---
title: "Globally sought US universities: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Selective, internationally recognized universities in the United States, compared through worldwide branded search interest using English-curated terms. Share of Search among Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, New York University, UCLA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Yale University, UC Berkeley, Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, University of Chicago, Caltech, Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University, the globally sought US universities Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/globally-sought-us-universities"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Globally sought US universities: Which brands are most popular in search?

Selective, internationally recognized universities in the United States, compared through worldwide branded search interest using English-curated terms. Share of Search among Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, New York University, UCLA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Yale University, UC Berkeley, Brown University, Cornell University, Duke University, University of Chicago, Caltech, Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University, the globally sought US universities Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Globally sought US universities
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 17
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Harvard University, 22%

## Which brand is most popular in search among globally sought US universities worldwide?

- In August 2026, Harvard University was the most searched among globally sought US universities worldwide, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches and 22% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Stanford University is in 2nd place, 10 percentage points behind at 12% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Harvard University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide increased from 19.5% to 22%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Columbia University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide increased from 7.2% to 8.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, New York University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide increased from 6.3% to 7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCLA’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide decreased from 9% to 6.8%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide increased from 3.9% to 4.8%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Yale University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide decreased from 5.9% to 4.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Northwestern University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide decreased from 3.9% to 3%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Harvard University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 22.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 8.1% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Stanford University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 14.2% in May 2026 and was lowest at 6% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Columbia University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 8.2% in November 2025 and was lowest at 4% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, New York University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 7% in August 2026 and was lowest at 3.5% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCLA’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 9.3% in April 2026 and was lowest at 3.4% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 4.9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 1.9% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Pennsylvania’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 5.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 2.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Princeton University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 4.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 1.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Yale University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 6% in February 2026 and was lowest at 2.7% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UC Berkeley’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 4.9% in April 2026 and was lowest at 1.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Brown University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 54.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 3.2% in March 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cornell University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 4.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 1.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Duke University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 4.8% in March 2026 and was lowest at 2.2% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Chicago’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 3.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 1.5% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Caltech’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 3.6% in June 2026 and was lowest at 1.6% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Northwestern University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide peaked at 3.9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Columbia University rose from 4th to 3rd among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, New York University rose from 5th to 4th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCLA fell from 3rd to 5th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose from 13th to 6th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Princeton University rose from 12th to 8th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Yale University fell from 6th to 9th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UC Berkeley rose from 14th to 10th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Brown University fell from 8th to 11th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cornell University fell from 9th to 12th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Duke University fell from 10th to 13th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Chicago rose from 15th to 14th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Caltech rose from 16th to 15th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Northwestern University fell from 11th to 16th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University held steady: their estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Harvard University vs Stanford University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/harvard-university-vs-stanford-university): 22% against 12% Share of Search.
- [Harvard University vs Columbia University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/columbia-university-vs-harvard-university): 22% against 8.1% Share of Search.
- [Harvard University vs New York University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/harvard-university-vs-new-york-university): 22% against 7% Share of Search.
- [Harvard University vs UCLA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/harvard-university-vs-ucla): 22% against 6.8% Share of Search.
- [Stanford University vs Columbia University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/columbia-university-vs-stanford-university): 12% against 8.1% Share of Search.
- [Stanford University vs New York University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/new-york-university-vs-stanford-university): 12% against 7% Share of Search.
- [Stanford University vs UCLA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/stanford-university-vs-ucla): 12% against 6.8% Share of Search.
- [Columbia University vs New York University: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/columbia-university-vs-new-york-university): 8.1% against 7% Share of Search.
- [Columbia University vs UCLA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/columbia-university-vs-ucla): 8.1% against 6.8% Share of Search.
- [New York University vs UCLA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/new-york-university-vs-ucla): 7% against 6.8% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for globally sought US universities worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Princeton University overtook Brown University to rank 8th among globally sought US universities worldwide, at 4.4%.
- In August 2026, UCLA gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide, from 5.6% to 6.8%.
- In August 2026, New York University gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide, from 6.2% to 7%.
- In August 2026, Stanford University lost estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide, from 13.5% to 12%.
- In August 2026, Yale University lost estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide, from 5.4% to 4.4%.
- In August 2026, Massachusetts Institute of Technology rose from 7th to 6th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- In August 2026, University of Chicago rose from 15th to 14th among globally sought US universities worldwide.
