There is a greater diversity of universities and countries excelling across 罢贬贰鈥檚 World University Rankings 2024 by subject, but they are still dominated by US and UK institutions.听
The top positions of the 11 subject rankings show increasing diversity, which is most evident when compared with the World University Rankings 2020 by subject, especially in social sciences, education, business and economics.听
Five years ago, only US and UK universities featured in the top 10 in business and economics ranking. In contrast, this year, two of the places are taken up by Chinese institutions: Tsinghua University and Peking University. 听
In the ranking for the field of education, five years ago, nine of the top 10 places were taken by US and UK institutions, with Hong Kong taking the other place. This year education鈥檚 top 10 has universities from five countries: China, Canada, Hong Kong, US and UK. In addition, five years ago 62 per cent of the top 50 universities were from the US and UK and this year it is 52 per cent and universities from 15 countries are represented this year compared with 12 in the 2020 edition.听
Sixty-four per cent of the top 50 universities in the social sciences ranking consisted of US and UK institutions five years ago and this year it is 60 per cent and universities from 14 countries are represented this year compared with 12 in the 2020 edition.听
Universities from the US and UK take the number one positions across all 11 of the subject rankings, with the UK鈥檚 University of Oxford claiming top spot in both clinical and health and computer science and US universities coming first in the other nine subjects: arts and humanities, business and economics, education, engineering, law, life sciences, physical sciences, psychology and social sciences. Arts and humanities, life sciences and social sciences only have UK and US universities in the top 10 this year.听听
Harvard University and Stanford University top the most subjects 鈥 three. Harvard University tops engineering, law and life sciences, while Stanford tops arts and humanities, psychology and is joint top in social sciences. Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes top in business and economics and joint top in social sciences.听
If you reproduce any part of these ranking tables or charts, please attribute it to 鈥溙交ㄊ悠 World University Rankings by subject,鈥 and link to the full list on our听website. The methodology is here.听听
Top 10 universities by country across 11 subjects in 2024 edition听

Top 50听
- Germany and Netherlands are the two best performing countries in continental Europe per number of universities ranked in the top 50 of each subject
- Compared to World University Rankings 2020 the US-UK block is less present in the top 50 in social sciences, education, business and economics.听

Top 50 universities by country across 11 subjects
General global highlights:听
- Some of the best universities in the world in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are in the Middle East and North Africa while other blocks are more focused on non-STEM subjects including Southern and Eastern Europe听
- Sub-Saharan African countries do best in clinical and health听
- North African and Arabic countries focus on computer science, engineering and physical sciences听
- North Europe鈥檚 focus is on science, while South and East Europe are more focused on the humanities听
- South America is more focused on non-scientific subjects听
- The UK鈥檚 overall score has improved in all subjects this year听
- India leads the rise in new entrants in engineering with 20 and 14 in computer science. However only one of those universities are in the 101-125 band and the rest are in band 301-400 or lower.听
* Scroll down for top 10 tables for all 11 subjects with links to full result tables and methodologies鈥听
罢贬贰鈥檚 World University Rankings 2024 subject is compiled from data from 罢贬贰鈥檚 World University Rankings 2024, which is the most comprehensive, rigorous and balanced global ranking assessing research-intensive universities in the world.听听
The same 18 performance indicators are used (up from 13 last year) which are grouped into five pillars: teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook and industry. Four of the five new metrics include three that look at research quality and one that examines patents in the industry pillar. For subject, the methodology is carefully recalibrated for each subject, with the weightings changed to suit the individual fields.鈥听
Phil Baty, Chief global affairs officer, commented:鈥听
鈥淭HE World University Rankings by subject provide further evidence of a clear trend, which we also saw in the World Rankings, of the waning dominance of US-UK universities in higher education.听
鈥淓ast Asian nations continue to strengthen in key areas with Chinese universities, in particular, standing out, as well as those in Hong Kong and Singapore.听
鈥溙交ㄊ悠碘檚 subject rankings deploy the same rigorous and trusted 18 performance metrics as the gold-standard World University Rankings, and provide valuable, rich subject-level insights to help inform government policymaking and institutional strategy.听听
鈥淭he more detailed information about how universities are performing in specific subjects is also a vital resource for many millions of prospective students who use 探花视频鈥檚 data insights, giving them rich and deep information to help inform their decision-making.鈥听
In the 20th year of the World University Rankings, 1,904 universities are ranked overall 鈥 up from 1,799 last year - from 108 countries and regions. Producing the global ranking is a significant data exercise, with input from an academic survey including more than 65,000 responses and bibliometrics on the tally of research papers and citations, as well as data provided by institutions. For this year鈥檚 analysis, 16.5 million research papers were examined which is 1 million more than last year. Additionally, 134 million citations have been examined, compared with last year鈥檚 121 million.听
ENDS听
罢贬贰鈥檚 World University Rankings 2024: arts and humanities - top 10鈥听听
- Only universities from the US and UK are in the top 10鈥痠n arts and humanities听
- The University of Barcelona, Spain, has entered the top 100 in joint 87th place, up from band 151-175听
- Indiana University in the US has also entered the top 100 in 93rd place from band 126-150 last year听
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology听 |
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Harvard University听 |
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UCL听 |
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University of California, Berkeley听 |
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Princeton University听 |
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Yale University听 |
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The University of Chicago听 |
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听=10听听 |
听10听听 |
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Columbia University听 |
