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 Literature,
Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Longwood became a university on July 1, 2002.
Chang Jung Christian University is a privately funded, research-intensive, Presbyterian, co-educational university located in Gueiren District, Tainan, Taiwan. Chang Jung means everlasting glory in Mandarin.
Hebei University is a provincial public university in Baoding, Hebei, China. The university has an estimated student population of 33,000, including 6,100 full-time postgraduates and 26,900 full-time undergraduates.
Hirosaki University is a Japanese national university in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1949, it comprises five faculties: Faculty of the Humanities, Faculty of Education History, Hirosaki University Medical School History, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science. Its abbreviated form is Hirodai.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is a public research university in Catonsville, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs and the first university research park in Maryland. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".
La Salle University is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle.
The Shandong University of Technology is a university located in Zibo, Shandong, China. The university was founded in 1956 and has a focus on engineering sciences. History The school was founded as the Shandong Institute of Technology in June 1956. During the Cultural Revolution, it was one of only 13 undergraduate institutions of higher learning in Shandong. It expanded into a wider institution of polytechnic learning in 1990. Finally in 2001, it merged with several other colleges into a full university under its current name.
Liverpool Hope University is a public university with campuses in Liverpool, England. The university grew out of three teacher training colleges: Saint Katharine's College , Notre Dame College, and Christ's College. Uniquely in European higher education, the university has an ecumenical tradition, with Saint Katharine's College having been Anglican and Notre Dame and Christ's College having both been Catholic. The Anglican Bishop of Liverpool David Sheppard and the Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool Derek Worlock played a prominent role in its formation. Its name derives from Hope Street, the...
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.
The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England. It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Institute of Art and Design was merged into the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, which already had degree-awarding status; both constituent schools had been formed by merging the local art schools, in Kent and Surrey respectively. It was granted university status in 2008, and the name changed to the present one.
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the name of the school refers to the Virgin Mary. Saint Mary's offers five bachelor's degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Additionally, Saint Mary's College offers five graduate degrees: Master of Autism Studies, Master of Science, Master of Social Work, and Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Krirk University is a university in Bang Khen District, Bangkok, Thailand. Founded as the Languages and Professions School in 1952, it was named after its founder, Dr. Krirk Mangkhlaphrik . It was upgraded to an institute of higher education in 1970 as the Institute of Social Technology and then upgraded to university status in 1995. The university today is organized into three faculties, the International College, the School of Political Communications and the International Islamic College.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), in Indiana, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1875 and has about 9,100 students. Its eight colleges and schools offer more than 200 degree programs, and it has additional campuses in Punxsutawney, Northpointe, and Monroeville. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #591 in the United States and #2149 in the world. It admitted 90.8% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1075 and a median ACT score of 23. It is known regionally for its many master’s programs and nationally for its Cook Honors College. IUP does not rank among the national leaders in our influence data overall.
The University of Birjand is the largest and oldest public university in eastern Iran. In 2018, the university was ranked 300–350 in Asia University Ranking and +1000 in World University Ranking by Times Higher Education. The University of Birjand also achieved a top ranking in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings, 2019. It is also one of 33 Iranian universities listed in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020 for Engineering and Technology. The university has a multilingual website .
The North-West University is a public research university located on three campuses in Potchefstroom, Mahikeng and Vanderbijlpark in South Africa. The university came into existence through the merger of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, which also had a branch in Vanderbijlpark, and the University of North-West in 2004. With its merged status, the North-West University became one of the largest universities in South Africa with the third largest student population in the country.
I. N. Ulianov Chuvash State University is a public university located in Cheboksary, the capital of the Chuvash Republic, Russia. The university is one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Russia and is the scientific, educational and cultural center of the Privolsky Federal Region of the Russian Federation.