- In August 2026, University of Pennsylvania rose from 8th to 7th among globally sought US universities worldwide.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Harvard University | 22% | 1.8M | +21.9% | Harvard University |
| 2 | Stanford University | 12% | 1M | +8.9% | Stanford University |
| 3 | Columbia University | 8.1% | 673K | +22.4% | Columbia University |
| 4 | New York University | 7% | 587K | +38.8% | New York University |
| 5 | UCLA | 6.8% | 565K | +48.6% | UCLA |
| 6 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 4.8% | 398K | +20.1% | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | 4.6% | 381K | +22.5% | University of Pennsylvania |
| 8 | Princeton University | 4.4% | 368K | +49.6% | Princeton University |
| 9 | Yale University | 4.4% | 368K | 0.0% | Yale University |
| 10 | UC Berkeley | 4.3% | 362K | +22.3% | UC Berkeley |
| 11 | Brown University | 3.6% | 301K | +22.4% | Brown University |
| 12 | Cornell University | 3.6% | 301K | +22.4% | Cornell University |
| 13 | Duke University | 3.6% | 301K | +22.4% | Duke University |
| 14 | University of Chicago | 3.3% | 275K | +22.0% | University of Chicago |
| 15 | Caltech | 3.1% | 262K | +16.0% | Caltech |
| 16 | Northwestern University | 3% | 246K | +22.4% | Northwestern University |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins University | 1.3% | 110K | +21.5% | Johns Hopkins University |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Harvard University | 1.8M | 19.5% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Stanford University | 1.1M | 12% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | UCLA | 841K | 9% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Columbia University | 673K | 7.2% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | New York University | 587K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Yale University | 550K | 5.9% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | University of Pennsylvania | 466K | 5% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Brown University | 368K | 3.9% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Cornell University | 368K | 3.9% | 9 |
| Oct 2025 | Duke University | 368K | 3.9% | 10 |
| Oct 2025 | Northwestern University | 368K | 3.9% | 11 |
| Oct 2025 | Princeton University | 368K | 3.9% | 12 |
| Oct 2025 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 362K | 3.9% | 13 |
| Oct 2025 | UC Berkeley | 362K | 3.8% | 14 |
| Oct 2025 | University of Chicago | 356K | 3.8% | 15 |
| Oct 2025 | Caltech | 262K | 2.8% | 16 |
| Oct 2025 | Johns Hopkins University | 135K | 1.4% | 17 |
| Nov 2025 | Harvard University | 1.7M | 20.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Stanford University | 1M | 12.2% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | UCLA | 688K | 8.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Columbia University | 673K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | New York University | 517K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Yale University | 450K | 5.5% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | University of Pennsylvania | 381K | 4.6% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | UC Berkeley | 362K | 4.4% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 317K | 3.9% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | Brown University | 301K | 3.7% | 10 |
| Nov 2025 | Cornell University | 301K | 3.7% | 11 |
| Nov 2025 | Duke University | 301K | 3.7% | 12 |
| Nov 2025 | Northwestern University | 301K | 3.7% | 13 |
| Nov 2025 | Princeton University | 301K | 3.7% | 14 |
| Nov 2025 | University of Chicago | 275K | 3.4% | 15 |
| Nov 2025 | Caltech | 262K | 3.2% | 16 |
| Nov 2025 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Dec 2025 | Brown University | 9.1M | 54.6% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Harvard University | 1.4M | 8.1% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Stanford University | 1M | 6% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Columbia University | 673K | 4% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | New York University | 587K | 3.5% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | UCLA | 565K | 3.4% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | University of Pennsylvania | 466K | 2.8% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Yale University | 450K | 2.7% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Duke University | 368K | 2.2% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 313K | 1.9% | 10 |
| Dec 2025 | Cornell University | 301K | 1.8% | 11 |
| Dec 2025 | Northwestern University | 301K | 1.8% | 12 |
| Dec 2025 | Princeton University | 301K | 1.8% | 13 |
| Dec 2025 | UC Berkeley | 296K | 1.8% | 14 |
| Dec 2025 | Caltech | 262K | 1.6% | 15 |
| Dec 2025 | University of Chicago | 256K | 1.5% | 16 |
| Dec 2025 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 0.66% | 17 |
| Jan 2026 | Harvard University | 1.7M | 20.3% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Stanford University | 1.1M | 13.5% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | UCLA | 565K | 6.9% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | New York University | 551K | 6.8% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Columbia University | 550K | 6.7% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 466K | 5.7% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Yale University | 450K | 5.5% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Brown University | 368K | 4.5% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | UC Berkeley | 362K | 4.4% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 336K | 4.1% | 10 |
| Jan 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 3.7% | 11 |
| Jan 2026 | Duke University | 301K | 3.7% | 12 |
| Jan 2026 | Princeton University | 301K | 3.7% | 13 |
| Jan 2026 | Caltech | 262K | 3.2% | 14 |
| Jan 2026 | Northwestern University | 246K | 3% | 15 |
| Jan 2026 | University of Chicago | 239K | 2.9% | 16 |
