The University of Washington’s graduate and professional degree programs again were recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools released late Monday.
Topping this year’s list include programs at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Education. The College of Arts & Sciences and the College of the Environment also had top-rated programs.
In total, 81 graduate and professional degree programs across the UW placed in the top 35 in this year’s U.S. News rankings.
“These rankings highlight the strength and impact of the University of Washington’s graduate and professional programs,” said UW President Robert J. Jones. “These programs equip students with the skills and knowledge to meet critical workforce needs and serve society, while demonstrating the power of higher education to advance the public good. We are proud to foster an environment where students and faculty can thrive and have a real impact on the world around them.”
While the UW celebrates the success and impact of the programs recognized by U.S. News — and notes that many applicants use these rankings to help them select schools and discover potential areas of study — the University also recognizes shortcomings inherent in the ranking systems.
The UW School of Law and the UW School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News rankings in 2022 and 2023, respectively, citing concerns that some of the methodology in the rankings for those specific disciplines incentivize actions and policies that run counter to the schools’ public service missions.
UW leaders continue to work with U.S. News and other ranking organizations to improve their methodologies, to the extent that the organizations are open to it. Schools, colleges and departments continually reevaluate the benefits and potential shortfalls of participating in specific rankings.
Excluding the School of Law and the School of Medicine, 29 UW programs placed in the top 10, and 81 are in the top 35.
The UW this year placed in the top 10 nationwide in public affairs, biostatistics, nursing, computer science, education, psychology, speech and language pathology, statistics and Earth sciences.
The UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade and tied for fifth in the nation this year. The Evans School’s environmental policy program was ranked second, while public finance and budgeting as well as leadership both ranked No. 10.
The UW School of Nursing’s doctor of nursing practice program tied for No. 1 among public institutions. The School of Public Health has maintained its top-10 ranking for more than a decade, coming in this year at No. 9. The school also had three programs in the top 10: biostatistics, environmental health sciences and epidemiology.
The UW’s programs in speech and language pathology tied for No. 6. Two programs from the College of Education placed in the top 10. And the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering this year tied for seventh place overall with three programs ranked in the top 10, including artificial intelligence, programming language and systems.
U.S. News ranks biostatistics in two ways. UW ranked No. 3 as a science discipline that applies statistical theory and mathematical principles to research in medicine, biology, environmental science, public health and related fields. UW’s School of Public Health ranked No. 7 in biostatistics as an area of study that trains students to apply statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine and biology. At the UW, biostatistics is a division of the School of Public Health.
In some cases, such as the College of Arts & Science and the Foster School of Business, U.S. News ranks several professional disciplines housed within academic units. Programs in dentistry are not ranked.
The rankings below are based on preliminary data and may be updated. U.S. News & World Report’s methodology relies on both expert opinions and statistical indicators.
TOP 10:
Library and Information Studies (overall): Two-way tie for 1st (ranked in 2025)
Public Affairs (environmental policy): 2nd
Library and information studies (digital librarianship): Two-way for 2nd (ranked in 2022)
Library and Information Studies (information systems): 2nd (ranked in 2022)
Biostatistics: 3rd
Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 3rd (ranked in 2024)
Nurse practitioner (doctor of nursing practice): Four-way tie for 4th
Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Four-way tie for 5th
Library and Information Studies (library services for children and youth): Two-way for 5th (ranked in 2022)
Computer science (systems): Tied for 6th
Education (elementary education): 6th
Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 6th
Speech-language pathology: Five-way tie for 6th
Statistics: Four-way tie for 6th
Public Health (biostatistics): 7th
Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 7th
Computer science (programming language): Tied for 7th
Education (secondary education): 7th
Nursing (midwifery): Five-way tie for 7th
Public Health (environmental health sciences): 7th
School of Social Work (overall): 7th (ranked in 2025)
Public Health (epidemiology): 8th
Computer science (artificial intelligence): 9th
Earth sciences: Tied for 9th
Geophysics: Three-way tie for 9th (ranked in 2024)
Public Affairs (nonprofit management): 9th
School of Public Health (overall): Tied for 9th
Public Affairs (public finance and budgeting): 10th
Public Affairs (public management and leadership): 10th
TOP 25:
Biological sciences: Five-way tie for 16th
Business (accounting): 10-way tie for 16th
Business (entrepreneurship): Five-way tie for 17th
Business (information systems): Three-way tie for 15th
Business (part-time MBA): Three-way tie for 11th
Business (full-time MBA): 20th
Business (management): Five-way tie for 25th
Business (marketing): Eight-way tie for 25th
Chemistry (analytical): Four-way tie for 16th (ranked in 2024)
Chemistry: Seven-way tie for 22nd
Chemistry (inorganic): Three-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2024)
Computer science (theory): Tied for 11th
College of Education (overall): Tied for 24th
Education (administration): Tied for 11th
Education (curriculum/instruction): Tied for 12th
Education (policy): Tied for 14th
Education (special education): Tied for 12th
College of Engineering (overall): Three-way tie for 22nd
Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Tied for 17th
Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Five-way tie for 12th
Engineering (civil): Four-way tie for 13th
Engineering (computer): 12th
Engineering (electrical): Three-way tie for 22nd
Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Seven-way tie for 24th
Engineering (materials engineering): Five-way tie for 25th
Library and Information Studies (school library media): Two-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)
Mathematics (applied math): 21st (ranked in 2024)
Nursing master’s (overall): Tied for 12th
Nurse practitioner (adult gerontology acute care): Tied for 11th
Nurse practitioner (family): Tied for 15th
School of Pharmacy (overall): Tied for 14th
Physics (overall): Tied for 20th
Public Affairs (public policy analysis): 14th
Public Affairs (social policy): Tied for 13th
Public Affairs (urban policy): Three-way tie for 21st
Public Health (health care management): Three-way tie for 16th
Public Health (health policy and management): 11th
Public Health (social behavior): 13th
Sociology (overall): Two-way tie for 22nd (ranked in 2025)
Sociology (population): Two-way tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)
TOP 35:
Business (analytics): Seven-way tie for 32nd
Business (executive MBA): Three-way tie for 29th
Business (finance): Nine-way tie for 31st
Business (international MBA): Tie for 32nd
Business (production & operations): Five-way tie for 27th
Engineering (chemical): Tied for 28th
Engineering (mechanical): 34th
English: Two-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2025)
Fine arts: 15-way tie for 34th
History: Three-way tie for 31st (ranked in 2025)
Mathematics: Four-way tie for 26th
Political science: Five-way tie for 33rd (ranked in 2025)