impact

Latest ranking gives Virginia Tech increased marks in teaching and international outlook

The 2023 Times Higher Education World University Ranking placed Virginia Tech in the 251-300 range overall, citing the number of doctoral degrees awarded, the university’s teaching reputation, and a surge in international students and staff as positives.

Jimmy Robertson

12 Oct 2022

Photo of Drillfield in the fall — A perfect fall afternoon on the Drillfield. Photo by Noshin Abedin for Virginia Tech.

The 2023 Times Higher Education World University Ranking was released Wednesday, and Virginia Tech found itself listed among the world’s top universities.

Virginia Tech was in 251-300 range in the ranking, which judges research excellence on a global scale. Among public land-grant universities, Virginia Tech ranked tied for 16th.

The ranking considers five core factors: teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.

The university saw increased scores in the teaching and international outlook pillars compared to the 2022 rankings released last fall. An increase in doctoral degrees awarded to students who enrolled as undergraduates and to academic staff accounted in large part for the increase in the teaching score, along with better numbers in teaching reputation.

In the international outlook pillar, larger numbers of international staff and international students led to the increased score. This year’s entering class of 7,101 first-year students includes students from 62 countries.

The Times Higher Education World University Ranking comes on the heels of U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-23 Best Colleges rankings released Sept. 12. U.S. News and World Report listed Virginia Tech at No. 23 in the National Universities class for Top Public Schools.

Worldwide measures, such as the Times Higher Education World University Ranking and the U.S. News & World Report’s global rankings of universities that will be released later this fall, point to Virginia Tech’s research expertise and growing global impact, which enable the university to attract the world’s talent, partners, and resources to the commonwealth. Meanwhile, measures such as Virginia Tech’s No. 22 ranking in Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money” list reflect the return on investment for Virginia Tech graduates when compared to the cost of attendance.

A complete listing of Virginia Tech’s worldwide and national rankings from various publications and other outlets can be found online.