Emory University has been ranked among the top universities in the nation in the first annual QS World University Rankings: USA, designed to assess how well universities are responding to the social, intellectual and economic challenges of our time.

Emory was 27th in the nation and 1st in Georgia in the new rankings of American universities by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a global higher education research company and publisher of the QS World University Rankings.

Universities in the new survey were ranked for their research performance and career outcomes as well as a range of indicators assessing each institution’s social impact and attempts to foster equitability. These indicators are in four broad areas: employability; diversity and internationalization; learning experience; and research. 

The QS rankings’ methodology on diversity & internationalization includes the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants, gender diversity, and the percentage of international students, as well as alumni outcomes, graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients, and Fulbright students studying abroad. 

The rankings’ methodology also encompasses employability outcomes through a combination of QS proprietary data, including alumni outcomes and the QS Employer Reputation survey.

A total of 300 institutions are included in the inaugural QS World University Rankings: USA, which were released today. The QS World University Rankings, inaugurated in 2004, is a major source of comparative data about global higher education.