Inside the Ivory Tower
# Inside the Ivory Tower

"Inside the Ivory Tower" is a ranking of the world's best university programs in international relations. The ranking is published by the Foreign Policy magazine in collaboration with the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) Project at the College of William & Mary. The survey is based on input from "all international relations scholars employed at a college or university who have an affiliation with a political science department or school of public policy and who teach or conduct research on issues that cross international borders."

The first TRIP Faculty Survey was conducted in 2004. One of the questions asked respondents to rank International Relations graduate schools in the U.S. The survey has since expanded to include undergraduate programs. The survey began including universities outside of the U.S. in 2009. The survey was last conducted in 2018, and asks the respondents to rank the top five international relations programs by degree level. The rankings are determined by the percentage of respondents who list a particular school.

## 2018 rankings

Undergraduate programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 51.10 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 49.14 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 41.67 |
| 4 | Georgetown University (Walsh) | 39.46 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 32.97 |
| 6 | Yale University | 21.08 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 20.96 |
| 8 | George Washington University (Elliott) | 17.40 |
| 9 | American University | 15.20 |
| 10 | University of California, Berkeley | 11.64 |
| 11 | University of California, San Diego | 9.68 |
| 12 | Dartmouth College | 9.56 |
| 13 | Tufts University | 9.07 |
| 14 | University of Michigan | 8.58 |
| 15 | Johns Hopkins University | 7.23 |
| 16 | College of William & Mary | 6.86 |
| 17 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 6.37 |
| 18 | Cornell University | 5.76 |
| 19 | University of Pennsylvania | 4.53 |
| 19 | Ohio State University | 4.53 |
| 21 | Williams College | 3.68 |
| 22 | Brown University (Watson) | 3.31 |
| 23 | University of Virginia | 3.19 |
| 24 | Swarthmore College | 3.06 |
| 24 | University of California, Los Angeles | 3.06 |

Master's programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Georgetown University (Walsh) | 60.53 |
| 2 | Harvard University (Kennedy) | 49.43 |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) | 48.30 |
| 4 | Princeton University (Wilson) | 37.58 |
| 5 | Columbia University (SIPA) | 37.45 |
| 6 | Tufts University (Fletcher) | 30.90 |
| 7 | George Washington University (Elliott) | 29.38 |
| 8 | American University | 21.06 |
| 9 | London School of Economics | 18.16 |
| 10 | University of Chicago (CIR) | 13.75 |
| 11 | Stanford University (Dorsey) | 9.08 |
| 12 | University of Oxford | 8.07 |
| 13 | Yale University | 7.82 |
| 14 | University of Denver | 7.31 |
| 15 | University of California, San Diego | 5.42 |
| 16 | Syracuse University (Maxwell) | 4.67 |
| 17 | University of Cambridge | 3.78 |
| 18 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3.28 |
| 18 | University of Michigan | 3.28 |
| 20 | University of California, Berkeley | 2.40 |
| 20 | University of Pittsburgh | 2.40 |
| 22 | New York University (Center for Global Affairs) | 2.14 |
| 22 | Sciences Po-Paris | 2.14 |
| 24 | Duke University (Sanford) | 1.77 |
| 25 | School of Oriental and African Studies | 1.53 |

Ph.D. programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 62.51 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 53.17 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 48.76 |
| 4 | Columbia University | 32.44 |
| 5 | Yale University | 21.80 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 21.37 |
| 7 | University of California, San Diego | 16.00 |
| 8 | University of Michigan | 15.68 |
| 9 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 13.43 |
| 10 | University of California, Berkeley | 12.03 |
| 11 | University of Oxford | 8.59 |
| 12 | Cornell University | 7.30 |
| 13 | London School of Economics | 6.66 |
| 14 | The Ohio State University | 5.48 |
| 15 | Georgetown University | 5.37 |
| 16 | University of Cambridge | 4.51 |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins University | 4.08 |
| 18 | George Washington University | 3.22 |
| 19 | New York University (Center for Global Affairs) | 2.69 |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | 2.69 |
| 21 | University of Minnesota | 2.26 |
| 22 | American University | 2.15 |
| 22 | Duke University | 2.15 |
| 22 | University of Rochester | 2.15 |
| 25 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2.04 |

## 2014 rankings

Undergraduate programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 46.20 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 39.14 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 33.02 |
| 4 | Georgetown University | 28.06 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 24.37 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 19.62 |
| 7 | Yale University | 18.67 |
| 8 | George Washington University | 11.39 |
| 9 | American University | 9.92 |
| 10 | University of Michigan | 9.49 |
| 11 | University of California, Berkeley | 8.54 |
| 12 | Dartmouth College | 8.23 |
| 13 | University of California, San Diego | 7.70 |
| 14 | Tufts University | 7.07 |
| 15 | Cornell University | 6.43 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 6.12 |
| 17 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5.06 |
| 18 | College of William & Mary | 4.54 |
| 19 | Swarthmore College | 3.48 |
| 20 | Williams College | 2.95 |
| 21 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2.85 |
| 22 | Brown University | 2.74 |
| 22 | University of Virginia | 2.74 |
| 24 | Ohio State University | 2.64 |
| 25 | Duke University | 2.22 |

Master's programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Georgetown University | 58.61 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University | 47.76 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 46.31 |
| 4 | Princeton University | 33.33 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 31.21 |
| 6 | Tufts University | 29.08 |
| 7 | George Washington University | 26.06 |
| 8 | American University | 17.11 |
| 9 | London School of Economics | 13.42 |
| 10 | Stanford University | 5.37 |
| 11 | University of Denver | 5.15 |
| 12 | University of Chicago | 5.03 |
| 13 | University of California, San Diego | 4.70 |
| 14 | University of Oxford | 4.47 |
| 15 | Yale University | 3.91 |
| 16 | Syracuse University (Maxwell) | 3.13 |
| 17 | University of California, Berkeley | 2.57 |
| 18 | University of Cambridge | 2.35 |
| 19 | University of Pittsburgh | 1.79 |
| 20 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1.68 |
| 21 | Monterey Institute of Int'l Studies | 1.45 |
| 21 | Sciences Po—Paris | 1.45 |
| 21 | University of Michigan | 1.45 |
| 24 | Graduate Inst. of Int'l and Dev. Studies | 1.12 |
| 24 | New York University | 1.12 |
| 24 | Texas A&M University | 1.12 |

Ph.D. programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 62.51 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 53.17 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 48.76 |
| 4 | Columbia University | 32.44 |
| 5 | Yale University | 21.80 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 21.37 |
| 7 | University of California, San Diego | 16.00 |
| 8 | University of Michigan | 15.68 |
| 9 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 13.43 |
| 10 | University of California, Berkeley | 12.03 |
| 11 | University of Oxford | 8.59 |
| 12 | Cornell University | 7.30 |
| 13 | London School of Economics | 6.66 |
| 14 | Ohio State University | 5.48 |
| 15 | Georgetown University | 5.37 |
| 16 | University of Cambridge | 4.51 |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins University | 4.08 |
| 18 | George Washington University | 3.22 |
| 19 | New York University | 2.69 |
| 19 | University of Wisconsin—Madison | 2.69 |
| 21 | University of Minnesota | 2.26 |
| 22 | American University | 2.15 |
| 22 | Duke University | 2.15 |
| 22 | University of Rochester | 2.15 |
| 25 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2.04 |

## 2012 rankings

Undergraduate programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 58 |
| 2 | Princeton University (Wilson) | 53 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 39 |
| 4 | Columbia University | 34 |
| 5 | Georgetown University (Walsh) | 33 |
| 6 | Yale University (Jackson) | 28 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 21 |
| 8 | Dartmouth College | 15 |
| 9 | George Washington University (Elliott) | 13 |
| 10 | American University (SIS) | 11 |
| 11 | University of California, Berkeley | 10 |
| 12 | Cornell University | 9 |
| 13 | University of Michigan (Ford) | 8 |
| 14 | Tufts University | 7 |
| 14 | Williams College | 7 |
| 14 | Johns Hopkins University | 7 |
| 14 | Swarthmore College | 7 |
| 18 | Duke University | 6 |
| 19 | Brown University | 6 |
| 20 | University of California, San Diego | 5 |

