The University of Illinois System now has two universities among the top 11 public institutions in the country, according to the newly released QS World University Rankings: USA.

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) group’s new rankings for 2021 list the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) at No. 6 among U.S. public universities and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) at No. 11. Both universities moved up in this year’s rankings. In 2020, UIUC was No. 10 among public universities and UIC was No. 14.

For the second consecutive year, UIUC ranked ahead of all of its Big Ten public peers with the exception of the University of Michigan. UIC ranked ahead of every Big Ten public university except for Michigan and UIUC.

UIUC was No. 30 and UIC No. 36 overall among the more than 350 U.S. universities, public and private, ranked by QS.

“The University of Illinois System was created to serve the public good and provide opportunities for the state of Illinois and its people,” system President Tim Killeen said. “In a year of unprecedented challenge, I am grateful to all of those whose efforts have ensured that we remain committed to that mission and, in the process, led to this recognition of excellence for both of our top-tier research universities.”

QS is a London-based higher education research firm and has been publishing international university rankings since 2004. This is the second year for the QS World University Rankings: USA, which are based on career outcomes for students, diversity and inclusivity, learning experience, and research impact.