Northwestern University ranking for the upcoming year 2025 has been announced by QS. The university is placed at #50 in QS World University rankings for 2025. In 2024, it is placed at #47. Northwestern University ranking US News for 2024 is #15 among the best global universities worldwide. Times Higher Education has ranked the university at #28. Last year, it was placed at #26.

  • Students from India apply for subjects in the areas of business, engineering, arts, and humanities at NU.
  • Business and Economics ranking at Times Higher Education has improved to one place and ranks at #16 for 2025.
  • US News and World Report ranked the business school of the university at #3 for 2024-25. It also received a ranking of #3 for Part-Time MBA programs.
  • The Global MBA program at NU is ranked #6 by US News for the present year.
  • Engineering and Technology subjects ranking showed a drastic increase, up to 15 places as compared to last year. In 2025, it ranks at #62 in QS World University rankings.
  • Other engineering specializations such as Civil and Structural Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering consistently ranked #51-100 for the last 5 years.
  • Arts and Humanities also consistently ranked #101-125 in Times World University Rankings for 2025.
  • Program specializations such as Performing Arts and Sociology rank at #38 and #49 respectively. The rankings showed an upward trend, up to 3 places since last year.

Also Check: Northwestern University's Admissions


Northwestern University: World University Ranking

Tabulated below are the World University Rankings of Northwestern University by some prestigious Ranking Bodies for the Year 2024-25:

Ranking Agency 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021
QS World University Rankings #50 #47 #32 #30 #29
US News and World Report (Best Global Universities) #24 #15 #24 #24 #24
Times Higher Education Rankings #31 #28 #26 #24 #24

Northwestern University has stayed pretty consistent in global rankings over the past few years. While QS World University Rankings dropped a bit from #29 in 2021 to #50 in 2025, US News kept it solidly in the top 25, hitting #15 in 2024. Times Higher Education also kept it in a strong position, ranging from #24 to #31. Briefly, it shows that the university still holds a competitive edge globally, even with some ups and downs in specific rankings.


Northwestern University Business Ranking

The popular business specializations of Northern University include Global MBA, Business and Management Studies, Economics and Econometrics, etc. US News and World Report has ranked the business school of this university (Kellogg School of Management) at #3 among the best business schools. Here, listed below are Northwestern University ranking MBA and other top business specializations:

Ranking Agency Business Ranking
QS Global MBA Rankings #11
The Financial Times Rankings #10

Northwestern University QS Subject Rankings

The table below shows the QS 2025 Subject Rankings for the Northwestern University, highlighting its performance across various fields of study.

Subject Rankings 2025 Subject Rankings 2025
Marketing #5 Law and Legal Studies #65
Economics and Econometrics #12 Civil and Structural Engineering #51-100
Chemistry #15 Sports - Related Subjects #51-100
Business and Management Studies #17 Engineering and Technology #69
Material Science #19 Data Science and AI #51-100
Anatomy and Physiology #22 Politics #82
Communication and Media Studies #23 Electrical and Electronic Engineering #96
Chemical Engineering #23 Mathematics #96
Psychology #23 Arts and Humanities #98
Accounting and Finance #25 Education and Training #97
Social Science and Management #29 Philosophy #101-170
Statistics and Operational Research #33 Computer Science and Information Systems #118
Sociology #36 Archaelogy #101-150
Mechanical Engineering #39 Linguistics #101-150
Performing Arts #39 Geology #151-200
Medicine #42 Earth and Marine Science #151-200
Natural Sciences #49 Environmental Sciences #151-200
Biological Science #55 Geophysics #151-200
Physics and Astronomy #55 Modern Language #151-200
History #51-100 Arts and Design #151-200
Life Science and Medicine #65 English Language and Literature #66
Anthropology #51-100

Northwestern University shines in several fields according to the QS 2025 Subject Rankings. It stands out especially in Marketing (#5), Economics and Econometrics (#12), and Chemistry (#15), all of which show its strong academic reputation in these areas. Business and Management Studies also ranks high at #17, while Anatomy and Physiology, along with Communication and Media Studies, are in the top 25.


Northwestern University US News Subject Rankings

The table below lists Northwestern University's subject rankings according to US News for various academic fields:

Subject Area Rank Subject Area Rank
Arts and Humanities #40 Molecular Biology and Genetics #72
Biology and Biochemistry #45 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology #74
Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology #106 Neuroscience and Behavior #33
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems #14 Oncology #19
Cell Biology #55 Optics #144
Chemistry #14 Pharmacology and Toxicology #177
Clinical Medicine #29 Physical Chemistry #81
Computer Science #193 Physics #51
Condensed Matter Physics #56 Polymer Science #157
Economics and Business #13 Psychiatry/Psychology #35
Education and Educational Research #81 Public, Environmental and Occupational Health #72
Electrical and Electronic Engineering #396 Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging #74
Endocrinology and Metabolism #47 Social Sciences and Public Health #55
Energy and Fuels #95 Space Science #42
Engineering #150 Surgery #33
Environment/Ecology #274 Infectious Diseases #123
Gastroenterology and Hepatology #16 Materials Science #29
Geosciences #403 Mathematics #116
Immunology #56 Microbiology #169

Northwestern University stands out in several fields according to US News rankings. It does especially well in Medicine, Chemistry, and Economics, with Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems, and Chemistry both ranking at #14. Clinical Medicine is also strong at #29, while fields like Neuroscience (#33) and Oncology (#19) show their strength too. Even though some subjects are ranked lower, Northwestern still shines in many key areas, especially in health and science.


Northwestern University THE Subject Rankings

The table below shows Northwestern University's rankings in different subjects according to THE 2025 Global Rankings:

Subject Area THE Ranking
Business and Economics #16
Psychology #=21
Physical Sciences #36
Engineering #32
Social Sciences #=33
Life Sciences #51
Education #51
Law #52
Clinical and Health #=46
Computer Science #85
Arts and Humanities #101–125

Northwestern University ranks well in several subjects according to the 2025 THE Global Rankings. Business and Economics is ranked #16. Psychology is tied at #21 and Engineering is at #32. Life Sciences and Education both hold the #51 spot. Although some subjects like Arts and Humanities are ranked lower, Northwestern continues to perform strongly in key areas, staying competitive with other top universities.


Northwestern University Miscellaneous Ranking

Here are Northwestern University's miscellaneous rankings for 2025 from various ranking bodies:

Ranking Bodies Ranking
QS Sustainability Ranking #252
CWUR World University Ranking #15
CWUR National University Ranking #12
Shanghai World University Ranking #33

Some other significant rankings of Northwestern University in 2025 include #252 in the QS Sustainability Ranking, #15 in the CWUR World University Ranking, #12 in the CWUR National University Ranking, and #33 in the Shanghai World University Ranking.