Where these Missouri and Kansas colleges sit in global ranking of universities
TIME Magazine has given alumni and students of multiple Kansas and Missouri universities a new thing to brag about.
The magazine recently released its list of its top universities of 2026, which includes schools from across the world. TIME said it helps the magazine understand where students are likely to achieve the greatest success and contribute most to society as the world order shifts.
Research was conducted using institutions that were older than three years, offer bachelor’s degrees, and enroll more than 2,000 students. Analysis was also structured by three pillars: academic capacity & performance, innovation & economic impact, and global engagement. Universities receive a score on each pillar, which goes into the final score for each school.
Out of 500 universities on the list, four Missouri schools made the cut, while two Kansas schools made an appearance. Here’s which ones and the scores that supported each of the university’s ranking.
What are the top Missouri universities, according to TIME?
Two of Missouri’s state schools cracked the list, with the University of Missouri ranking at 124. Mizzou received a total score of 60.25. The University of Missouri-Kansas City was ranked at 337, accompanied by a total score of 45.47.
Schools in St. Louis were also represented on the list, Washington University in St. Louis ranked at 80, the highest for any Missouri school on the list. Washington has a 61.37 total score, while having a larger score on innovation and economic impact at 70.12.
Saint Louis University clocked in at 271 with a score of 49.15.
What are the top Kansas universities, according to TIME?
Kansas may have beat Mizzou in the most recent installment of the basketball Border War, but it couldn’t beat them in the school rankings. The University of Kansas was ranked 140 with a total score of 57.98.
Kansas State University was ranked 290 with a total score of 47.85. Kansas State had a lower global engagement score than the other local schools with 24.52.
What is the best university in the world according to TIME?
The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom comes in at No. 1 for TIME. The public university has a 90.11 total score. It also received a 92.67 in academic capacity and performance, 84.28 in innovation and economic impact, and a 64.78 in global engagement.
The following universities, along with its total score, round out the top five:
1. University of Oxford, United Kingdom: 90.11
2. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut: 88.47
3. Stanford University, California: 88.24
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts: 87.93
5. The University of Chicago: 87.58
