The newest edition includes three new law rankings focused on career outcomes for graduates.
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2025 -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today unveiled the 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings.
Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the rankings evaluate programs in various disciplines, including engineering, medicine, business, law, education, nursing and social sciences.
This year's rankings emphasize the results that education can bring. There were very limited changes in this year's rankings formulas. A few new rankings were computed to help students make the best-informed decisions for their careers.
In this edition:
- Three brand new law school rankings focus on different career outcomes for graduates, including employment in full-time, long-term jobs at big law firms (greater than 500 attorneys), in federal clerkships and at public interest organizations.
- For the first time in nearly four years, the rankings will include updated assessments of master's degree programs in library and information studies, as well as doctoral programs in social science disciplines like economics and political science, as well as various health programs.
- U.S. News issued new rankings of graduate programs in other popular academic disciplines, including computer science and public affairs. Because each program is different, the rankings methodologies vary by discipline and graduate degree level.
"We are equipping future graduate students with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions in today's competitive academic landscape," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., senior editor of Education at U.S. News. "Our comprehensive graduate school rankings provide students with essential data to make one of the most consequential decisions of their lives. U.S. News remains committed to delivering transparent and data-driven assessments that empower students to find their perfect academic match."
Best Business Schools: Full-Time MBA
The University of Pennsylvania – Wharton ranks No. 1, while Northwestern University – Kellogg and Stanford University tie for No. 2.
Best Law Schools
Stanford University and Yale University tied for the No. 1 spot, with The University of Chicago at No. 3., the University of Virginia at No. 4 and University of Pennsylvania – Carey at No. 5.
Best Medical Schools: Research
Schools placing in the top tier include the following: Baylor College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Emory University, Hofstra University/Northwell Health (Zucker), the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix), the Ohio State University, the University of California – Los Angeles (Geffen), the University of California – San Diego, the University of California – San Francisco, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Rochester, the University of South Florida (Morsani), the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Vanderbilt University and Yale University.
Best Medical Schools: Primary Care
Schools placing in the top tier included the following: East Carolina University – Brody, East Tennessee State University – Quillen, Saint Louis University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, UMass Chan Medical School, University of Arizona – Tucson, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the University of California – Davis, the University of California – San Francisco, the University of Hawaii – Manoa (Burns), the University of Kansas Medical Center, the University of Minnesota, the University of New Mexico, the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and the Western University of Health Sciences.
Best Education Schools
The University of Wisconsin – Madison takes the No. 1 spot. Columbia University, Teachers College, the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and Vanderbilt University tied for No. 2, while The University of California – Los Angeles is No. 5.
Best Engineering Schools
Taking the No. 1 spot is Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by Stanford University at No. 2, the University of California – Berkeley at No. 3, Georgia Institute of Technology at No. 4. California Institute of Technology and Purdue University – Main Campus tied for No. 5.
Best Nursing Schools: Master's Programs
Emory University ranks No. 1, with John Hopkins University coming in at No 2, The Ohio State University at No. 3, Vanderbilt University at No. 4 and Duke University at No. 5.
Best Nursing Schools: DNP Programs
Johns Hopkins University was No. 1, with Duke University at No 2, University of Washington at No. 3. Rutgers University – Newark and University of Minnesota– Twin Cities tied at No. 4.
For more information, visit Best Graduate Schools and use #BestGradSchools on Facebook, X (formally Twitter), TikTok and Instagram.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.
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