Ten graduate programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are in the nation’s top 50, and an additional 17 programs are in the top 100, according to the 2026 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools rankings, released on April 7.
UH Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) also placed in the nation’s top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care, and UH Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy ranked in a tie for No. 92 in the nation.
The highest ranked UH Mānoa programs were in the William S. Richardson School of Law, ranking No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs.
The Shidler College of Business ranked No. 22 (tied) for best international programs, and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) placed No. 40 (tied) for best Earth sciences programs. JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas and No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care.
“UH Mānoa’s strong showing in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings underscores our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and student success,” said UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “These results reflect the talent and dedication of our faculty, students and staff, and Hawaiʻi can take pride in knowing their university is preparing the next generation of leaders and changemakers for our community and the world.”
Rankings were based on multiple factors, including research activity (such as publications and citations), student and alumni outcomes (employment and earnings), quality assessments (from peers and recruiters), student selectivity (GPA and test scores), and faculty resources (doctoral degrees awarded and student-to-faculty ratios).
Note: not all programs are ranked every year. See these UH News stories on previous years’ rankings: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Jump to program rankings:
William S. Richardson School of Law | John A. Burns School of Medicine | Shidler College of Business | School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology | School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene | College of Education | Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health | College of Social Sciences | College of Engineering | College of Natural Sciences | College of Arts, Languages & Letters
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law was ranked in 16 categories by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to its ranking of No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs, the UH law school placed No. 91 (tied) among the top law schools in the nation.
Other law school rankings include:
- Tax law: No. 80 (tied)
- Criminal law: No. 88 (tied)
- Contracts/commercial law: No. 92 (tied)
- Health care law: No. 92 (tied)
- Constitutional law: No. 95 (tied)
- Business/corporate law: No. 101 (tied)
- Clinical training: No. 102 (tied)
- Intellectual property law: No. 127 (tied)
- Trial advocacy: No. 175 (tied)
John A. Burns School of Medicine
JABSOM was one of 16 schools that placed in the nation’s top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care. JABSOM also placed in tier 3 for best medical schools for research.
In addition, JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas, No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care, No. 139 for speech language pathology and No. 171 for most graduates practicing in medically underserved areas. Read more at the JABSOM website.
Shidler College of Business
The Shidler College of Business placed in nine subject areas. Leading the way were international programs at No. 22 (tied), accounting programs at No. 68 (tied), information systems programs at No. 72 (tied) and marketing programs at No. 91 (tied). In addition, Shidler ranked at No. 104 (tied) for best management programs, No. 113 (tied) for best executive programs, No. 123 (tied) for best finance programs, No. 125 (tied) for best entrepreneurship programs and No. 142 (tied) for best part-time MBA programs.
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
SOEST placed No. 40 (tied) among the nation’s best Earth sciences programs.
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene placed No. 55 (tied) for best nursing school–master’s and No. 62 (tied) for best nursing school–doctor of nursing practice (DNP). Both were the only programs in Hawaiʻi to be ranked by U.S. News and World Report.
College of Education
The College of Education ranked No. 57 (tied) in the U.S., the 21st straight year the college has been listed as one of the nation’s top 100 education programs. Nationally accredited since 2000, the College of Education continues to be recognized for its award-winning programs and people.
Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
The Department of Public Health Sciences ranked No. 89 (tied) among the nation’s top public health schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Department of Public Health Sciences offers a bachelor in arts in public health; a master in public health, with specializations in epidemiology, health policy and management, Native Hawaiian and Indigenous health and social and behavioral health sciences, and a master of science specializing in epidemiology, as well as PhD program in public health, specializing in community-based and translational research and a PhD in epidemiology. The Department of Public Health Sciences is also home to an online master of public health program to meet workforce demands.
College of Social Sciences
The College of Social Sciences placed among the nation’s best in clinical psychology at No. 90 (tied) and public administration at No. 92 (tied).
College of Engineering
The College of Engineering ranked among the nation’s best in electrical engineering at No. 91 (tied), civil engineering at No. 92 (tied), and mechanical engineering at No. 128 (tied). The College of Engineering overall ranked No. 164 (tied) among the top engineering schools in the U.S. that grant doctoral degrees.
College of Natural Sciences
The College of Natural Sciences placed among the nation’s best in physics at No. 97 (tied), computer science and biological sciences at No. 115 (tied), and mathematics at No. 125 (tied).
College of Arts, Languages & Letters
UH Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.
Other rankings
UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:
- 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject, March 25, 2026
- 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
- 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026
