Auburn University, in Auburn, Alabama, USA, holds a #29 global Pharmacy rank in US News Best Global Universities 2025, its highest subject placement across any ranking body. In QS World University Rankings 2027, Auburn sits at #851-900, with the Harbert College of Business inside the QS top 200 for Business.

  • QS World University Rankings 2027: #851-900 globally
  • Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #341 globally, #154 in USA
  • THE World University Rankings 2026: 601-800 band, #58 in USA
  • US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026: #623 globally

Reading the rank pattern: Auburn’s QS band sits 250+ places below its THE position, signaling stronger published research scores than reputation-survey results. The ARWU 2025 placement of #501-600 and the US News Pharmacy rank of #29 globally tell a sharper story for graduate STEM applicants than the QS overall position suggests. For Indian students weighing mid-band US public universities, Auburn’s subject strength in pharmacy, agriculture and management matters more than the headline rank.

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

Auburn University Overall Rankings 2026

Auburn’s overall position varies sharply by ranking body. The THE and US News positions sit Auburn inside the top 25% of published universities. QS and ARWU place the university near the middle of their global pools.

Ranking Body (Edition)Auburn University Global Rank
Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026#341 of 824
QS World University Rankings 2027#851-900 of 1,501
THE World University Rankings 2026601-800 band, of 3,118
US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026#623 of 2,604
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025501-600 band, of 1,000

The 250+ position spread between QS (#851-900) and THE (601-800 band) reflects different weighting of teaching reputation versus citation-based research metrics. For an Indian applicant, Auburn’s CD Study Abroad rank of #341 lines up closer to its US News and THE positions than its QS band. Subject strength and graduate outcomes pull Auburn’s overall rank lower than reputation alone does.

Auburn University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students

Three rank signals translate directly into Indian applicant decisions. A fourth row frames where Auburn sits next to the strongest Indian engineering institute.

SignalAuburn PositionWhat it means for Indian applicants
US News Pharmacy 2025#29 globally, #11 in USAA top-30 global Pharmacy destination, sitting roughly 600 places ahead of Auburn’s overall US News rank
QS Business 2026#151 globally, #43 in USAHarbert MBA inside the QS top 200, comparable to mid-band US public flagships
ARWU Management 2025#51-75 globallyManagement research ranks 450+ places above Auburn’s overall ARWU band
IIT Bombay (closest Indian engineering peer)QS 2027: #134Auburn’s QS overall trails IIT Bombay by 700+ places; Auburn’s subject-level engineering (THE 301-400) is the more relevant comparison for non-IIT applicants

Auburn’s appeal for Indian applicants sits in subject-level strengths, not the overall world position. The #29 US News Pharmacy rank sits roughly 600 places ahead of Auburn’s overall US News position. The gap is large enough to reframe Auburn as a destination school for pharmacy alone.

Auburn University Key Rank Signals for Indian Applicants

  • Pharmacy edge: US News Pharmacy #29 outranks Auburn’s overall US News position by 594 places.
  • Management research: ARWU Management #51-75 outranks Auburn’s overall ARWU band by 450+ places.
  • MBA path: Harbert College of Business sits at QS Business #151 globally, inside the top 45 in USA.
  • Stability signal: Auburn has held the QS #851-900 band across two straight editions (2026 and 2027).

Auburn University QS World University Rankings 2027

In QS World University Rankings 2027, Auburn University ranks in the #851-900 band globally, the second straight edition at this position. QS measures universities across academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations and international outlook.

The 5-year QS pattern shows Auburn cycling inside the #800-1000 belt, with two distinct year-on-year shifts in the same window.

YearAuburn University QS World Rank
2027#851-900
2026#851-900
2025#951-1000
2024#801-850
2023#1001-1200

Auburn climbed roughly 200 places between QS 2023 and QS 2024. The rank slipped 100 places in QS 2025, then returned to the #851-900 band for two straight editions. For Indian applicants reading QS as their primary filter, the steady 2-year hold carries more weight than the 2023 outlier.

Key insight: The Auburn QS band has held flat across QS 2026 and QS 2027. Several US public flagships in the same band have moved 50-150 positions in the same window, so a flat 2-year trend is the alumni-brand stability signal Indian applicants look for in mid-band US universities.

Read More: Auburn University Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students

Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Auburn University

Collegedunia Study Abroad’s algorithm places Auburn 510 positions ahead of its QS 2027 band, the widest CD-vs-QS gap among Alabama public universities.

CategoryCollegedunia Rank
Global (Study Abroad universities)#341 of 824
USA (country list)#154 of 357

Auburn’s CD global rank of #341 sits at the 41st percentile, while its QS 2027 position lands at the 57th percentile of universities ranked. The CD list also places Auburn inside the top 43% in the USA, a tier reading ahead of where QS or ARWU position the university.

India-relevance: The CD-vs-QS gap of 510 places is the single largest among the five ranking bodies covered for Auburn. Auburn’s appeal for Indian applicants reads materially stronger than its QS overall band alone suggests.

