The Most Influential Schools in the World
Find the most influential colleges and universities in the world in nearly 25 academic disciplines
Find brilliant thinkers for your research papers and bibliographies. Using our proprietary AI program, we have ranked everyone in Wikipedia, Wikidata, Schematic Scholar, and CrossRef based on the number of citations, publications, and academically relevant web presence. This is how we find the most influential people in the world.
We then gather all the faculty and alumni associated with a college or university and attribute the people’s influence to their schools. Hence, the most influential schools are those that employ and graduate the most influential faculty and alumni.
Students and parents now have the easiest and fastest way to find colleges and universities with histories of impacting the world through their scholarship. If you ever wanted to find schools that have the most influence in engineering or in literature, you now can!
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If you are searching for your ideal college , our Build Your Own College Rankings tool has more options to help you find the right school for your degree. Methodology: How and Why We Rank by Influence …
List of the most influential schools in Anthropology,
Rice University was founded in 1912 as the William M. Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art. Long known simply as the Rice Institute, the school acquired its present name in 1960. The institute’s founding took place under unusual and scandalous circumstances. Its founder, the Massachusetts–born William Marsh Rice, was a businessman who had made a large fortune in real estate, railroad development, and cotton trading, much of it in the state of Texas. Towards the end of his life, Rice decided that his estate should be directed after his death to the establishment in Houston of a tuition-free institution of higher learning of highest academic caliber.
Founded by a decree (“papal bull”) issued by Pope Nicholas V, Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world. Only Oxford and Cambridge (see above) and, in Scotland, St. Andrews University (founded in 1413) are older. Beginning in the nineteenth century, Glasgow was one of the first universities to accept students from the urban and commercial middle classes, instead of restricting entrance to the “gentry” (the landed aristocracy and the very wealthy). In 1870, the university’s main campus was transferred from High Street in the downtown commercial district to the now–highly fashionable West End neighborhood.
The University of Tours , formerly François Rabelais University of Tours , is a public university in Tours, France. Founded in 1969, the university was formerly named after the French writer François Rabelais. It is the largest university in the Centre-Val de Loire region. As of July 2015, it is a member of the regional university association Leonardo da Vinci consolidated University.
The University of Florence is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The first university in Florence was the Studium Generale, which was established by the Florentine Republic in 1321. The Studium was recognized by Pope Clement VI in 1349, and authorized to grant regular degrees. The Pope also established that the first Italian faculty of theology would be in Florence. The Studium became an imperial university in 1364, but was moved to Pisa in 1473 when Lorenzo the Magnificent gained control of Florence.
The University of Liverpool is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded as a college in 1881, it gained its Royal Charter in 1903 with the ability to award degrees, and is also known to be one of the six 'red brick' civic universities, the first to be referred to as The Original Red Brick. It comprises three faculties organised into 35 departments and schools. It is a founding member of the Russell Group, the N8 Group for research collaboration and the university management school is triple crown accredited.
The University of Denver is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – very high research activity". DU enrolls approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. The main campus is a designated arboretum and is located primarily in the University Neighborhood, about five miles south of downtown Denver. The 720-acre Kennedy Mountain Campus is located approximately 110 miles northwest of Denver, ...
Hitotsubashi University, also known as a Tokyo University of Commerce is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top ten Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively few institution specialized solely in social sciences with about 4,000 undergraduate students and 2,100 postgraduate students. Hitotsubashi holds the distinction of being Japan's first-ever Business School.
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Consorzio ICoN
The Consorzio ICoN is an interuniversity consortium for Italian Studies established in 1999. It consists of 21 Italian universities and focuses on philology and cultural studies. The consortium is based and administrated at the University of Pisa and is supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research . It aims at diffusing Italian language, culture and literature.
The Central University of Venezuela is a public university located in Caracas, Venezuela. The university is widely regarded as the highest ranking institution in the country. Founded in 1721, it is the oldest university in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. It is ranked 18th among the universities in Latin America.
Venice International University is an international center for higher education and research located on the island of San Servolo, in Venice, Italy. It was established on December 15, 1995 as a consortium of five Universities and two Italian Institutions.
The University of Innsbruck is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian Bundesland of Tirol, and the third largest in Austria behind Vienna University and the University of Graz. Significant contributions have been made in many branches, most of all in the physics department. Further, regarding the number of Web of Science-listed publications, it occupies the third rank worldwide in the area of mountain research.
