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!
Use the power of AI for your research!
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 Communications,
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.
Universiti Sains Malaysia is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is among the oldest institutes of higher learning in Northern Malaysia. It has three campuses: a main campus on the island of Penang, a health campus in Kelantan, and an engineering campus in Nibong Tebal.
Comillas Pontifical University is a private Catholic higher education institution run by the Spanish Province of the Society of Jesus in Madrid, Spain. The university is involved in a number of academic exchange programmes, work practice schemes and international projects with over 200 institutions of higher education in Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia.
Umm Al-Qura University is a public university in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The university was established as the College of Sharia in 1949 during the reign of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud before being joined by new colleges and renamed as Umm Al-Qura through a royal decree in 1981.
California State University, Fresno is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 bachelor's degree program, 45 master's degree programs, 3 doctoral degree programs, 12 certificates of advanced study, and 2 different teaching credentials. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". Fresno is a Hispanic-serving institution and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Island...
University of Erlangen–Nuremberg is a public research university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The name Friedrich–Alexander comes from the university's first founder Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and its benefactor Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
Dongseo University is a private university in Busan, the second largest city of South Korea. Established in 1992 through the Dongseo Educational Foundation, it provides higher education to approximately 11,000 full-time students, including roughly 1000 international students from 69 countries.
CESI, formerly Centre des études supérieures industrielles, is a French graduate engineering school created in 1958. Its headquarters are in Nanterre close to Paris and it is located in 29 campuses in France, Spain, Algeria and Cameroun.
John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. Located in a suburb of Cleveland, it is primarily an undergraduate-focused, liberal arts institution composed of a College of Arts and Sciences and business school. JCU has an enrollment of 3,650 students. Founded in 1886 as St. Ignatius College, it was named after St. Ignatius of Loyola and in 1923 renamed after John Carroll.
Lingnan University in Guangzhou , China, was a private university established by a group of American missionaries in 1888. At its founding it was named Canton Christian College . When the Communist government reorganized China's higher education in the Soviet model in 1952, Lingnan University's engineering departments were incorporated into the newly established South China Institute of Technology , and the rest of the school was incorporated into Sun Yat-sen University. Lingnan College was reestablished in 1988 within Sun Yat-sen University.
Rose Bruford College is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various disciplines of stagecraft.
Located in the campus of Science and Technology of the University of Lille in Villeneuve-d'Ascq ; is a renowned graduate engineering school, with roots back to 1854 as the École des arts industriels et des mines de Lille, re-organised in 1872 as Institut industriel du Nord. It is one of the Centrale Graduate Schools.
University of Phoenix is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels. It is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has an open enrollment admissions policy for many undergraduate programs. The school is owned by Apollo Global Management and Vistria Group, two US private-equity firms, but is in the process of being acquired by Four Three Education, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Universi...
Ulster University , legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It is the largest university in Northern Ireland and the second-largest university on the island of Ireland, after the federal National University of Ireland.
The MARA Technological University is a public university based primarily in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was established to help rural Malays in 1956 as the RIDA Training Centre , and opened with around 50 students. It has since grown into the largest institution of higher education in Malaysia as measured by physical infrastructure, faculty and staff, and student enrollment.
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 .
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology , is a public research university located in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It prepares specialists in theoretical and applied physics, applied mathematics and related disciplines.
The University of Split is a university located in Split, Croatia. It was founded in 1974. and is organized in 13 faculties and 124 faculty programmes. As of 2009, a total of approximately 40,000 students have graduated, and a total of 337 doctoral degrees have been awarded.
Chiba University is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University. The university was formed in 1949 from existing educational institutions in Chiba Prefecture, and over a period of years absorbed Chiba Medical University , a preparatory department of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Chiba Normal School , Tokyo Polytechnic High School , Chiba Horticultural High School, among others. Chiba University was reincorporated in 2010 under the National University Corporation Act.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1969 in the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest single employer, with more than 24,200 faculty and staff and over 53,000 jobs at the university and in the health system. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in three academic divisions with 39 majors. As of 2020, it is one of only three private, non-religious, all-male colleges in the United States.
The University of Ouagadougou is a university located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Founded in 1974, it was officially renamed in 2015 as l’Université Ouaga 1 Professeur Ki-Zerbo. The UO consists of seven Training and Research Units and one institute.
Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 is one of the three public universities of Lyon, France. It is named after the French physiologist Claude Bernard and specialises in science and technology, medicine, and sports science. It was established in 1971 by the merger of the 'faculté des sciences de Lyon' with the 'faculté de médecine'.
The California College of the Arts is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996, it opened a second campus in San Francisco; in 2022, the Oakland campus was closed and merged into the San Francisco campus. CCA enrolls approximately 1,239 undergraduates and 380 graduate students.
The National University of Malaysia is a public research university located in Bandar Baru Bangi, Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Its teaching hospital, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre is located in Cheras and also has a branch campus in Kuala Lumpur.
The University of South Australia is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australia with approximately 37,000 students.
