The University of Arizona finished in the top 0.28 percent among more than 18,000 higher-education institutions worldwide in the Center for World University Rankings, released Monday.

The UA's 2018 global ranking of No. 52 represents a 23-spot increase over last year's position. The number of UA-led research papers appearing in highly influential journals and how often those papers are cited by peer researchers once again contributed to the university's strong showing in the CWUR ratings.

"I am very glad to see the University of Arizona ranked alongside the world's top academic research institutions again this year," said UA President Robert C. Robbins. "This is a fantastic reflection of the incredible talent we have here at the UA. Our faculty's commitment to groundbreaking research strengthens our position as becoming a global leader in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and we will continue our climb among the ranks of the world’s premier universities."

The UA's overall score of 84.3 placed it 34th among U.S. universities — 11 spots higher than in 2017.

CWUR annually publishes the only global university rankings that use quantitative measures to assess the quality of education, the prestige of faculty members and the quality of faculty research, without relying on surveys and university data submissions.

Rankings by category:

• Influence: 43
• Citations: 48
• Quality of Faculty: 53
• Quality Publications: 96
• Research Output: 111
• Alumni Employment: 164
• Quality of Education: 166

The UA also was recognized recently in Forbes' third annual "America's Best Value Colleges" ranking, placing No. 108 out of 300 colleges and universities. The UA ranked No. 59 among public institutions and No. 69 among major research institutions.