The QS 2026 Veterinary School Rankings Are Out. A London College Is Still #1 — and UC Davis Holds Strong at #2.

The most widely watched global veterinary education rankings just dropped. Here is what we know, who moved, and what the list actually means.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, released this month, have landed with their usual mix of confirmation and surprise for the veterinary world. The global rankings cover 100 institutions across 55 academic disciplines, and the veterinary science table remains one of the most closely watched in professional education circles.

Here is what we know.

Number one: Royal Veterinary College, University of London

For another year, the Royal Veterinary College holds the top spot globally. RVC is one of the few institutions in the world dedicated entirely to veterinary science and biomedical sciences — no engineering school, no business school, no law faculty — which gives it a structural advantage in academic reputation surveys where veterinary-specific recognition tends to concentrate. Its research output, clinical caseload through the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, and employer reputation scores have consistently put it at or near the top of the QS table.

Number two: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

UC Davis holds second globally, a position it has occupied with consistency for years. It remains the top-ranked US institution in the QS global table and the consensus number one in most domestic US rankings. The school’s teaching hospital is one of the largest in the world, its research funding is substantial, and its breadth across species — companion animal, livestock, equine, wildlife, aquatic — is essentially unmatched in the United States.

For the domestic US News and World Report rankings, which rank only AVMA-accredited US programs, UC Davis sits at number one. The QS global number two position is not a demotion from that standing, it reflects the different methodology and the global field it is being measured against, which includes the RVC.

Number three: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Cornell lands at third globally in QS. Its clinical training volume — the Cornell University Hospital for Animals handles over 80,000 cases annually and its research infrastructure put it in consistent competition with UC Davis for the top US domestic spot depending on the ranking system used. Its NAVLE pass rate of 98 percent and tight admissions (around 10 percent acceptance rate) reflect the selectivity and outcomes the QS employer reputation component rewards.

Number four: University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College

One of the notable movements in the 2026 QS rankings is Guelph. The Ontario Veterinary College climbed to fourth globally, up from sixth last year, the strongest upward move among institutions in the top ten. It holds the number one position in Canada by a significant margin and has been building its research output and international citation profile steadily. For North American students considering their options, Guelph’s rise into the confirmed top five is worth paying attention to.

What we know from the rest of the top ten

The full top ten list from QS is behind a registration wall on their platform, which limits the confirmed positions beyond the top four. What the surrounding data confirms: the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) sits at approximately ninth globally per QS scoring data, and Ohio State lands at approximately tenth. Colorado State, which holds the number three position in US News domestic rankings and was named number one for veterinary research funding by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research in 2024, places in the QS top fifteen at approximately eleventh globally — a meaningful gap between its domestic research standing and its global QS score, which is partly explained by the QS methodology’s heavier weighting of international academic and employer reputation surveys.

Two ranking systems, two different questions

It is worth being clear about what the QS rankings are and are not measuring. The QS methodology weights academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, and H-index citations. It is a research and reputation-weighted system that naturally favors institutions with large international research footprints and global alumni networks. Institutions that punch above their weight in clinical training, NAVLE outcomes, or regional practice placement may be underrepresented in QS relative to their domestic standing.

The US News rankings, by contrast, are peer-survey based and rank only AVMA-accredited US programs against each other. That produces a different, more domestically focused picture. Colorado State at number three domestically versus number eleven globally is a useful illustration of how the two systems diverge based on what they are actually measuring.

Neither ranking system tells a prospective student or a prospective resident everything they need to know. A program’s NAVLE pass rate, residency match outcomes, faculty in the student’s area of interest, case volume in their intended specialty, and cost of attendance are all more directly relevant to individual outcomes than a position on either list.

What the rankings do well is signal institutional investment, research infrastructure, and global recognition — which matters for students interested in academic careers, specialty training, and international collaboration.

The US top ten, confirmed

For domestic context, the most recent US News rankings place the programs in this order: UC Davis at one, Colorado State at three, Cornell at approximately two or three depending on the year, University of Pennsylvania at five, and University of Florida, which climbed to fifth in the most recent cycle. Ohio State, North Carolina State, University of Wisconsin, Texas A&M, and Michigan State round out the recognized top ten domestically across most ranking cycles, with positions varying year to year within that group.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 were released in March 2026. Full rankings data is available at topuniversities.com. US News and World Report Best Graduate Schools veterinary rankings are available at usnews.com.