Penn State climbed to the No. 20 ranking of U.S. public universities in the latest poll released by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The university was ranked No. 42 among all institutions across the country.

Globally, Penn State jumped 29 spots to land at No. 122 out of about 1,900 institutions ranked by THE. Penn State sits in the top 6% of the world rankings, and the university finished in the top 5% of universities worldwide for the pillar of the Research Environment. The pillar includes metrics for productivity, reputation, and income.

“Times Higher Education is one of the foremost rankings for international higher education,” Vice Provost for Penn State Global Roger Brindley said. “International students, parents, alumni, and prospective partners use these global rankings as one of the many indicators of Penn State’s strength as a world-class academic and research institution. I am pleased to see that the institution’s excellence continues to be recognized around the world.”

THE ranks universities across criteria that factor in five pillars based on research. The pillars include teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook. The 2024 rankings focus on performance indicators that improve global comparisons as well as provide more knowledge of an institution’s change over a period of years.