Montana State University has ranked among some of the top schools in the Center for World University Rankings for 2025, based on factors including education, employability, faculty and research.
MSU ranked in the top 3.7% of the 21,462 universities reviewed worldwide for the rankings, which were published on June 2.
While some university rankings rely on surveys and data submitted by the campuses themselves, CWUR bases its list on four outcome-based indicators, placing equal weight on student- and faculty-related metrics.
The indicators are education, based on the academic success of alumni measured in relation to university size; employability, based on the professional success of alumni in relation to university size; faculty, based on the number of faculty members who have received top academic distinctions; and research output, measured by the total number of research articles in top academic journals and the number of highly cited research articles published by faculty members.
Based on these categories, MSU Bozeman ranked 791st out of 21,462 universities worldwide. The campus ranked 756th in research; 1,480th in employability; and 174th in U.S. universities and was the highest-ranked university in Montana.
The ranking highlights MSU’s record-setting research activity, which was separately recognized by the Carnegie Classification when, earlier this year, it recertified MSU’s status as a top-tier R-1 research institution. The ranking also recognizes the support MSU provides its students including its efforts to keep them on track to completing their degrees, said Steve Swinford, the university’s vice president for student success. 
“Our students, faculty and staff work hard to create a welcoming community and make Montana State University the best experience and education it can possibly be,” Swinford said. “It’s an honor to see our work recognized on a global scale.”
MSU also saw high enrollment, graduation rates and student retention this past academic year, becoming the first university in Montana history to cross the 17,000-student mark in fall 2024. MSU also offers ample support to students including the Office for Student Engagement, Travis W. Atkins Veteran Support Center, MSU Writing Center and Dr. Christopher B. Lofgren Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Statistics.
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