Ohio State moves up in ranking of nation’s universities

The Ohio State University is ranked 43rd among the nation’s universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings for 2024. That’s an improvement of six spots.

Ohio State ranked 17th among public universities. Several Ohio State colleges and programs were ranked among the best in the nation.

U.S. News & World Report’s rankings show Ohio State’s College of Nursing is ranked first among public universities, improving one spot, and also improved one spot nationally, ranking fourth overall.

“The dramatic rise of our signature bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program is validation for the world-class efforts of our students, faculty and staff in answering their calling to care,” said Karen Rose, dean and professor at the College of Nursing. “Health care and society need nurses who are ready to innovate and care at all levels, and our program – which is pioneering the use of virtual and extended reality in building competence and confidence – is in a unique position to lead that charge.”

Ohio State’s recognition for its commitment to undergraduate teaching improved 15 spots nationally and five spots among public universities, ranking 11th among public institutions and 39th nationally. The rankings reflect schools whose faculty and administrators have placed a special emphasis on teaching undergraduate students and are committed to teaching undergraduate students in a quality manner.

The College of Engineering’s undergraduate program improved two spots overall, ranking 25th nationally and improved one spot from 2023 to rank 14th among public universities.

“Our upward trajectory in the rankings reflects the commitment of our faculty and staff, as well as the collaborative spirit among our extraordinary students,” said College of Engineering Dean Ayanna Howard. “We are preparing the next generation of innovators, leaders and problem-solvers, so excellence is the goal for everything we do.”

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering’s undergraduate computer science program improved four spots nationally and two spots among public universities, ranking 33rd nationally and 16th among public schools.

And the undergraduate program at Fisher College of Business ranked 7th among public universities.

“We are proud to have the hard work of everyone associated with our undergraduate student experience reflected in this ranking,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher. “We’re also equally committed to improving on this high standard by continuing to drive innovation across our offerings and providing Ohio State’s business students with the very best in experiential education.”

Ohio State continues to rank among the top universities for commitment to military-connected students. The new report ranks the university 24th nationally and 17th among public institutions.

Now in its 39th year, the Best Colleges issue evaluates more than 1,450 colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality.