When we look at our mission—to create and apply knowledge, provide transformational educational experiences, and improve the lives of animals and people—the rise in the rankings tells us that we are increasingly recognized by the world as succeeding in our aims. As we approach our 50th anniversary, these rankings are not a culmination; they are evidence of the momentum we’ve built. They reflect the effort, vision, and commitment of generations of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and they point toward an even greater impact in the years ahead.
Cummings School Climbs in the Rankings
New 2026 rankings recognize Cummings School among the leading veterinary institutions nationally and worldwide
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University jumped up in the 2026 national and international rankings following a steady rise over the years. The gains reflect growing recognition of the school’s leadership in veterinary education, clinical care, research, and One Health innovation.
QS World University ranked Cummings School 22nd among veterinary science programs internationally—jumping 21 spots from 43rd in 2025—and 11th in the United States, rising four spots from last year. U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings of veterinary schools placed Cummings School at 13, up five slots from the 18th ranking in 2025. Together, the rankings place Cummings School among the top veterinary schools nationally and globally.
“This is the result of the hard work of great faculty, staff, and students,” says Cummings School Dean and Henry and Lois Foster Professor Alastair Cribb. “We measure ourselves by our own standards, but external recognition of the impact of changes we are implementing is nonetheless meaningful. It helps others see the value in what you do.”
In the QS World University rankings, Cummings School received an overall score of 84.8, based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research strength.
“We improved in all categories,” says Dean Cribb. “Our single largest increase was in employability, which reflects changes we have made in our program as we move into our new curriculum.”
Under Dean Cribb’s leadership over the past five years, Cummings School has focused heavily on educational quality and supporting research and development, increasing average research funding by 50 percent and significantly expanding research capabilities. This reflects broad-based growth across the school’s core missions of exceptional education, extraordinary clinical care, transformative research, and sustainable culture.
“Our rise in the rankings is an extension of the strength and reputation that has been building since our inception, when Jean Meyer envisioned a school where veterinary medicine was seen under the umbrella of One Health, with our reach extending beyond the health of animals to people and the environment,” says Dr. Melissa Mazan, V93, professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and associate dean of professional education at Cummings School. “Long before One Health became a widely-adopted framework, Cummings School recognized that animal, human, and environmental health are inseparable. This expansive view of the capacity of veterinary medicine and our responsibility to the world as a whole continues to shape our work today.”
Mazan will serve as interim dean of Cummings School when Dean Cribb retires later this summer.
“The rankings are gratifying, but even more important is what they represent,” she says. “We’re preparing graduates to lead in a profession and a world being transformed by emerging diseases, advances in technology, evolving models of care, and growing recognition of the interconnected health of animals, people, and the environment. The future of veterinary medicine will require clinicians, scientists, educators, and advocates who can adapt, innovate, and lead.”
Those ambitions are reflected in distinctive educational experiences that combine early clinical training, community engagement, and hands-on learning. The strength of Cummings School’s educational programs is inextricably linked with the excellence of its seven hospitals and clinical services. Cummings School operates one of the nation’s leading and busiest academic veterinary medical centers, providing advanced care and a breadth of specialties, while serving as a training center for students and advanced post-D.V.M. trainees.
Complementing the hospitals and clinics as premier training sites, the Joseph Kelley, D.V.M. Simulation Laboratory enables students to develop technical skills early in their training. Students further hone clinical skills and acumen while caring for animals from underserved communities at Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic, a national model for workforce development and exemplifying Cummings School’s commitment to service. As the only school with a required wildlife clinical rotation, fourth-year students train right on campus at Tufts Wildlife Clinic.
International research and clinical opportunities, along with faculty mentorship, broaden students’ exposure and understanding of the global impact of veterinary medicine. Cummings School faculty are leaders in clinical and translational research spanning animal and human health. Translational research extends beyond traditional veterinary medicine into comparative oncology, cardiovascular biology, neuroscience, and infectious diseases, contributing to the development of novel diagnostics, therapeutics, and clinical guidelines.
Cummings School faculty are pioneering research into emerging zoonotic threats, such as avian influenza, tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, and other vector-borne and infectious diseases, advancing fundamental understanding and safeguarding human health. The faculty has an indelible global health and One Health impact through programs focused on some of the world’s most pressing problems, including pandemic prevention and infectious disease surveillance. Major international initiatives led by Cummings School faculty help strengthen veterinary capacity and advance animal and public health worldwide.
Dr. Hugh Roome, A74, AG74, F77, F80 (Ph.D.), chair of Cummings School’s board of advisors, notes, “The Tufts [Cummings School] veterinary community works 24/7 to save New England’s sickest animals: cats, dogs, horses, cows, and occasionally even a pregnant moose. They give critical care to thousands of animals, and, in the course of that intense effort, are substantively enhancing the science of saving lives. It is heartening to know that this commitment is recognized by our jump in the global rankings.”
Looking forward, the new Student Learning Center, currently under construction, will provide even more space for teaching and collaborative, team-based learning, in addition to the expansion of the specialty hospital with the planned Veterinary Clinical Education Center.
“When we look at our mission—to create and apply knowledge, provide transformational educational experiences, and improve the lives of animals and people—the rise in the rankings tells us that we are increasingly recognized by the world as succeeding in our aims,” says Mazan. “As we approach our 50th anniversary, these rankings are not a culmination; they are evidence of the momentum we’ve built. They reflect the effort, vision, and commitment of generations of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and they point toward an even greater impact in the years ahead.”