Auburn University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025

In ARWU (Shanghai) 2025, Auburn University is placed in the #501-600 band globally. ARWU ranks universities mainly by research publication output, citation impact and the count of Nobel and Fields alumni or faculty.

The 5-year ARWU pattern is the most stable of any body for Auburn, holding inside the #501-600 belt across 4 of 5 editions.

YearAuburn University ARWU Rank
2025#501-600
2024#501-600
2023#601-700
2022#501-600
2021#501-600

Auburn’s ARWU position has stayed inside the #501-600 band across 4 of the last 5 editions. The 2023 edition slipped by one band before returning to the #501-600 belt. The 2025 placement puts Auburn’s research footprint roughly 300 places above its QS 2027 position.

Trend signal: Auburn’s flat 5-year ARWU pattern is rare among public US universities outside the top 200. Only 1 of the 5 editions in this window moved by a band, a stability signal Indian applicants tracking research strength can read directly.

Auburn University Other Global Rankings

Auburn is published in the latest editions of Times Higher Education and US News Best Global Universities. Both bodies place the university higher in percentile terms than QS or ARWU.

Auburn University THE World University Rankings 2026

In THE World University Rankings 2026, Auburn occupies the 601-800 band globally and ranks #58 in the USA. THE measures teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook in a weighted formula.

Auburn’s THE 601-800 placement puts it inside the top 22% of the 3,118 universities ranked in 2026. The percentile is the strongest among the four global bodies tracking the university.

Auburn University US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026

In US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026, Auburn ranks #623 worldwide and #106 in the USA. US News weights bibliometric and citation-based indicators heavily, including research reputation, publications and citations per paper.

Auburn’s #623 position places it in the top 24% of the 2,604 universities ranked, in line with its THE percentile. Auburn also features in US News Best Colleges (national, undergraduate-focused) at #102 in 2026 and #49 among Top Public Schools.

What it signals: THE and US News, the two bodies leaning hardest on citations and publication output, give Auburn its strongest percentile placements. Both lists put Auburn inside the global top 25%, a tier-up signal applicants prioritising research strength can read as a top-quartile global destination.

Auburn University Subject Rankings

Auburn is officially ranked across 8 THE subjects, 1 QS subject, 6 ARWU GRAS subjects and 2 US News subjects. The strongest signals come from US News Pharmacy and ARWU Management.

Top Auburn University Subject Ranks

  • US News Pharmacy 2025: #29 globally, #11 in USA, the highest subject placement across all bodies.
  • ARWU Management 2025: #51-75 globally, ranking 450+ places above Auburn’s overall ARWU band.
  • ARWU Aerospace, Telecom and Agricultural Sciences 2025: all in the #76-100 band globally.
  • QS Business 2026: #151 globally for the Harbert College of Business.
  • THE Engineering, Education, Psychology 2026: all in the #301-400 band globally.

Auburn University ARWU Subject Rankings 2025

ARWU’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) places Auburn inside the top 100 across four research disciplines in 2025.

SubjectAuburn ARWU GRAS 2025 Rank
Management#51-75
Telecommunication Engineering#76-100
Aerospace Engineering#76-100
Agricultural Sciences#76-100
Mechanical Engineering#101-150
Veterinary Sciences#101-150

Four of Auburn’s six ARWU subjects sit inside the global top 100, a depth signal that few universities outside the global top 300 carry. Management is the standout, ranking 450+ places higher than Auburn’s overall ARWU band of #501-600.

Auburn University THE Subject Rankings 2026

THE’s subject rankings place Auburn highest in Engineering, Education and Psychology in the 2026 edition.

SubjectAuburn THE 2026 Rank Band
Engineering301-400
Education Studies301-400
Psychology301-400
Business and Economics401-500
Life Sciences401-500
Physical Sciences401-500
Medical and Health501-600
Arts and Humanities601-800

Auburn’s three strongest THE subjects (Engineering, Education, Psychology) all sit at least 200 bands above its overall THE position of 601-800. Engineering, the most India-relevant of the three, ranks within the top 13% of universities published in the THE Engineering subject list.

Auburn University QS Subject Rankings 2026

QS publishes Auburn in one subject category in the 2026 edition, anchored by the Harbert College of Business.

SubjectAuburn QS 2026 Rank
Business and Management Studies#151 globally, #43 in USA

Auburn’s QS Business position of #151 sits roughly 700 places ahead of its QS overall band. This is the widest subject-vs-overall gap of any QS body for the university. The Harbert College of Business is also placed in the QS Global Full-time MBA list inside the #151-200 band.

Auburn University US News Subject Rankings 2025

US News ranks Auburn in two subject lists in the current edition, with Pharmacy delivering its strongest single rank anywhere.

SubjectAuburn US News 2025 Rank
Pharmacy#29 globally, #11 in USA
Public Policy#72 globally, #16 in USA

Auburn’s US News Pharmacy rank of #29 globally is the single highest rank held by the university across all five major bodies. Pharmacy applicants from India can read Auburn as a destination-tier school for this discipline alone, regardless of its #623 overall US News position.