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听=10听听 |
听11听听 |
View the full ranking of 罢贬贰鈥檚 World University Rankings 2024: arts and humanities鈥赌听
View the World University Rankings 2024: arts and humanities methodology听听
World University Rankings 2024: business and economics - top 10鈥听
- China has double the number of universities in the top 10 this year from last with two. Peking University has climbed a significant five places from 15th last year to 10th this year entering the top 10 for the first time. Tsinghua University was the first Chinese university in the top 10 last year in 8th place and has maintained that position this year.听听
- Harvard University moved up one place from last year from 4th to 3rd this year听
- London School of Economics and Political Science has fallen out of the top 10 from 10th last year to 11th this year听
- The University of Reading and University of Massachusetts have both entered the top 100 this year coming 79th and joint 80th, respectively, this year (they were in bands 101-125 and 126-150 respectively).听
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The University of Chicago听 |
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Tsinghua University听 |
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Yale University听 |
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Peking University听 |
China听 |
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鈥View the full ranking of World University Rankings 2024: business and economics鈥听
View the World University Rankings 2024: business and economics methodology听听
World University Rankings 2024: clinical and health - top 10鈥
- While the top 100 for clinical and health has one of the most diverse range of countries it has not seen a significant change from last year听
- Johns Hopkins University in the US, which dropped out of the top 10 last year, coming 11th, has re-entered the top 10, moving up five places, coming 6th this year听
- The US鈥檚 University of Pennsylvania has entered the top 10, coming 10th up five places from 15th last year
- The UK鈥檚 King鈥檚 College London drops out of the top 10 falling to 13th place, after last year getting into the top 10 by rising two places
- The UK takes four of the top 10 spots, down from five last year.听
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Imperial College London听 |
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Stanford University听 |
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Johns Hopkins University听 |
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UCL听 |
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Yale University听 |
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University of Toronto听 |
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University of Pennsylvania听 |
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View the full World University Rankings 2024: clinical and health鈥听
View World University Rankings 2024: clinical and health methodology鈥听
World University Rankings 2024: computer science - top 10鈥听
- Imperial College London in the UK has entered the top 10 moving from joint 11th last year to 8th this year听
- The US鈥檚 Princeton University has also entered the top 10 moving from joint 11th last year to 9th place this year听
- Aarhus University in Denmark moves into the top 100 moving from band 126-150 last year to joint 93rd this year听
- Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan also moves into the top 100 moving from the 126-150 to joint 97th this year听
- India leads the rise in new entrants in this subject with 14 (compared with last year) however only one of those universities is in the 101-125 band and the rest are in band 401-500 or lower.听
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology听 |
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Carnegie Mellon University听 |
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ETH Zurich听 |
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Harvard University听 |
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University of Cambridge听 |
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Imperial College London听 |
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Princeton University听 |
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听9听听 |
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University of California, Berkeley听 |
United States听 |
听10听听 |
听8听听 |
View the full World University Rankings 2024: computer science鈥赌听
View the World University Rankings 2024: computer science methodology鈥听听
World University Rankings 2024: education - top 10鈥听听
- Top 100 for education has shown increasing diversification with six new countries joining this group: Austria, Brazil, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Russian Federation.听
- The UK and Australia have two fewer universities compared with last year听
- Education is the best ranked subject in China, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Spain听
- Tsinghua University in China has entered the top 10 coming 7th听听听
- Michigan State University in the US falls out of top 10 after re-entering the top 10 last year. It fell from 9th to 13th place听
- University of Alberta in Canada has also joined the top 100, coming joint 75th up from band 126-150听
- The Netherlands鈥 University of Groningen also joined the top 100, coming 80th up from band 126-150.听
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Tsinghua University听 |
China听 |
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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor听 |
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University of Toronto听 |
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听9听听 |
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University of California, Los Angeles听 |
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听10听听 |
听11听听 |
View the full World University Rankings 2024: education鈥赌听
View World University Rankings 2024: education methodology鈥赌听听
World University Rankings 2024: engineering - top 10鈥听
- Imperial College London in the UK has entered the top 10, coming 10th, up four places from 14th last year听
- Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France, moves into the top 100 moving from band 101-125 to 99th place听
- The US has five more universities in the top 300 this year compared with last year听
- India has the most new entrants in this subject with 20 (compared with last year) however only one of those universities is in the 101-125 band and the rest are in band 301-400 or lower.听
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University of California, Berkeley听 |
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California Institute of Technology听 |
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听6听听 |
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Princeton University听 |
United States听 |
听8听听 |
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National University of Singapore听 |
Singapore听 |
