Cornell University rankings sit inside the world's top 20 on every major body, with the Ivy League institution in Ithaca, New York, placing #16 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #13 in US News Best Global Universities 2026-2027. Its veterinary science department ranks #3 worldwide in QS Subject 2025, the highest QS subject placement of any Ivy member.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #=16 globally, #7 in the USA.
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #14 globally, #10 in the USA.
- THE World University Rankings 2026: #=18 globally, #10 in the USA.
- ARWU (Shanghai) 2025: #12 globally for the fifth straight year.
Reading the rank pattern: Cornell’s ARWU rank #12 sits four to six places above its overall ranks in QS, THE and Collegedunia. Only Yale matches Cornell’s five-year ARWU stability at #12, while Brown and Dartmouth sit outside the global top 60 on most bodies. For Indian applicants targeting a research-oriented Master’s or PhD, the steadiness of Cornell’s research rank is a sharper signal than QS movement alone.
Table of Contents
- Cornell University Overall Rankings 2026
- Cornell University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- Cornell University QS World University Rankings 2027
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Cornell University
- Cornell University Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings
- Cornell University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
- Cornell University U.S. News Best Global University Rankings
- Cornell University Subject Rankings
- Cornell University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- Cornell University Ranking FAQs
Cornell University Overall Rankings 2026
Four major global ranking bodies place Cornell University inside the world's top 20 in their latest editions, with ARWU at #12 marking the university’s strongest standing.
| Ranking Body (Latest Edition) | Cornell University Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 (Overall) | #14 global, #10 USA |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #=16 global, #7 USA |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 | #12 global |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 | #13 global |
| THE World University Rankings 2026 | #=18 global, #10 USA |
The spread between Cornell’s best (ARWU #12) and weakest (THE #18) global rank is six positions, the narrowest cross-body range among the lower-tier Ivies and a sign that no single ranking methodology is propping up its position. Cornell’s four-body average across the most recent editions sits at #14.8 worldwide.
Cornell University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian applicant, the rank that matters most depends on the programme target: ARWU and US News reward research depth, QS rewards employer reputation, and the Collegedunia Study Abroad rank weighs India-specific support.
| Ranking Signal | Cornell Rank | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS World 2027 overall | #=16 | Brand tier matches the global top 20 used by Indian HR teams when screening foreign degrees. |
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 overall | #14 global, #10 USA | India-weighted signal that factors visa support and Indian-student services into its scoring. |
| QS 2027 vs IIT Bombay (closest Indian alternative) | Cornell #=16, IIT Bombay #134 | 118-place global lead; Cornell’s brand value sits well above India’s strongest engineering school on the QS list. |
| QS Veterinary Science 2025 | #3 worldwide | World’s third-ranked vet department; the only Ivy League #3 subject placement on the QS list. |
| ARWU Management 2025 + THE Computer Science 2026 | #8, #17 | Top-20 subject anchors for India’s MBA and engineering applicant pools. |
Key insight for Indian applicants
- Research-weighted bodies favour Cornell: ARWU #12 and US News #13 both sit 3-5 places above QS #16, signalling that Cornell’s strength is research output rather than employer reputation alone.
- Subject lead beats overall lead: Cornell University ranking #3 in QS Veterinary Science is a clearer signal for a vet-track applicant than its #=16 overall position.
- Five-year stability: No movement in ARWU since 2021 means a degree completed in 2030 will carry the same global-rank brand as one completed today.
Cornell University QS World University Rankings 2027
Cornell University ranks #=16 in QS World University Rankings 2027, the third edition in a row at that global position. QS ranks universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio and research citations.
The five-year arc shows a single break upward in 2024 followed by stability. Cornell University ranking in QS climbed from #20 to #13 between 2023 and 2024, then settled at #16 for three consecutive editions.
| Year | Cornell University QS Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #=16 |
| 2026 | #16 |
| 2025 | #16 |
| 2024 | #13 |
| 2023 | #20 |
Cornell averaged #16.2 across the five QS editions, a four-place lift on its 2023 starting point. The three-edition flat line at #16 is the longest QS-stability stretch any Ivy member is currently posting, which means an Indian student joining in the 2026 intake will likely graduate with the same brand-rank signal they applied under.