| Jan 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Feb 2026 | Harvard University | 1.5M | 20.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Stanford University | 1M | 13.4% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | UCLA | 565K | 7.6% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Columbia University | 550K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | New York University | 481K | 6.5% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Yale University | 450K | 6% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 336K | 4.5% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | UC Berkeley | 307K | 4.1% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Brown University | 301K | 4% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 4% | 10 |
| Feb 2026 | Duke University | 301K | 4% | 11 |
| Feb 2026 | Princeton University | 301K | 4% | 12 |
| Feb 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 277K | 3.7% | 13 |
| Feb 2026 | University of Chicago | 239K | 3.2% | 14 |
| Feb 2026 | Caltech | 215K | 2.9% | 15 |
| Feb 2026 | Northwestern University | 201K | 2.7% | 16 |
| Feb 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.5% | 17 |
| Mar 2026 | Harvard University | 1.8M | 19.7% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Stanford University | 1.1M | 11.8% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | UCLA | 841K | 9% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Columbia University | 673K | 7.2% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | New York University | 587K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 547K | 5.9% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Duke University | 450K | 4.8% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Yale University | 450K | 4.8% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | UC Berkeley | 442K | 4.7% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | Cornell University | 368K | 3.9% | 10 |
| Mar 2026 | Princeton University | 368K | 3.9% | 11 |
| Mar 2026 | University of Chicago | 366K | 3.9% | 12 |
| Mar 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 333K | 3.6% | 13 |
| Mar 2026 | Brown University | 301K | 3.2% | 14 |
| Mar 2026 | Northwestern University | 301K | 3.2% | 15 |
| Mar 2026 | Caltech | 262K | 2.8% | 16 |
| Mar 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.2% | 17 |
| Apr 2026 | Harvard University | 1.7M | 18.3% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Stanford University | 1.2M | 13.5% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | UCLA | 841K | 9.3% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Columbia University | 673K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | New York University | 555K | 6.1% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Yale University | 450K | 5% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 447K | 4.9% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | UC Berkeley | 442K | 4.9% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 378K | 4.2% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | Brown University | 368K | 4.1% | 10 |
| Apr 2026 | Duke University | 368K | 4.1% | 11 |
| Apr 2026 | Princeton University | 368K | 4.1% | 12 |
| Apr 2026 | Caltech | 320K | 3.5% | 13 |
| Apr 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 3.3% | 14 |
| Apr 2026 | University of Chicago | 300K | 3.3% | 15 |
| Apr 2026 | Northwestern University | 246K | 2.7% | 16 |
| Apr 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.2% | 17 |
| May 2026 | Harvard University | 1.7M | 19.2% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Stanford University | 1.2M | 14.2% | 2 |
| May 2026 | UCLA | 691K | 8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Columbia University | 673K | 7.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | New York University | 555K | 6.4% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Yale University | 450K | 5.2% | 6 |
| May 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 411K | 4.8% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 374K | 4.3% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Princeton University | 368K | 4.3% | 9 |
| May 2026 | UC Berkeley | 362K | 4.2% | 10 |
| May 2026 | Brown University | 301K | 3.5% | 11 |
| May 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 3.5% | 12 |
| May 2026 | Duke University | 301K | 3.5% | 13 |
| May 2026 | Northwestern University | 301K | 3.5% | 14 |
| May 2026 | University of Chicago | 292K | 3.4% | 15 |
| May 2026 | Caltech | 262K | 3% | 16 |
| May 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Jun 2026 | Harvard University | 1.5M | 20.9% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Stanford University | 918K | 12.7% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Columbia University | 550K | 7.6% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | New York University | 481K | 6.7% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | UCLA | 465K | 6.5% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Yale University | 368K | 5.1% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 333K | 4.6% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 311K | 4.3% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Brown University | 301K | 4.2% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 4.2% | 10 |
| Jun 2026 | Princeton University | 301K | 4.2% | 11 |
| Jun 2026 | UC Berkeley | 296K | 4.1% | 12 |
| Jun 2026 | Caltech | 262K | 3.6% | 13 |
| Jun 2026 | Duke University | 246K | 3.4% | 14 |
| Jun 2026 | Northwestern University | 246K | 3.4% | 15 |
| Jun 2026 | University of Chicago | 226K | 3.1% | 16 |
| Jun 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 90.5K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Jul 2026 | Harvard University | 1.5M | 22.1% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Stanford University | 918K | 13.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Columbia University | 550K | 8.1% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | New York University | 423K | 6.2% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | UCLA | 380K | 5.6% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Yale University | 368K | 5.4% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 332K | 4.9% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 311K | 4.6% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | UC Berkeley | 296K | 4.3% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | Brown University | 246K | 3.6% | 10 |
| Jul 2026 | Cornell University | 246K | 3.6% | 11 |
| Jul 2026 | Duke University | 246K | 3.6% | 12 |
| Jul 2026 | Princeton University | 246K | 3.6% | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | Caltech | 226K | 3.3% | 14 |