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Imperial College London听 |
United Kingdom听 |
听10听听 |
听14听听 |
View the full World University Rankings 2024: engineering鈥听
See the World University Rankings 2024: engineering methodology鈥赌听
World University Rankings 2024: law - top 10鈥听
- Law is the best ranked subject in Italy, Ukraine, Poland, South Africa and Australia听
- The US鈥檚 Harvard University has moved up five places from last year from 6th to 1st听听
- Germany has increased its representation in the top 100 from five last year to seven this year, while Australian universities have decreased from nine last year to six this year听
- Columbia University in the US re-joins the top 10, moving from 12th last year to joint 4th this year听听
- The University of Oslo in Norway has moved up more than 20 places from joint 64th last year to joint 43rd this year听
- University of Cologne in Germany joins the top 100 moving up to 57th place this year from band 151-175 last year听
- UK (8), Spain (6) and Italy (6) lead the new entrants for this subject (compared with last year).听
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Columbia University听 |
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New York University听 |
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听=4听听 |
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University of California, Berkeley听 |
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University of Oxford听 |
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University of Melbourne听 |
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The University of Chicago听 |
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Yale University听 |
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听10听听 |
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View the World University Rankings 2024: law鈥赌听
View the World University Rankings 2024: law methodology鈥赌听听
World University Rankings 2024: life sciences - top 10鈥听
- US dominates the top 10, filling 7 of the spots and tops the subject table with Harvard University鈥听
- Peking University in China has edged closer to the top 10 moving up six places from 18th last year to joint 12th this year听
- Osaka University in Japan, which was joint 100th last year, has moved up 32 places to joint 68th this year听听
- Purdue University West Lafayette moved into the top 100 moving from band 126-150 last year to joint 84th this year.听
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology听 |
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Yale University听 |
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Princeton University听 |
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Johns Hopkins University听 |
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University of California, Berkeley听 |
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Imperial College London听 |
United Kingdom听 |
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听14听听 |
View the World University Rankings 2024: life sciences鈥听
View World University Rankings 2024: life sciences methodology鈥听听
World University Rankings 2024: physical sciences - top 10鈥 听
- California Institute of Technology has risen three places from last year to take the number one spot in physical sciences this year听
- Switzerland is the only country outside of the UK and the US to have a university in the top 10, with ETH Zurich coming 9th听听
- Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, has entered the top 100, coming 97th this year, up from band 101-125 last year听
- The US has four more universities in the top 100, taking total representation from 34 last year to 38 this year听
- More universities in the US participated in physical sciences than any other country with 163听
- The UK鈥檚 best scoring subject is physical sciences, considering countries with at least 10 universities continuously ranked. The UK is 5th in the world in this subject.听听
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Princeton University听 |
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听=6听听 |
听1听听 |
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University of Oxford听 |
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ETH Zurich听 |
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听9听听 |
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Yale University听 |
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View the full World University Rankings 2024: physical sciences鈥赌听
View the World University Rankings 2024: physical sciences methodology听听
World University Rankings 2024: psychology - top 10鈥听
- Canada鈥檚 University of Toronto has entered the top 10 moving up nine places from 19th last year to 10th this year, making it the only non-US or UK university in the top 10听
- The University of Chicago in the US, which had dropped out of the top 10 last year falling to 12th has re-entered the top 10 this year coming 9th听听
- Ghent University in Belgium is one spot away from a top 50 place this year coming 51st up from joint 69th last year听
- Beijing Normal University in China has entered the top 100 this year moving from band 101-125 to finish 68th this year听
- The US has four more universities in the top 100 this year with 44 compared with last year.听
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UCL听 |
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Yale University听 |
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University of Pennsylvania听 |
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The University of Chicago听 |
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University of Toronto听 |
Canada听 |
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听19听听 |
View the full World University Rankings 2024: psychology鈥听
View World University Rankings 2024: psychology methodology鈥听听
World University Rankings 2024: social sciences - top 10鈥听
- The highest participation rate for social sciences comes from the UK with 95 universities ranked听听
- US (7) and UK (3) universities dominate the top 10听
- Spain鈥檚 Autonomous University of Barcelona has entered the top 100 coming 85th up from band 101-125 last year听
- Two new US universities entered the top 250 in social sciences this year.听
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology听 |
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Stanford University听 |
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|
Harvard University听 |
United States听 |
听4听听 |
听4听听 |
|
Princeton University听 |
United States听 |
听5听听 |
听6听听 |
|
University of Cambridge听 |
United Kingdom听 |
听6听听 |
听7听听 |
|
University of California, Berkeley听 |
United States听 |
听7听听 |
听5听听 |
|
London School of Economics and Political Science听 |
United Kingdom听 |
听8听听 |
听8听听 |
|
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor听 |
United States听 |
听9听听 |
听9听听 |
|
Yale University听 |
United States听 |
听10听听 |
听10听听 |
鈥View the full World University Rankings 2024: social sciences鈥听
View the World University Rankings 2024: social sciences methodology鈥赌听
***ENDS***听
