Ohio colleges ranked among the best graduate schools in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 list of best graduate schools.
Ohio State University rated tops in the country among public colleges for its Nursing Master of Science degree. Its dispute resolution program, part of its Moritz College of Law, again was rated the best in the U.S. Case Western Reserve University’s school of medicine held its Tier 1 status, ranking it among the top 15% in the nation.
An array of other Buckeye State programs made the cut as well.
The 2025 Best Graduate Schools rankings, designed to assist prospective students in their pursuit of advanced degrees, evaluate programs across various disciplines, including engineering, medicine, business, law, education, nursing, and social sciences.
This year’s rankings emphasize educational outcomes, with minimal changes to the ranking formulas. Several new rankings were introduced, such as three new law school rankings focusing on employment outcomes in big law firms, federal clerkships, and public interest organizations.
The rankings also feature updated assessments of master’s programs in library and information studies, doctoral programs in social science disciplines, and various health programs for the first time in nearly four years. Additionally, U.S. News released new rankings for graduate programs in computer science and public affairs.
Every ranking is available at U.S. News & World Report’s website.
Here is how some of Ohio’s colleges fared:
Ohio State University
The College of Nursing ranked No. 3 overall and No. 1 among public colleges for its Master of Science program, marking seven consecutive years in the top 10.
The Fisher College of Business improved its rankings, with the Full-Time MBA program now 24th overall and 8th among public schools.
The Moritz College of Law’s dispute resolution program ranked No. 1 in the nation for the second consecutive year.
Eleven of the College of Engineering’s programs are in the top 30 of their respective categories. The engineering college’s overall rank was 27th — tops in Ohio, and 13th among public universities.
The College of Medicine is ranked in tier 1 for Best Medical Schools: Research.
University of Akron
The University of Akron School of Law improved its ranking to No.127 in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, a jump of nine spots from No. 136 in 2024.
Akron cited several key factors for the improvement, including a reduced student-to-faculty ratio, increased applicant selectivity, job placement rates (94% for the 2023 graduating class), and a bar passage rate of 95% for the 2022 cohort.
Akron Law also progressed in several specialty program rankings:
- No. 44 in Best Part-time Law Program (+3 spots)
- No. 142 in Best Business/Corporate Law Programs (+14 spots)
- No. 116 in Best Constitutional Law Programs (+7 spots)
- No. 150 in Best Clinical Training Programs (newly ranked)
- No. 119 in Best Dispute Resolution Programs (newly ranked)
- No. 170 in Best Environmental Law Programs (+2 spots)
- No. 134 in Best Tax Law Programs (+8 spots)
Kent State University
Kent State University has 19 programs recognized in the rankings, with 10 programs ranking in the top 100.
The university’s top rankings include No. 7 for Best Youth Library Services Programs, No. 9 for Best School Library Media Programs, and No. 16 for Best Archival Science Programs. Kent State is the only Ohio institution on these lists.
It also was highest in Ohio for Best Rehabilitation Counseling Programs (No. 18) and Best Library and Information Studies Programs (No. 24). It was No. 41 for Best Audiology Programs.
Kent State improved to No. 61 for Best Nursing Schools for a master’s program. It was No. 78 for Best Clinical Psychology Doctorate Programs, No. 92 for Best Speech-Language Pathology Programs, and No. 100 for Best Sociology Programs.
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine maintains its Tier 1 status in research among medical schools, being in the top 15% of the nation. Just 16 medical schools were in Tier 1.
The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing experienced a decrease in overall ranking (from No. 17 to No. 20), but several specialty programs improved, including DNP Leadership (from unranked to No. 6) and Family Nurse Practitioner (from No. 12 to No. 11).
Case School of Engineering ranked No. 52 overall. But it saw improvements in biomedical/bioengineering (No. 19) and computer engineering (No. 53) programs, both of which jumped two spots.
The School of Law dropped 18 spots to No. 107 overall, but several specialty programs, such as Environmental Law (No. 30, a six-spot jump) and Healthcare Law (No. 13, up two spots), saw improvements.
Weatherhead School of Management ranked No. 82 overall, down from No. 66, with part-time MBA programs at No. 58.
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Sciences was not ranked this year as assessments occur biannually.
This story was written with the assistance of AI.