The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU, is in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and University of Kharkiv. Its structure consists of 15 faculties and five institutes. The university is recognized as Ukraine's most prestigious university, and is the largest national higher education institution in the country.
Wellesley College was founded in 1870. A four-year, women’s, liberal arts college, Wellesley enrolls more than 2,500 undergraduates. Wellesley consists of 56 academic departments providing courses across the liberal arts spectrum. Among the most popular programs are those in social sciences, in biological and biomedical sciences, and in computer and information sciences. Wellesley is associated with one Nobel laureate for peace, Emily Green Balch. Other distinguished Wellesley connected individuals include the following: Wellesley is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Highe...
The University of Nairobi is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970. During that year, the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: the Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
Victoria University of Wellington is a public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The University of Seville is a university in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Founded under the name of Colegio Santa María de Jesús in 1505, at 2022 has a student body of 57.214, and is ranked 6th among Spanish universities.
The Minzu University of China is a national public university in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of China. The university is part of Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University Plan.
Linköping University is a public research university based in Linköping, Sweden. Originally established in 1969, it was granted full university status in 1975 and is one of Sweden's largest academic institutions.
Joseph Stiglitz ranks among our Top Influential Legal Scholars Today. Amherst College was founded in 1821. It is a four-year, liberal arts college with an enrollment of over 1,850 undergraduates. Amherst offers some 850 courses in 36 different academic disciplines. Among the most popular programs are those in mathematics, in economics, and in psychology. Amherst does not offer online courses. Amherst is associated with six Nobel laureates: Other distinguished Amherst connected individuals include the following: Amherst is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Educatio...
The University of South Carolina is a public research university in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the flagship of the University of South Carolina System and the largest university in the state by enrollment. Its main campus is on over in downtown Columbia, close to the South Carolina State House. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities with Highest Research Activity". It houses the largest collection of Robert Burns and Scottish literature materials outside Scotland and the world's largest Ernest Hemingway collection.
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Tsuda University
Tsuda University is a private women's university based at Kodaira, Tokyo. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious higher educational institutions for women in Japan, contributing to the advancement of women in society for more than a century.
Tallinn University is a public research university in Estonia. Located in the centre of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn University is one of the three largest institutions of higher education in the country. Both QS World University and Times Higher Education rankings place it among the top 1000 universities in the world.
The Adam Mickiewicz University is a research university in Poznań, Poland. It traces its origins to 1611, when under the Royal Charter granted by King Sigismund III Vasa, the Jesuit College became the first university in Poznań. The Poznań Society for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences which played an important role in leading Poznań to its reputation as a chief intellectual centre during the Age of Positivism and partitions of Poland, initiated founding of the university. The inauguration ceremony of the newly founded institution took place on 7 May 1919 that is 308 years after it was form...
David Baltimore ranks among our Top Influential Biologists Today. Paul DiMaggio ranks among our Top Influential Sociologists Today. Arlie Russell Hochschild ranks among our Top Influential Sociologists Today. Swarthmore College, a four-year, liberal arts college, was founded in 1864. Swarthmore offers more than 600 courses in more than 40 disciplinary fields. Among the school’s most popular programs are those in social sciences, in biological and biomedical sciences, and in mathematics and statistics. Other notable Swarthmore programs include those in peace and conflict studies, in cognitive science, and in interpretation theory.
McMaster University is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens. It operates six academic faculties: the DeGroote School of Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Science, and Science. It is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada.
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey , also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a private research university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses throughout the country. One of only 45 universities in the world to be ranked with 5 QS Stars, it is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious universities in Latin America.
University Grants Commission is the body responsible for funding most of the State Universities in Sri Lanka, and operates within the frame work of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978. A public organisation, established under the Parliament Act No 16 of 1978. Location is at No 20, Ward Place Colombo 07.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) was founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, in what was then the British-controlled Straits Settlements colony. NUS—like the nation of which it is a part—has a long and complex history In 1912, the British king, Edward VII, provided a permanent endowment for the new medical school. In gratitude, the administration changed the school’s name the following year, to the King Edward VII Medical School. The medical school grew rapidly, requiring the expansion of its academic curriculum. This change wa...
Northern Illinois University is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld to provide the state with college-educated teachers. In addition to the main campus in DeKalb, it has satellite centers in Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon, Illinois.