The Fluminense Federal University is a Brazilian public higher education institution located mainly in Niterói and in other cities of Rio de Janeiro state. It was first established on December 18, 1960, with the name of Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro , through an integration of different academic colleges in the city of Niterói. On November 5, 1965, the current name became official.
The Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences , usually referred to simply as the Panteion University, is a university located in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1927, it is the oldest university of social and political sciences in Greece.
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń or NCU is located in Toruń, Poland. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473. History The beginnings of higher education in Toruń The first institution of higher education in Toruń, the Toruń Academic Gymnasium was founded in 1568. It was one of the first universities in northern Poland. The Academic Gymnasium was the precursor to scientific and cultural life in the region. Thanks to the efforts of Heinrich Stroband, city mayor in 1594, academics in Toruń received good working conditions for teaching and research. Among his...
Montana State University is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fields through its nine colleges. More than 16,700 students attended MSU in the fall 2019, taught by 796 full-time and 547 part-time faculty.
Semmelweis University is a research-led medical school in Budapest, Hungary, founded in 1769. With six faculties and a doctoral school it covers all aspects of medical and health sciences. The university is also the largest provider of health care services in Hungary. Most of the departments cater for the most serious cases and patients requiring complex treatment.
Tehran University of Medical Sciences is the largest and most highly ranked medical university of Iran. In September 2008, Iran's Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, Dr. Lankarani, called TUMS a pioneer in research throughout the country with a noticeable lead over its peer universities.
Washington & Jefferson College is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to the American frontier in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith. These early schools eventually grew into two competing academies, with Jefferson College located in Canonsburg and Washington College located in Washington. The two colleges merged in 1865 to form Washington & Jefferson College. The 60 acre campus has more than 40 buildings, with the oldest ...
Goucher College is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1885 as a non-denominational women's college in Baltimore's central district, the college is named for pastor and missionary John F. Goucher, who enlisted local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church to establish the school's charter. Goucher relocated to its present Towson campus in 1953 and became coeducational in 1986.
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guyana's national higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: "To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation, and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical enquiry."
is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane. Overview The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the subject of philosophy was neglected in Japanese schools of higher learning at the time. In 1906, the school was moved to its present site and its name was changed to Toyo University. The school's motto was "Protection of Country and Love of Truth".
Providence College is a private Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the local diocese, it offers 47 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate programs. The college requires all of its undergraduate students to complete 16 credits in the Development of Western Civilization, a major part of the college's core curriculum. In the spring of 2021, it enrolled 4,128 undergraduate students and 688 graduate students for a total enrollment of 4,816 students.
The University of Algiers , commonly called the Algiers 1 University or Benyoucef Benkhedda , is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different institutions, it has become the oldest and most prestigious organised university in the country.
The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is a university located in Oldenburg, Germany. It is one of the most important and highly regarded educational facilities in northwestern Germany and specialises in interdisciplinary and sustainable development studies and renewable energy studies with focus on solar and wind energy.
Xi'an Jiaotong University is a public university located in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University Plan.
Moody Bible Institute is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as non-charismatic, dispensational, and generally Calvinistic. Today, MBI operates undergraduate programs and Moody Theological Seminary at the Chicago campus. The Seminary also operates a satellite campus in Plymouth, Michigan. Moody Aviation operates a flight school in Spokane, Washington.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is part of the University of Tennessee System. History UTC was founded in 1886 as the then-private and racially exclusive Chattanooga University, which was soon merged in 1889 with the Athens-based Grant Memorial University , becoming the Chattanooga campus of U.S. Grant Memorial University. In 1907, the school changed its name to University of Chattanooga. In 1964 the university merged with Zion College, which had been established in 1949 and later became Chattanooga City College.
St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is affiliated with the University of Mumbai offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Arts, Science, Commerce and Management. Xavier's was the first college to be granted autonomy by the University of Mumbai in 2010. In 2006, St. Xavier's was awarded the 'A+' grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council .
The National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico , abbreviated IPN, is one of the largest public universities in Mexico with 171,581 students at the high school, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is the second-best university in Mexico in the technical and engineering domain according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018. It was founded on 1 January 1936 during the administration of President Lázaro Cárdenas del Río.
The New College at Hackney was a dissenting academy set up in Hackney in April 1786 by the social and political reformer Richard Price and others; Hackney at that time was a village on the outskirts of London, by Unitarianss. It was in existence from 1786 to 1796. The writer William Hazlitt was among its pupils, sent aged 15 to prepare for the Unitarian ministry, and some of the best-known Dissenting intellectuals spent time on its staff.
Francisco Marroquín University , also known by the abbreviation UFM, is a private, secular university in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It describes its mission as "to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal, and overall economic principles of a society of free and responsible persons."
Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Jawaharlal Nehru University is a public research university located in South West Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and research emphasis on social sciences and applied sciences.
Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus and online. The university was founded in 1819 in Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. It is the oldest of six senior military colleges and is recognized by the United States Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC" .
The Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina , also known as Catholic University of Argentina Its predecessor, the Catholic University of Buenos Aires , was founded by the Argentine episcopate in 1910, but its degrees, in law, were not recognized by the Argentine government, and the institution was closed in 1922.