Key insight: The 2024 jump from #20 to #13 was Cornell’s sharpest single-edition QS gain in the past decade, and the slight slip back to #16 since reflects tightening competition rather than any drop in Cornell’s underlying QS score.
Read More: Cornell University Courses, Fees and Programs 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Cornell University
Collegedunia Study Abroad places Cornell University inside the world's top 25 across every category it ranks the university in, with computer science and overall both inside the global top 15.
| Category | Collegedunia Study Abroad Rank |
|---|---|
| Overall | #14 global, #10 USA |
| Computer Science | #14 global, #8 USA |
| Engineering | #21 global, #12 USA |
| Arts | #24 global, #13 USA |
| Law | #28 global, #13 USA |
Cornell’s CD computer science rank (#14 globally, #8 in the USA) sits seven places ahead of its engineering rank, a gap that singles out CS as the strongest CD-weighted programme for an Indian applicant. The CD-USA rank of #8 in computer science also means Cornell beats out at least two other Ivies on the India-tuned CS measure, despite the broader engineering rank being only mid-table among US peers.
India-relevance: The CD overall rank of #14 is two places better than Cornell’s QS #=16 and four better than its THE #=18, signalling that Cornell scores well on the India-specific factors that CD weights such as visa support, scholarship density and Indian student count.
Cornell University Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings
Cornell University ranks #=18 in THE World University Rankings 2026, a two-place lift from #20 held across the prior two editions. THE scores universities on teaching reputation, research quality, citations, international outlook and industry income.
| Year | Cornell University THE Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #=18 |
| 2025 | #20 |
| 2024 | #20 |
The 2026 rise to #=18 broke a two-year freeze at #20 and pulled Cornell’s three-edition THE average to #19.3. THE also places Cornell at #10 in the USA in 2026, one step ahead of its 2024 USA position of #13.
Trend signal: Cornell University ranking improvement in THE 2026 narrowed the gap with its QS rank from four positions to two, suggesting the teaching-and-citations side of THE’s formula is now reading Cornell roughly the same as QS reads the university on reputation and employer measures.
Cornell University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
Cornell University ranks #12 in ARWU 2025, the fifth consecutive edition at that position. ARWU weights research output and Nobel-laureate citations more heavily than any other major global ranking, which tends to favour US research universities with deep life-sciences and physical-sciences departments.
| Year | Cornell University ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #12 |
| 2024 | #12 |
| 2023 | #12 |
| 2022 | #12 |
| 2021 | #12 |
Five years of unchanged ARWU position is unusual at the global top 15 level, where most peers shift by 1 to 3 places per cycle. The flat #12 line means Cornell’s research output, citation profile and Nobel-laureate stock have all held against the rest of the top 20, and a degree dated 2030 will carry the same ARWU brand signal as one dated 2021.
What it signals: ARWU stability at #12 puts Cornell ahead of every Ivy except Harvard, Yale and Princeton on a five-year research-weighted average, with the #12 placement 6 places ahead of Cornell’s THE rank and 4 ahead of its QS rank.
Cornell University U.S. News Best Global University Rankings
Cornell University ranks #13 in U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027, a six-place climb from #19 two editions ago. U.S. News scores universities mainly on research output, citations, publications and global research reputation surveys.
| Edition | Cornell University U.S. News Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026-2027 | #13 |
| 2025-2026 | #16 |
| 2024-2025 | #19 |
The three-edition climb of six places is the steepest US News movement Cornell has posted since 2018. Combined with the unchanged ARWU #12 line, two research-weighted bodies now place Cornell within three positions of each other, which removes the cross-body divergence that older editions carried.
India-relevance: The U.S. News rank lift to #13 in 2026-2027 also means Cornell now sits inside the global top 15 on a third major body alongside ARWU and the four-body average of #14.8, a stronger composite signal than any single ranking can carry on its own.