Master's programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Georgetown University (Walsh) | 69 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) | 60 |
| 3 | Harvard University (Kennedy) | 57 |
| 4 | Princeton University (Wilson) | 44 |
| 5 | Tufts University (Fletcher) | 41 |
| 6 | Columbia University (SIPA) | 40 |
| 7 | George Washington University (Elliott) | 38 |
| 8 | American University (SIS) | 20 |
| 9 | London School of Economics | 12 |
| 10 | University of Chicago (CIR) | 8 |
| 11 | University of Denver (Korbel) | 7 |
| 12 | Stanford University (Dorsey) | 6 |
| 13 | Yale University (Jackson) | 6 |
| 14 | Syracuse University (Maxwell) | 5 |
| 15 | University of California, San Diego | 4 |
| 16 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4 |
| 16 | Oxford University | 4 |
| 18 | University of California, Berkeley (Goldman) | 3 |
| 19 | New York University (PoliSci Dept) | 2 |
| 19 | University of Michigan (Ford) | 2 |

Ph.D. programs :

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University (Govt Dept) | 70 |
| 2 | Princeton University (Wilson) | 62 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 54 |
| 4 | Columbia University | 44 |
| 5 | Yale University | 27 |
| 6 | University of Chicago | 27 |
| 7 | University of California, San Diego | 21 |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley | 19 |
| 9 | University of Michigan | 18 |
| 9 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 18 |
| 11 | Cornell University | 11 |
| 12 | University of Oxford | 10 |
| 13 | London School of Economics | 9 |
| 14 | Georgetown University | 7 |
| 15 | George Washington University | 7 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 7 |
| 17 | University of Cambridge | 7 |
| 18 | The Ohio State University | 6 |
| 19 | University of Rochester | 5 |
| 20 | New York University | 4 |

## 2009 rankings

Methodology note for 2009 rankings: Undergraduate programs were ranked by individual country in this particular survey. For full undergraduate listings, see the original survey.

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 59 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 42 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 34 |
| 4 | Columbia University | 31 |
| 5 | Yale University | 20 |
| 6 | London School of Economics | 19 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 18 |
| 8 | University of Carlifonia-Berkeley | 14 |
| 8 | Oxford University | 14 |
| 10 | University of Michigan | 11 |
| 11 | University of California, San Diego | 10 |
| 12 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 10 |
| 13 | Cornell University | 9 |
| 14 | University of Wales, Aberystwyth | 7 |
| 15 | Cambridge University | 7 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | 6 |
| 17 | Georgetown University | 5 |
| 18 | New York University | 3 |
| 19 | University of California, Los Angeles | 3 |
| 20 | University of Minnesota | 3 |
| 21 | The Ohio State University | 3 |
| 22 | University of Rochester | 3 |
| 23 | Duke University | 3 |
| 24 | Tufts University | 3 |
| 25 | Australian National University | 3 |
| Rank | School | Percent |
| 1 | Georgetown University (SFS) | 48 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) | 44 |
| 3 | Harvard University (HKS) | 43 |
| 4 | Tufts University (Fletcher) | 29 |
| 4 | Columbia University (SIPA) | 29 |
| 6 | Princeton University (WWS) | 25 |
| 7 | London School of Economics | 22 |
| 8 | George Washington University (Elliott) | 16 |
| 9 | American University (SIS) | 9 |
| 10 | Oxford University | 9 |
| 11 | University of Chicago (CIR) | 5 |
| 12 | Yale University (Jackson) | 4 |
| 13 | Syracuse University (Maxwell) | 4 |
| 14 | Carleton University (Paterson) | 4 |
| 15 | Stanford University | 4 |
| 16 | Cambridge University | 4 |
| 17 | King's College London | 3 |
| 18 | University of California, San Diego | 2 |
| 19 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 |
| 19 | University of Wales, Aberystwyth | 2 |
| 21 | University of Denver (Korbel) | 2 |
| 22 | University of California, Berkeley | 1 |
| 23 | New York University | 1 |
| 24 | University of Pittsburgh (GSPIA) | 1 |
| 24 | University of Kentucky | 1 |

## 2007 rankings

Methodology note for 2007 rankings: Only schools based in the United States were ranked in this particular survey.

