Tampa, FL – March 18, 2026
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) released the 2025 Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents List today. Released annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities ranking highlights and celebrates U.S. academic institutions that play a significant role in advancing innovation through the critical step of securing their intellectual property through patents. By protecting their intellectual property, these universities are able to translate their inventions into commercial technologies, creating tangible societal and economic impact. See the Top 100 U.S. Universities list here.
“These universities and their inventive faculty are at the forefront of driving national innovation and competitiveness,” said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI, President of the National Academy of Inventors. “By moving their ideas to market and protecting their IP with patents, these institutions are ensuring that the U.S. not only remains competitive on the global stage, but directly shapes the future of innovation.”
NAI has published its first ranking list, the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list, since 2013. The Top 100 U.S. Universities list was introduced in 2023 to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions. Collectively, the universities on the 2025 Top 100 U.S. list secured over 6,700 patents during the 2025 calendar year. Over 6,000 of those patents are attributed to NAI Member Institutions.
The Top 100 U.S. Universities List is one of three annual rankings which are published by the National Academy of Inventors. These rankings are based on calendar year data provided by the USPTO and aim to provide a comprehensive view of intellectual property protection in the innovation ecosystem. The 2025 Top 100 Worldwide Universities ranking was published in February and Top 60 Non-Profit Research Institutions and Government Agencies rankings will be released this spring leading up to NAI’s 15th Annual Conference held in Los Angeles, California.
About the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2025
The information provided in this list is based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For this report, a university is defined as an institution that has undergraduate degrees. Patents include only utility patents granted during the 2025 calendar year. All assignees are credited for patents when listed. The number of patents granted does not necessarily indicate the value of a university’s technology, the effectiveness of its research, or whether its patents will be successfully licensed and/or brought to market. Some universities may record patents under different, yet similar names or combine their patents under one foundation or trustee name. If you have questions please contact: [email protected]