Cornell University Subject Rankings
Cornell University subject rankings are strongest in veterinary science, life sciences, management, computer science and business economics, with at least 8 individual subjects placed inside the world top 20 across QS, THE and ARWU.
Subject standouts at a glance
- QS Veterinary Science 2025 #3: highest QS subject placement of any Ivy League member and Cornell’s single best subject signal globally.
- ARWU Management 2025 #8: world top 10 placement that lifts the Johnson MBA’s brand value above its host university’s #12 ARWU overall rank.
- ARWU Medical Technology 2025 #11: only US institution outside Harvard, Stanford and MIT to place inside the ARWU top 12 on this subject.
- THE Life Sciences and Business Economics 2026 #16: two top-20 subject anchors that beat Cornell’s overall THE rank by two positions.
Cornell University in THE Subject Rankings 2026
THE subject rankings place ten Cornell University subjects inside the global top 30, with Life Sciences and Business Economics at #16 leading the list.
| Subject | Cornell University THE 2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Business and Economics | #16 |
| Life Sciences | #16 |
| Computer Science | #17 |
| Medical and Health | #=17 |
| Physical Sciences | #18 |
| Social Sciences | #19 |
| Engineering | #27 |
| Arts and Humanities | #29 |
| Psychology | #29 |
| Law | #45 |
Six Cornell subjects sit at #19 or better, while the overall THE rank is #=18, meaning the median subject is in line with the university-wide score. The widest subject-versus-overall gap is in Law at #45, 27 positions below the overall THE rank.
Key insight: Cornell’s THE Computer Science rank of #17 is two places better than its CS rank in CD Study Abroad (#14 global rank uses a different methodology) and signals that THE’s reputation-plus-citation formula reads Cornell CS as world-top-20.
Also check: Cornell University acceptance rate
Cornell University in ARWU GRAS Subject Rankings 2025
ARWU’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects places eight Cornell programmes inside the world top 20, with Management at #8 the only top-10 entry.
| Subject | Cornell University ARWU GRAS 2025 Rank |
|---|---|
| Management | #8 |
| Medical Technology | #11 |
| Environmental Science and Engineering | #14 |
| Ecology | #17 |
| Biological Sciences | #17 |
| Political Sciences | #17 |
| Human Biological Sciences | #19 |
| Veterinary Sciences | #19 |
Cornell’s ARWU Management #8 placement is four positions ahead of the university’s overall ARWU rank of #12, the largest positive subject-vs-overall gap in its ARWU profile. The eight ranked subjects span agriculture, life sciences, environment and business, which matches Cornell’s contract-college structure.
India-relevance: ARWU Management #8 is a stronger global signal than US News’ Business sub-rank for Indian MBA applicants weighing the Johnson School against US peer programmes outside the top 5.
Also check: Cornell University students’ profile
Cornell University in QS Subject Rankings 2025
QS singles out Cornell’s veterinary science department for global top-3 placement, the highest subject-level QS rank anywhere in the Ivy League.
| Subject | Cornell University QS 2025 Rank |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Science | #3 worldwide |
A #3 QS subject rank against a #=16 overall QS rank is a 13-position positive gap, the steepest subject-vs-overall lift Cornell carries on any major body. For an Indian student targeting a vet-science Master’s or PhD, that subject signal carries more weight than the university’s overall rank.