The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is a public technical university established by the Government of India, located in Amingaon area, North Guwahati Village area, in the state of Assam in India. It is the sixth Indian Institute of Technology established in India. IIT Guwahati is officially recognised as an Institute of National Importance by the government of India. IIT Guwahati has been ranked 7th in Engineering and 8th in Overall category in NIRF India Rankings 2021. As, per latest NIRF Ranking in 2023, IIT Guwahati has been ranked 7th among the engineering colleges in India.
Lanzhou University is a national public university located in Lanzhou, Gansu, 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.
The University of the West of England is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 36,000 students and 4,200 staff, it is the largest provider of higher education in the South West of England.
Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a Boston philanthropist and chair of the Peabody Education Board in Massachusetts, to establish the school.
Aga Khan University is a non-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was Founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, the university expanded to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan.
St. Catherine University is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. Catherine until 2009. St. Kate's offers baccalaureate programs for women as well as graduate and associate programs for women and men.
Kumamoto Gakuen University called Gakuendai or Shōdai , is a private Japanese university in Kumamoto, Japan. It was established in 1942, at which time Eastern Language Vocational College was subsumed into it. It was renamed Kumamoto Language Vocational College in 1945, and was made into Kumamoto Commerce University in 1954. It acquired its current name, Kumamoto Gakuen University, in 1994. At present, the university has 4 faculties with 11 departments.
Luther College is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Decorah, Iowa. Established as a Lutheran seminary in 1861 by Norwegian immigrants, the school today is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The upper campus was listed as the Luther College Campus Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
St. Francis College is a private Franciscan college in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn as the St. Francis Academy and was the first private school in the Diocese of Brooklyn. St. Francis College began as a parochial all-boys academy in the City of Brooklyn and has become a small liberal arts college that has 19 academic departments offering 72 majors and minors.
Sambalpur University is a public research university located in Burla town, of district Sambalpur, India, in the state of Odisha. Popularly known as Jyoti Vihar, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The governor of Odisha is the chancellor of the university. The campus is located 15 km away from Sambalpur.
Çukurova University is a public university in Adana, Turkey. The university has sixteen faculties, three colleges, seven vocational colleges, three institutes and twenty-six research and application centers. The university campus is located away from Adana city center, by the Seyhan Dam Lake.
Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It enrolls approximately 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 34 states and 36 countries.
Arcadia University is a private university in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The university enrolls approximately 3,200 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. The 94-acre Glenside campus features Grey Towers Castle, a National Historic Landmark; the university also includes a campus in Christiana, Del., as well as several centers around the world.
Akita University is a Japanese national university in Akita City, Japan. Established in 1949, it comprises four graduate schools and four undergraduate faculties. History Akita University was established in 1949 by the merger of Akita Normal School , Akita Mining College and the Akita Youth Normal School . The university initially offered degrees in Liberal Arts and Sciences and in Mining Engineering. In 1965, a graduate studies program in mining engineering was established. In 1967, Akita University established a Department of Education, followed in 1970 by a Medical School and University Hospital in 1971.
The Swiss National Supercomputing Centre is the national high-performance computing centre of Switzerland. It was founded in Manno, canton Ticino, in 1991. In March 2012, the CSCS moved to its new location in Lugano-Cornaredo.
The Tokyo University of Agriculture, abbreviated as Nodai or Tokyo nodai , is a private university of agriculture in Japan. There are three campuses: Setagaya, Atsugi, and Okhotsk . Outline Tokyo University of Agriculture is a private agriculture university. It was the first such institution founded in Japan. As of 2006 it is the only private university in Japan that specializes in agriculture. Although its name is similar to Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the College of Agriculture at University of Tokyo, the institutions are not related to one another.
The University of Sindh is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certified by ISO in 2015. Founded in 1947 in Karachi, the university was relocated to Hyderabad in 1951, where it began to function as a full-fledged teaching university. The university is associated with four colleges of law and various other colleges. Sindh University is noted for its research in literature, natural sciences, philosophy, and Sindhology.
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university has 3,656 students as of fall 2022, including 2,602 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The student body is 97 percent Catholic and the university claims to have the largest number of students majoring in theology, catechetics, and philosophy of any Catholic university in the United States.