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 65 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 52 |
| 3 | Columbia University | 45 |
| 4 | Stanford University | 45 |
| 5 | University of Chicago | 30 |
| 6 | Yale University | 26 |
| 7 | University of California, Berkeley | 25 |
| 8 | University of Michigan | 22 |
| 9 | University of California, San Diego | 20 |
| 10 | Cornell University | 12 |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11 |
| 12 | Johns Hopkins University | 10 |
| 13 | Georgetown University | 8 |
| 14 | Duke University | 8 |
| 15 | The Ohio State University | 8 |
| 16 | New York University | 7 |
| 17 | University of Minnesota | 5 |
| 17 | University of California, Los Angeles | 5 |
| 19 | Tufts University | 4 |
| 20 | University of Rochester | 4 |
| Rank | School | Percent |
| 1 | Georgetown University | 65 |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University | 64 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 46 |
| 4 | Tufts University | 42 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 39 |
| 6 | Princeton University | 38 |
| 7 | George Washington University | 28 |
| 8 | American University | 19 |
| 9 | University of Denver | 9 |
| 10 | Syracuse University | 7 |
| 11 | University of California, San Diego | 5 |
| 12 | University of Chicago | 4 |
| 12 | Yale University | 4 |
| 14 | Stanford University | 4 |
| 15 | University of Pittsburgh | 3 |
| 16 | University of California, Berkeley | 2 |
| 16 | University of Maryland | 2 |
| 18 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 |
| 18 | Monterey Institute of International Studies | 2 |
| 20 | University of Southern California | 2 |
| Rank | School | Percent |
| 1 | Harvard University | 48 |
| 2 | Princeton University | 46 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 30 |
| 4 | Georgetown University | 28 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 28 |
| 6 | Yale University | 23 |
| 7 | University of Chicago | 21 |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley | 12 |
| 9 | Dartmouth College | 11 |
| 10 | George Washington University | 10 |
| 11 | American University | 10 |
| 12 | University of Michigan | 9 |
| 13 | Tufts University | 8 |
| 14 | Swarthmore College | 8 |
| 14 | University of California, San Diego | 8 |
| 16 | Cornell University | 6 |
| 17 | Brown University | 6 |
| 18 | Williams College | 5 |
| 19 | Duke University | 5 |
| 19 | Johns Hopkins University | 5 |

## 2005 rankings

Methodology note for 2005 rankings: Only the graduate programs of schools based in the United States were ranked in this particular survey.

| Rank | School | Percent |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Harvard University | 75 |
| 2 | Columbia University | 48 |
| 3 | Stanford University | 47 |
| 4 | Princeton University | 43 |
| 5 | University of Chicago | 36 |
| 6 | Yale University | 29 |
| 7 | University of Michigan | 28 |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley | 27 |
| 9 | University of California, San Diego | 16 |
| 10 | Cornell University | 12 |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11 |
| 12 | Duke University | 10 |
| 13 | Johns Hopkins University | 9 |
| 14 | Georgetown University | 8 |
| 15 | The Ohio State University | 7 |
| 16 | University of Minnesota | 7 |
| 17 | University of California, Los Angeles | 6 |
| 18 | New York University | 6 |
| 19 | University of Rochester | 4 |
| 20 | Tufts University | 3 |
| Rank | School | Percent |
| 1 | Johns Hopkins University | 65 |
| 2 | Georgetown University | 62 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 47 |
| 4 | Tufts University | 45 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 45 |
| 6 | Princeton University | 39 |
| 7 | George Washington University | 26 |
| 8 | American University | 16 |
| 9 | Syracuse University | 7 |
| 10 | University of California, San Diego | 5 |
| 10 | University of Denver | 5 |
| 12 | Yale University | 5 |
| 13 | University of Chicago | 4 |
| 14 | University of Pittsburgh | 4 |
| 15 | University of Maryland | 3 |
| 16 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 |
| 16 | Stanford University | 2 |
| 18 | University of Kentucky | 2 |
| 19 | New York University | 2 |
| 19 | University of Southern California | 2 |
