The University of Arizona is among the most impactful research universities in the world, according to the global higher education analysis company Quacquarelli Symonds, based in the United Kingdom.

UArizona is tied for No. 262 globally, No. 53 in the United States and No. 64 in North America in the 2023 QS World University Rankings, released Wednesday. Globally, this represents a six-spot improvement from last year's ranking and an 11-spot improvement over the past two years. UArizona also placed No. 25 among public U.S. institutions.

QS analyzed nearly 2,500 colleges and universities worldwide and awarded a ranking to the top 1,422 institutions. UArizona's position places it in the top 19% of institutions that earned a ranking – marking the first time the university has placed in the top 20% since QS began its ranking in 2004.

"It is so gratifying to see the University of Arizona continue its upward trajectory in this influential international ranking," said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. "Research and scholarship take place on a global scale at our university, and we take great pride in our international research network and our ability to connect with students throughout the world."

QS uses six indicators to compile the organization's World University Rankings:

• Academic reputation (40%): This is based on responses to the QS Global Academic Reputation Survey from more than 151,000 academics.
• Citations per faculty (20%): This measures the average number of citations obtained per faculty member. It is an estimate of the impact and quality of the scientific work produced by universities. This indicator is calculated using data from Elsevier's Scopus research citations database.
• Faculty/student ratio (20%): Student numbers are divided by faculty numbers, giving the global student population some indication of likely class sizes at their chosen institution.
• Employer reputation (10%): This is based on responses to the QS Global Employer Reputation Survey from more than 99,000 employers about the relationship between institutions and graduate employability.
• International faculty ratio (5%): One of two QS measures of internationalization, this is the proportion of international faculty at an institution.
• International student ratio (5%): The second of measure of internationalization is the proportion of international students at an institution.

UArizona's top marks came in the faculty/student ratio (No. 201 globally) and academic reputation (No. 216). UArizona improved 201 spots in the international faculty category as well.

QS also ranks universities by subject. UArizona received top marks in the following categories in the 2022 update, released in April:

• Geology: No. 23 overall, No. 14 in the U.S.
• Engineering – Mineral and Mining: No. 27 overall, No. 4 in the U.S.
• Archaeology: No. 27 overall, No. 11 U.S.
• Geophysics: tied for No. 23 overall, tied for No. 14 in the U.S.
• Earth and Marine Science: No. 29 overall, No. 15 in the U.S.
• Anthropology: No. 39 overall, No. 13 in the U.S.
• Library and Information Management: No. 40 overall, No. 18 in the U.S.
• Linguistics: tied for No. 48 overall, No. 18 in the U.S.