India-relevance: Three of Auburn’s subject strengths (Pharmacy, Management, Engineering) align with the most-applied-to disciplines for Indian students at US public universities. Subject ranks carry more weight than the overall world position for these application decisions.

Auburn University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook

For Indian applicants, Auburn’s rank signals concentrate in three subject corridors that align with the most-applied-to programs at the university.

Popular Programs Indian Students Choose at Auburn University

  • MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences / Pharm.D: Backed by the US News Pharmacy rank of #29 globally, the strongest subject signal Auburn carries.
  • MS in Computer Science and Cybersecurity Engineering: Reads onto Auburn’s THE Engineering band of #301-400 and the ARWU Telecommunication Engineering rank of #76-100.
  • MS in Aerospace, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering: Auburn’s ARWU Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering ranks (#76-100 and #101-150) support these tracks.
  • MBA at Harbert College of Business: QS Business #151 and QS Full-time MBA #151-200 anchor this choice. The track targets Indian applicants aiming at a US business degree below the top 50.
  • MS in Agricultural Sciences: ARWU Agricultural Sciences #76-100 places Auburn inside the global top 100 for this discipline.

Five rank-derived data points sharpen the Auburn picture for Indian applicants planning their shortlist.

Signal for Indian ApplicantsAuburn University Rank Data
Strongest subject rank for the most-applied disciplinesUS News Pharmacy #29 globally
QS overall trend (2-year stability)#851-900 in both QS 2026 and QS 2027
Indian engineering peer comparisonIIT Bombay sits 700+ QS places ahead at #134 in 2027
Collegedunia Study Abroad gap vs. QSCD #341 vs. QS #851-900: 510-place CD advantage
Research-stability signalARWU has held #501-600 in 4 of 5 editions since 2021

Auburn University Indian Applicant Rank Summary

  • Where Auburn outranks itself: Pharmacy, Management and Aerospace Engineering all rank 400-600 places above Auburn’s overall world position.
  • Where Auburn ranks flat: A 2-edition QS hold at #851-900 and a 4-of-5 ARWU hold at #501-600 deliver alumni-brand stability rare in the mid-band US public tier.
  • What the CD-vs-QS gap signals: A 510-place CD advantage over QS is the largest among Alabama public universities tracked. Auburn reads more Indian-applicant-friendly than the QS band alone suggests.
  • Peer benchmark: Auburn’s QS overall trails IIT Bombay (#134) by 700+ places. Subject-level engineering rank of THE 301-400 keeps Auburn on the shortlist for Indian applicants without an IIT seat.

For a direct read on Indian student experience at Auburn, see the Auburn University reviews from current and past Indian students.

Auburn University’s rank pattern reads cleanly for Indian applicants who treat subject strength as the deciding signal. Pharmacy at #29 globally and ARWU Management at #51-75 sit at least 400 places ahead of Auburn’s overall world position, and the QS band has held flat at #851-900 across two consecutive editions. For Indian engineering applicants comparing Auburn with IIT Bombay (QS 2027 #134), the 700+ place headline gap narrows sharply at the subject level via the THE Engineering #301-400 placement.

Auburn University Ranking FAQs

Ques. What is the QS ranking of Auburn University in 2027?

Ans. Auburn University ranks in the #851-900 band globally in QS World University Rankings 2027. This is the second consecutive year at this position, with a US national rank of #99 in the prior QS 2026 edition.

Ques. What is Auburn University’s Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking?

Ans. Auburn University is ranked #341 of 824 globally and #154 of 357 in the USA in the Collegedunia Study Abroad list for 2026. This places it 510 positions ahead of its QS 2027 overall band.

Ques. Is Auburn University ranked in Times Higher Education?

Ans. Yes. Auburn University is ranked in the 601-800 band of THE World University Rankings 2026 and at #58 in the USA. THE also lists Auburn across 8 subject categories, with Engineering, Education and Psychology all in the #301-400 band.

Ques. What is Auburn University’s best subject ranking?

Ans. Auburn’s strongest subject placement is Pharmacy at #29 globally and #11 in the USA in US News Best Global Universities 2025. ARWU Management at #51-75 and ARWU Aerospace, Telecommunication and Agricultural Sciences all in the #76-100 band are the next strongest signals.

Ques. How does Auburn University rank compared to IIT Bombay?

Ans. Auburn University’s QS 2027 band of #851-900 trails IIT Bombay’s QS 2027 rank of #134 by more than 700 positions. At the subject level, Auburn’s THE Engineering rank of #301-400 narrows the gap for Indian applicants without an IIT seat.

Ques. What is Auburn University’s US News Best Global rank?

Ans. Auburn University is ranked #623 globally and #106 in the USA in the US News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 list. Inside US News Best Colleges (national, undergraduate-focused), Auburn ranks #102 and #49 among Top Public Schools in 2026.

Ques. What is Auburn University’s ARWU Shanghai rank?

Ans. Auburn University falls in the #501-600 band of ARWU (Shanghai) 2025. The university has held this band across 4 of the last 5 editions, slipping only into the #601-700 band in the 2023 edition.