Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Case Western Reserve University Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Private Colleges in Ohio 2026
- #2 Best Research Universities in Ohio 2026
- #2 Best Grad Schools in Ohio 2026
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 Best Colleges in Ohio 2026
- #9 Non-GMAT Online MBAs
- #19 Nursing Research Universities
- #28 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #32 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
- #32 Best Private Grad Schools 2026
- #38 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2026
About Case Western Reserve University
Featured Alumni
Donald Knuth ranks among our Top Influential Computer Scientists Today.
Richard Thaler ranks among our Top Influential Economists Today.
In brief
Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, was formed in 1967 by the merger of Western Reserve University, founded in 1826, and the Case Institute of Technology, founded in 1880. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #58 in the United States and #164 in the world. It admitted 36.5% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1485 and a median ACT score of 33.
Its eight schools include the School of Medicine, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Law, and the Weatherhead School of Management. It is perhaps best known for the Case School of Engineering, especially biomedical engineering.
Where Case Western’s influence is strongest
Case Western’s influence is led by computer science, nursing, and medicine. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Computer science: #29 in the US (#65 in the world)
- Nursing: #31
- Medicine: #34
- Engineering: #44
- Biology: #46
Within those fields, Case Western is a national leader in several specialties:
- #2 in the US: forensic social work (only Columbia ranks higher)
- #4: systems biology
- #5: biomedical engineering and critical care nursing
By comparison, Case Western sits further back in sociology (#172), earth sciences (#180), and religious studies (#204).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
Case Western is associated with 16 Nobel laureates, among them the physicists Albert A. Michelson and Frederick Reines, the chemists Paul Berg and George Olah, and the economist Richard Thaler. Other Case Western-connected figures include the Turing Award winner Donald Knuth, the physicist Edward W. Morley, the science fiction writer Roger Zelazny, the comic book author Harvey Pekar, the photographer Margaret Bourke-White, and Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical. Our full lists of Case Western’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is Case Western hard to get into? Moderately. It admitted 36.5% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 700–760 on the SAT reading section and 730–780 on math.
What does Case Western cost after financial aid? Tuition is $69,270 for 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $24,534 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $14,046 for incomes below $30,000 to $55,534 for incomes above $110,000.
How do Case Western graduates do? 87.4% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 92% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $89,865.
What is Case Western best known for academically? By our influence data: computer science, nursing, and medicine, plus forensic social work, where only Columbia ranks higher in the US.
According to Wikipedia, Case Western Reserve University is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established after Western Reserve University—which was founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reserve—and Case Institute of Technology—which was founded in 1880 through the endowment of Leonard Case Jr.—formally federated in 1967.
Case Western Reserve University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39,033 | 37% | 92% | 87% | 1485 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Case Western Reserve University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $69,270 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $14,046 |
| 30K - 48K | $17,955 |
| 48K - 75K | $24,534 |
| 75K - 110K | $31,965 |
| 110K+ | $55,534 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Case Western Reserve University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Case Western Reserve University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $89,865 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Case Western Reserve University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 12,680 | 6,354 | 6,326 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Case Western Reserve University?
Case Western Reserve University is located at 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106.
How Safe is Case Western Reserve University?
Relative to its enrollment, Case Western Reserve University has a violent crime rate of 0.04% and a property crime rate of 0.31%. Cleveland has a violent crime rate of 1.58% and a property crime rate of 4.53%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Case Western Reserve University Known For?
Case Western Reserve University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Computer Science
- Nursing
- Medical
- Engineering
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Social Work
- Business
- Anthropology
- Law
- Psychology
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Education
- History
- Political Science
- Literature
- Sociology
- Earth Sciences
- Religious Studies
Case Western Reserve University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Case Western Reserve University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Case Western Reserve University ranks #29 in the U.S. and #65 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #31 in the U.S. and #51 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #34 in the U.S. and #79 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #44 in the U.S. and #145 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #46 in the U.S. and #131 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #49 in the U.S. and #202 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #52 in the U.S. and #181 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #53 in the U.S. and #208 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #53 in the U.S. and #86 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #67 in the U.S. and #166 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #67 in the U.S. and #171 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #72 in the U.S. and #216 worldwide for influence in Law.
Case Western Reserve University ranks #75 in the U.S. and #135 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #75 in the U.S. and #281 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #76 in the U.S. and #242 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #79 in the U.S. and #262 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #113 in the U.S. and #305 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #115 in the U.S. and #417 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #138 in the U.S. and #381 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #172 in the U.S. and #621 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #180 in the U.S. and #731 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesCase Western Reserve University ranks #204 in the U.S. and #893 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are Case Western Reserve University's Most Influential Alumni?
Case Western Reserve University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Nursing, Computer Science, and Medical. Here are some of Case Western Reserve University's most famous alumni:
- Donald Knuth
- An American computer scientist, (1938 - ), Wisconsin.
- Richard Thaler
- An American economist.
- Paul Berg
- An American biochemist, Professor emeritus at Stanford University & Nobel laureate in Chemistry .
- Edward C. Prescott
- An American economist .
- David Gorski
- An American oncological surgeon, breast cancer researcher and skeptic.
- Donald A. Glaser
- An American physicist and neurobiologist.
- Paul Lauterbur
- An American chemist.
- William Glasser
- An American psychiatrist.
- Ferid Murad
- An American physician and pharmacologist.
- Alistair Cockburn
- An American computer programmer.
- John D. Mayer
- An American psychologist.
- David Satcher
- An American physician.
Who Are Case Western Reserve University's Most Influential Faculty?
Case Western Reserve University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Nursing, Computer Science, and Medical. Here are some of Case Western Reserve University's most famous faculty:
- Claudia de Rham
- A Swiss theoretical cosmologist.
- Gina Neff
- An American sociologist.
- Victor Velculescu
- A Cancer genomics researcher.
- Terri Goss Kinzy
- An American biochemist and academic administrator.
- Charles Antzelevitch
- A Researcher.
- Anant Madabhushi
- A .
- Jill S. Barnholtz-Sloan
- An American biostatistician and data scientist.
- Christophe Geiger
- A Legal scholar.
- Deanna M. Church
- An American economist.
- Angel Hsu
- An American climate scientist.
- Kathleen Vohs
- An American psychologist.
- Elizabeth Meckes
- An American mathematician.