The University of Virginia's College at Wise is a public liberal arts college in Wise, Virginia. It is part of the University of Virginia, though separately accredited, and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia.
Regis University is a private Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1877 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees through 5 colleges in a variety of subjects, including education, liberal arts, business, nursing, and technology. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Audencia Business School is a French grande école and business school located in Nantes, France. It is one of the only 0.5% of business schools in the world accredited by the Association of MBAs , European Quality Improvement System , and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business . Audencia is also BSIS labelled. The school enrolls 6,100 students from almost 90 countries on bachelors, international masters, specialised masters, MBAs, doctorates and executive education courses.
The University of Thessaly is a public university in Thessaly, Greece, founded in 1984. The university includes the main campus in the city of Volos and regional campuses located in Karditsa, Larissa, Trikala, and the city of Lamia. The university's central administrative and academic building, located on the seaport seafront, it is often referred to as the main campus, but actually the university does not have a single main site, as it has multi sites with buildings being geographically distributed within the wider region of Volos across the city districts. Enrollment for Fall 2014 consisted...
City College of San Francisco is a public community college in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, annually enrolling as many as one in nine San Francisco residents. CCSF is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges .
The University of Minnesota Morris is a public liberal arts college in Morris, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and was founded in 1960 as a public, co-educational, residential liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts degrees.
Pittsburg State University is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas, United States. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History Pittsburg State University was founded in 1903 as the Auxiliary Manual Training Normal School, originally a branch of the State Normal School of Emporia . In 1913, it became a full-fledged four-year institution as Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg, or Pittsburg State for short. Over the next four decades, its mission was broadened beyond teacher training. To reflect this, in 1959 its name was changed again to Kansas State College of Pittsburg.
Eulji University is a private healthcare and medical research university in South Korea with campuses in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, and in central Daejeon. The school was established by Dr. Park Jun-yeong and the Eulji Educational Foundation, which grew out of the Eulji Hospital that opened in 1981.
Iwate University is a national university located in Morioka, Japan. Founded in 1876 as the , the school was formally established as Iwate University in 1949. With its main campus located in Morioka, and another in Kamaishi, Iwate, it has several research institutes at cities in the Sanriku region to support the reconstruction of the fishing industry due to the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake. These are under the jurisdiction of the Iwate University Sanriku Reconstruction and Regional Revitalization Promotion Organization.
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.
The University of Alaska Southeast is a public university with its main campus in Juneau, Alaska and extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan. It is part of the University of Alaska System and was established on July 1, 1987, with the restructuring and consolidation of the former University of Alaska Juneau, Ketchikan Community College, and Islands Community College . The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Kobe Design University is a private university in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. It was established in 1989 by Tanioka Gakuen Educational Foundation , which runs several schools such as Osaka University of Commerce.
Hunan Normal University , founded in 1938, is a public university in Changsha, Hunan Province. The university is the 211 Project university, one of the country's top 100 national key universities in the 21st century that enjoy priority in obtaining national funds. It is also a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university, a major government initiative to comprehensively develop a group of elite universities into "world-first-class universities" by 2050. It is particularly reputable for its concentration on teachers' education and training, foreign language studies, Chinese liter...
The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador is a Pontifical Catholic university founded in 1946 in Quito, Ecuador. History The university opened in the fall of 1946, with Carlos María de la Torre, archbishop of Quito, officiating. Aurelio Espinosa Pólit of the Society of Jesus was the first rector. That fall there were 54 students and jurisprudence was the single faculty.
Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it has 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's and master's degrees.
Lombard College was a Universalist college located in Galesburg, Illinois. History Lombard College was founded in 1853 by the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute. In 1855, however, a major fire damaged much of the college, placing its future at risk, but a large gift from Benjamin Lombard , a Massachusetts-born farmer and businessman, rescued the institution, rechristened as Lombard University. The official name of the school was changed to Lombard College.