Teikyo University is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo Commercial High School . It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teikyo Group, a multinational educational foundation that also operates language and cultural exchange facilities at pre-university levels in various countries.
Tokyo Jogakkan College was a private women's college in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1888, and it was chartered as a junior college in 1956. In 1995 TJKC entered into an agreement with The School for International Training to create an English medium degree program. In 2002 it became a four-year liberal arts college with a small student body of no more than 480 pupils.
The National University of Córdoba , is a public university located in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of the Americas, with the first university being the National University of San Marcos and the second one, Saint Thomas Aquinas University .
Tohoku University of Art and Design is a private university in Yamagata, Yamagata, Japan. History Established in April 1992 by the governments of Yamagata Prefecture and Yamagata City, the Tohoku University of Art and Design is the first venture of its kind in Japan where a university built with funds by the government has been turned over to be operated as an entirely private university.
Cheikh Anta Diop University , also known as the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese physicist, historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.
The Russian State University for the Humanities , is a university in Moscow, Russia with over 25,000 students. It was created in 1991 as the result of the merger of the Moscow Urban University of the People and the Moscow State University for History and Archives .
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HEC Paris
HEC Paris is a business school and grande école located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. One of the best business schools in the world, it offers MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, and PhD programs.
Idaho State University is a public research university in Pocatello, Idaho. Founded in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, Idaho State offers more than 250 programs at its main campus in Pocatello and locations in Meridian, Idaho Falls, and Twin Falls. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity ".
Miami University is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio and the 10th oldest public university in the United States. The school's system comprises the main campus in Oxford, as well as regional campuses in nearby Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester. Miami also maintains an international boarding campus, the Dolibois European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Washington State University is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an undergraduate enrollment of 24,278 and a total enrollment of 28,581, it is the second largest institution for higher education in Washington state behind the University of Washington. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
The city of Leeds lies at the northern edge of the English Midlands, the geographical region of the UK where the Industrial Revolution primarily took place. Leeds was especially important as a center of textile manufacturing, which led the way toward the explosive growth of British industry and empire during the Victorian era. All of this helps explain why the University of Leeds traces its roots to the early nineteenth century, with the founding of the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831. In 1874, the medical school was absorbed into the newly founded Yorkshire College of Science, which in turn was expanded into a full liberal-arts school and renamed Yorkshire College in 1884.
The University of Guadalajara is a public research university located in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. The university has several high schools as well as graduate and undergraduate campuses, which are distributed all over the state of Jalisco. It is regarded as the most significant university in the state. Chronologically, based on its foundation, it is the second oldest university in Mexico, the seventeenth oldest in North America and the fourteenth oldest in Latin America.
The University of Brasília is a federal public university in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. It was founded in 1960 and has since consistently been named among the top five Brazilian universities and the top fifteen universities in South America by Times Higher Education .
East China Normal University is a public university in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China, and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. The university is part of Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University Plan.
The National University of Ireland is a federal university system of constituent universities and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.
Florida State University (FSU) was established in 1851. With a student enrollment of about 41,500, FSU is the second-largest university in the state, after the University of Florida. FSU is made up of 16 colleges and nine professional schools, as well as over 110 institutes, laboratories, and research centers, which altogether offer more than 360 programs of study. The university also offers some 60 online course programs for distance learners. The Florida state legislature has been designated FSU a “preeminent research university.” The university is perhaps best known for its College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and for the FSU Film School.
The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the institution was founded in 1240. It had around 16,000 students in 2022, which is nearly one-third of Siena's total population of around 53,000. Today, the University of Siena is best known for its Schools of Law, Medicine, and Economics and Management.
The University of Nevada, Reno is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, 1874, in Elko, Nevada.
The University of Konstanz is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its main campus was opened on the Gießberg in 1972 after being founded in 1966. The university is Germany's southernmost university and is situated on the shore of Lake Constance just four kilometres from the Swiss border. It has been successful in all three funding lines of the Excellence Initiative, and is therefore one of Germany's elite "Universities of Excellence", a group of prestigious universities often considered the German Ivy League. The university is ranked in top 100 worldwide in the...
Kansas State University is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public institution of higher learning in the state of Kansas. It had a record high enrollment of 24,766 students for the Fall 2014 semester.
The University of Puerto Rico is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 44,200 students and approximately 4,450 faculty members. UPR has the largest and most diverse academic offerings in the commonwealth, with 472 academic programs of which 32 lead to a doctorate.
