policy, development or UN-system pathways, the Korbel rank is the strongest international-relations signal across DU’s portfolio.

University of Denver Other Subject Rankings

Three further departments hold verified global subject ranks. ARWU GRAS 2025 places Political Sciences and Sociology at #201-300, Education at #201-300, Mathematics at #401-500 and Biological Sciences at #401-500. THE 2026 adds Education Studies at #251-300, Social Sciences at #501-600, Arts and Humanities at #501-600, and Physical Sciences at #801-1000.

India-relevance: Across nine departments with a verified global rank, DU breaks into the top 100 on three (Social Work, Law on ARWU, Psychology on U.S. News). That ratio (3 of 9) sets the realistic expectation for an Indian applicant evaluating a DU program outside those three areas.

The University of Denver ranking signal that matters for an Indian student is the subject-vs-overall gap. With three departments inside the global top 100 (Social Work at #12, Law at #51-75 on ARWU, Psychology at #2 in USA) and an overall rank that sits 1,000+ positions lower, the practical decision rests on whether the chosen program lands in DU’s strong cluster or its mid-tier one.