Purdue’s strengths in interdisciplinary sciences places it No. 20 globally

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s strengths in interdisciplinary sciences positioned it among the world’s best, ranking No. 20 globally, according to inaugural rankings released by Times Higher Education. The inaugural 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Rankings from Times Higher Education, which were released on Nov. 21, included 749 institutions from 92 countries and territories including 38 universities in the United States.

“Purdue has long been recognized for its success in transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries,” said Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe. “The culture we’ve established, along with our proactive efforts in joint faculty appointments and research programs, powers university strategic priorities such as Purdue Computes and Purdue One Health, and so I’m delighted to see our strengths in interdisciplinary sciences recognized.”

Added Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue: “The very competitive measures outlined in these rankings — centering on interdisciplinarity — have been a constant at Purdue for years. Our significant commitment to research and scholarship, along with growing our investments in state-of-the-art facilities and cross-disciplinary Institutes and Centers has fostered an environment where researchers come together to do research that has real-world impact on our daily lives.”

The Institutes and Centers at Discovery Park District, managed by the Office of Research, include 14 interdisciplinary research organizations that pursue discovery, learning and the translation of innovation.

The Times Higher Education rankings, a joint project with Schmidt Science Fellows, measured university performance in three areas: inputs (funding); process (measures of success, facilities, administrative support and promotion); and outputs (publications, research quality and reputation). Science disciplines are defined according to THE’s mapping guide of 11 subjects and include physical sciences, life sciences, engineering and computer science.

The latest recognition from Times Higher Education is the among several impressive accolades Purdue has received the past year:

• Purdue rose to No. 79 globally and No. 32 in the U.S. in the 2025 THE World University Rankings, released Oct. 9. Improving seven spots worldwide from 2024, Purdue also matched an all-time high with a No. 13 showing among all U.S. public universities.
• Purdue placed No. 1 among U.S. public universities and was named the No. 9 most recognized university in the world in the 2024-25 Global University Visibility (GUV) rankings.
• Purdue was recognized, in another global ranking, among the world’s best and No. 8 among U.S. public universities by Quacquarelli Symonds in the latest QS World University Rankings.
• For the second year in a row, Purdue placed fifth internationally and in the top four for U.S. universities in U.S. patents received.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.