Cornell University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
Cornell University’s rank profile is read most positively by Indian applicants in three programme groups: STEM Master’s (CS, engineering, statistics), the Johnson MBA and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The five programmes Indian students most commonly enrol in at Cornell, based on Collegedunia profile data and Indian student community signals, are MS Computer Science, MEng Engineering Management, MBA at Johnson, MPS Applied Statistics and MS Operations Research and Information Engineering. Each maps to a Cornell subject ranking inside the global top 30 on at least one major body.
| India-relevant signal | Cornell rank | What it means for the Indian applicant pool |
|---|---|---|
| QS 2027 overall vs IIT Delhi (India’s #1 QS) | Cornell #=16, IIT Delhi #118 | 102-place global lead; Cornell carries stronger international brand weight than India’s QS leader. |
| CD Study Abroad CS 2026 (USA national rank) | #8 USA | Top-10 US placement for CS, the most-applied programme by Indian applicants to Cornell. |
| ARWU Management 2025 (global) | #8 | World top 10 for Indian MBA applicants weighing the Johnson School. |
| QS Veterinary Science 2025 (global) | #3 | Highest QS subject rank for an Ivy; Cornell is one of two US options for a top-3 vet degree. |
| Five-year ARWU stability | #12 (2021-2025) | Brand-rank certainty across a four-year degree cycle for an Indian applicant. |
Key insight for Indian applicants weighing Cornell University rankings
- Subject-vs-overall lift: Cornell’s Vet Science QS #3 sits 13 places above its overall QS, and Management ARWU #8 sits 4 places above its overall ARWU; programme rank beats the headline rank for Indian applicants in these tracks.
- India-tuned vs global: CD Study Abroad ranks Cornell #14, two places above QS #=16, signalling stronger India-relevant scores on visa support and Indian-student services.
- Peer-tier read: On a four-body average of #14.8, Cornell sits within two places of Columbia and Yale, ahead of Brown and Dartmouth.
- Stability advantage: Unchanged ARWU since 2021 and a three-edition QS hold at #16 mean rank-based brand value is unlikely to shift over the next admissions cycle.
Across QS, THE, ARWU and US News, Cornell University’s most recent editions average #14.8 worldwide, with ARWU at #12 marking the strongest research-weighted signal and the Collegedunia Study Abroad rank at #14 adding India-specific weighting. The university now appears inside the world top 20 on every major body for the third year running and lifted six places in US News between 2024-2025 and 2026-2027, an aggregate signal that the rank-based brand value of a Cornell degree is rising rather than holding flat.
Cornell University Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of Cornell University in 2027?
Ans. Cornell University ranks #=16 in QS World University Rankings 2027, tied at sixteenth globally and placed #7 among USA universities. This is the third edition in a row at #16, following a four-place climb from #20 in QS 2023.
Ques. Where does Cornell University rank in the Ivy League?
Ans. Cornell University sits in the middle tier of the Ivy League across major global rankings. It ranks #=16 in QS 2027 and #13 in US News 2026-2027, typically placed behind Harvard, Yale and Princeton but ahead of Brown and Dartmouth on global research-weighted measures.
Ques. Is Cornell University ranking improving?
Ans. Yes. Cornell University's ranking trajectory is positive across most bodies. QS lifted Cornell from #20 in 2023 to #=16 in 2027, US News moved the university from #19 to #13 between 2024-2025 and 2026-2027, and ARWU held it steady at #12 for five straight years.
Ques. What is Cornell University ranked in Times Higher Education 2026?
Ans. Cornell University ranks #=18 in THE World University Rankings 2026 and #10 in the USA. This is a two-place lift from #20 held in both the 2025 and 2024 editions.
Ques. What is Cornell University’s global rank for engineering and computer science?
Ans. Cornell University ranks #17 in THE Computer Science 2026 and #27 in THE Engineering 2026. Collegedunia Study Abroad places Cornell’s computer science programme at #14 globally, #8 USA and engineering at #21 globally, #12 USA.
Ques. What is Cornell University’s veterinary science global rank?
Ans. Cornell University ranks #3 worldwide in QS Veterinary Science 2025 and #19 in ARWU’s Veterinary Sciences GRAS list. The QS #3 placement is the highest subject-level QS rank of any Ivy League institution.
Ques. How does Cornell University rank in ARWU 2025?
Ans. Cornell University ranks #12 in ARWU 2025 for the fifth consecutive edition. This is Cornell’s strongest global rank on any major body and the longest unchanged ARWU position any Ivy League school is currently posting over 2021-2025.
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