SOEST ranks top 10 in U.S. for oceanography, atmospheric science
Credit: Steven Businger
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa earned high marks in nearly 20 academic subjects in the 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, with oceanography and atmospheric science in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) leading the way among the highest-ranked programs.
Oceanography ranked No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the world and atmospheric science placed No. 8 nationally and No. 11 worldwide. The rankings were released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy and is considered one of the most comprehensive and objective assessments of university performance by discipline.
“These rankings are a testament to the continued excellence, hard work, and innovation among SOEST faculty and researchers,” said Chip Fletcher, Dean of SOEST. “It is especially impressive to see that with our continued investment in faculty, facilities, and professional development, the rankings for both of these disciplines have advanced in the past several years.”
In 2019, Atmospheric Sciences was placed in the 76–100 band worldwide and in the 2025 rankings, it advanced into the top 11 globally and is No. 8 in the United States. Similarly, in 2020, Oceanography was ranked 14th in the world, and 6th in the U.S. In the latest ranking, the department has gone up 7 places globally and 1 place in the U.S. since then.
UH Mānoa also posted strong global and national placements across science, engineering, social science and other fields. Of note, Earth sciences tied for No. 17 in the U.S. and ranked No. 51–75 worldwide and Hospitality and tourism management ranked No. 12 in the U.S. and No. 32 in the world.
“These rankings reflect the depth and consistency of excellence at UH Mānoa,” Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “Our faculty are advancing research that matters locally and globally, while preparing students to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our world.”
UH Mānoa was evaluated alongside approximately 2,000 universities from more than 100 countries and regions, selected from a global pool of more than 25,000 institutions. The rankings are based on measures such as world-class faculty, world-class research output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration.
For more information, see UH Mānoa’s profile on the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy website and on UH News, Yahoo! News, The Garden Island, and KITV News.