| Jul 2026 | University of Chicago | 226K | 3.3% | 15 |
| Jul 2026 | Northwestern University | 201K | 3% | 16 |
| Jul 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 90.5K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Aug 2026 | Harvard University | 1.8M | 22% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Stanford University | 1M | 12% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Columbia University | 673K | 8.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | New York University | 587K | 7% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | UCLA | 565K | 6.8% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 398K | 4.8% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | 381K | 4.6% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Princeton University | 368K | 4.4% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Yale University | 368K | 4.4% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | UC Berkeley | 362K | 4.3% | 10 |
| Aug 2026 | Brown University | 301K | 3.6% | 11 |
| Aug 2026 | Cornell University | 301K | 3.6% | 12 |
| Aug 2026 | Duke University | 301K | 3.6% | 13 |
| Aug 2026 | University of Chicago | 275K | 3.3% | 14 |
| Aug 2026 | Caltech | 262K | 3.1% | 15 |
| Aug 2026 | Northwestern University | 246K | 3% | 16 |
| Aug 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | 110K | 1.3% | 17 |
| Sep 2026 | Brown University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Caltech | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Columbia University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Cornell University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Duke University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Harvard University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Johns Hopkins University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | New York University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Northwestern University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Princeton University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Stanford University | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | UC Berkeley | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | UCLA | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | University of Chicago | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | University of Pennsylvania | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Yale University | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Brown University**: Measured on the search term “brown university”.
- **Caltech**: Measured on the search terms “california institute of technology”, “caltech” and “caltech university”, summed into one figure.
- **Columbia University**: Measured on the search terms “columbia university” and “columbia university nyc”, summed into one figure.
- **Cornell University**: Measured on the search term “cornell university”.
- **Duke University**: Measured on the search term “duke university”.
- **Harvard University**: Measured on the search terms “harvard”, “harvard university” and “harvard university usa”, summed into one figure.
- **Johns Hopkins University**: Measured on the search term “johns hopkins university”.
- **Massachusetts Institute of Technology**: Measured on the search terms “massachusetts institute of technology”, “massachusetts institute of technology mit”, “mit massachusetts” and “mit university”, summed into one figure.
- **New York University**: Measured on the search terms “new york university”, “nyu” and “nyu university”, summed into one figure.
- **Northwestern University**: Measured on the search term “northwestern university”.
- **Princeton University**: Measured on the search terms “princeton uni” and “princeton university”, summed into one figure.
- **Stanford University**: Measured on the search terms “stanford”, “stanford uni” and “stanford university”, summed into one figure.
- **UC Berkeley**: Measured on the search terms “berkeley university”, “uc berkeley” and “university of california berkeley”, summed into one figure.
- **UCLA**: Measured on the search terms “ucla”, “ucla university” and “university of california los angeles”, summed into one figure.
- **University of Chicago**: Measured on the search terms “uchicago” and “university of chicago”, summed into one figure.
- **University of Pennsylvania**: Measured on the search terms “penn university”, “university of pennsylvania” and “upenn”, summed into one figure.
- **Yale University**: Measured on the search term “yale university”.

- [Brown University](/demand/global-en/brands/brown-university)
- [Caltech](/demand/global-en/brands/caltech)
- [Columbia University](/demand/global-en/brands/columbia-university)
- [Cornell University](/demand/global-en/brands/cornell-university)
- [Duke University](/demand/global-en/brands/duke-university)
- [Harvard University](/demand/global-en/brands/harvard-university)
- [Johns Hopkins University](/demand/global-en/brands/johns-hopkins-university)
- [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/demand/global-en/brands/mit)
- [New York University](/demand/global-en/brands/new-york-university)
- [Northwestern University](/demand/global-en/brands/northwestern-university)
- [Princeton University](/demand/global-en/brands/princeton-university)
- [Stanford University](/demand/global-en/brands/stanford-university)
- [UC Berkeley](/demand/global-en/brands/uc-berkeley)
- [UCLA](/demand/global-en/brands/ucla)
- [University of Chicago](/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-chicago)
- [University of Pennsylvania](/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-pennsylvania)
- [Yale University](/demand/global-en/brands/yale-university)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among globally sought US universities worldwide?

In August 2026, Harvard University was the most searched among globally sought US universities worldwide, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches and 22% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Globally sought US universities: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/globally-sought-us-universities

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/globally-sought-us-universities. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.