By Brian McNeill

Virginia Commonwealth University is ranked among the top 20% of all universities in the world in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 Best Global Universities rankings announced Tuesday.

VCU is ranked No. 401 among the world’s 2,250 top universities, according to the rankings, which are based on 13 indicators of excellence that measure schools’ academic research performance and global and regional reputations.

“VCU’s impressive rankings ascent continues as we demonstrate what can be achieved through our focus on excellence, impact and access. I attribute that success to the dedication and hard work of our faculty, who drive our university forward with life-changing research and pedagogical innovations,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “From future-proofing our students by swiftly adapting our curriculum to meet the demands of the AI era, to launching Convergence Labs at VCU to promote cross-disciplinary research, problem-solving and teaching excellence, VCU’s faculty are redefining what it means to be an urban R1 research institution in the 21st century.”

In the latest ranking, 17 programs at VCU are highlighted among the world’s best, including the gastroenterology and hepatology program, which moved up six spots to No. 11, and the surgery program, which tied for No. 82.

“These rankings in U.S. News & World Report tell the rest of the world what we at the School of Medicine, VCU Health and our many patients already know: Our unwavering commitment to innovation, advancement, training and compassionate clinical care across all disciplines is world-class – driving positive patient outcomes in our community that earn our institution a rightful place among the leaders in global health,” said Art Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs at VCU Health.

Arun Sanyal, M.D., interim chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, professor at the School of Medicine and director of the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, added: “I am delighted to see our continued rise in rankings as a high-quality, academic gastroenterology-hepatology program. This reflects the expertise and dedication of our faculty and staff, who make all of the science done in our program possible. I look forward to working with all of them to continue building our program and making it a top five program in the world.”