The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has announced the universities that were awarded the most patents in 2003. The University of California system ranked first, with 439 patents, the 10th consecutive year it has led the list.

The list is usually provided as a "top 10" ranking, but in 2003, Cornell University and the University of Florida each were awarded 59 patents, tying for 10th place, so the rankings include the top 11. Neither institution appeared on the list for 2002. Two other institutions that did not make the list in 2002 did in 2003: the University of Michigan, with 63 patents, and Columbia University, with 61.

Three institutions from the list for 2002 did not appear on the 2003 list: Michigan State University, the State University of New York, and Pennsylvania State University.

The patent office released a report that includes rankings and numbers of patents issued for 2003, as well as those institutions' rankings for 2002. The office noted that the list is preliminary and subject to correction.