Every year, students, academics, and education leaders around the world turn to the QS World University Ranking by Subject like clockwork—not just for bragging rights, but to decode the shifting tides of global academia. The QS Ranking by Subject 2025 edition, released this month, feels less like a static leaderboard and more like a live pulse check on higher education’s response to today’s messy realities. Even the ranking criteria aren’t immune to change: QS now weighs factors like campus carbon neutrality and alumni mental health support alongside classic metrics like citations and faculty reputation. The usual suspects—Harvard, Oxford, and MIT—still dominate fields like arts, engineering, and natural science, but look closer. QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 aren’t just about who’s on top—they’re a survival guide for the future of education.
QS World University Ranking by Subject-Global Academic Highlights
US dominates with 3,245 ranked subjects (32 #1 spots). Harvard leads in 19 fields, MIT in 12.
UK has 1,883 entries (18 #1s). Cambridge and Oxford share 7 top spots with Switzerland’s ETH Zurich.
China adds the most new entries. Peking & Tsinghua Universities each have two top-3 subjects. 7 of the 10 most improved universities are Chinese. Hong Kong improves fastest: 68% of 231 entries rise, 6% drop.
Australia’s Melbourne and Sydney rank top-100 in 52/55 subjects.
Switzerland ranks 3rd globally for #1 entries. ETH Zurich holds 4th most top spots.
Singapore has 30% of its entries in the global top 10 – the highest rate worldwide.
Middle East: Saudi’s KFUPM ranks 5th in Petroleum Engineering.
Latin America: Brazil’s 333 entries include top-15 spots in Dentistry (USP).
India: 12 top 50 entries, led by Mining Engineering (20th).
Canada: Toronto ranks in the top 50 in 46 subjects for QS World Rankings by Subject, excelling in Engineering and Biosciences.
Five Indicators of QS World University Ranking by Subject
Five indicators determine the QS World University Ranking by Subject, and each indicator plays an important role in improving the university’s ranking.
Academic Reputation
This metric reflects the scholarly community’s collective assessment of institutional research capabilities within specialized domains. Through a global survey of academics, participating researchers nominate peer institutions demonstrating exceptional research leadership within their precise discipline of expertise.
Employer Reputation
This assessment captures corporate hiring trends through direct feedback from global employers. Recruitment decision-makers designate academic institutions they perceive as prime talent sources while indicating preferred academic backgrounds for prospective hires.
Research Citations Per Paper
Citation analytics derived from Elsevier Scopus datasets, with discipline-adjusted normalization protocols, quantify research impact. Subject-specific publication minimums prevent statistical distortions from limited-output entities. Citation weighting coefficients and eligibility criteria are customized per academic field to account for publication frequency and referencing conventions common to each discipline.
H-Index
This dual-purpose metric evaluates academic influence through a composite analysis of publication volume and citation resonance. Calculated by cross-referencing an institution’s most frequently cited works with their corresponding reference counts in subsequent scholarship, it measures sustained research contributions across academic cycles.
International Research Network
This spatial analysis metric evaluates institutional success in cultivating geographically diversified research partnerships. By mapping international co-author networks across faculty divisions, it assesses sustainable cross-border collaboration patterns and strategic alliance development between higher education entities.
QS World Ranking by Subject 2025-Arts and Humanities
The arts and humanities field covers 13 specialized disciplines, such as history, contemporary language studies, and theatre arts. The comparative table below shows the QS Ranking by Subject in this category. While most top-ranked institutions are based in English-speaking regions, France’s Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne breaks this pattern, rising four spots to rank 15th in the current year’s evaluation.
Key Insights
Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University shocked rankings this year by leaping 20 spots in arts disciplines, while the University of Hong Kong secured 18th place globally—its highest position yet. This isn’t isolated success. Schools across East Asia are now competing head-to-head with Western powerhouses in fields like tech and humanities, areas where Europe and the U.S. once ruled unchallenged.
Behind the climb? Heavy investments in research labs, aggressive hiring of global faculty, and tighter ties with tech companies. Many institutions rank the lead position in the QS World University Ranking 2025 and are ditching old-school teaching models for hybrid programs that blend disciplines like AI and design.
But there’s a bigger story here. QS World University Rankings by Subject groups seem to value real-world impact more than ever—like how research turns into patents or shapes local economies. This tweak in criteria might explain why Asian schools, long seen as underdogs, are finally getting their moment.
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 4 | Stanford University | USA |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | USA |
| 6 | Yale University | USA |
| =7 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| =7 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| 9 | New York University (NYU) | USA |
| 10 | The University of Edinburgh | UK |
| 11 | UCL | UK |
| 12 | Columbia University | USA |
| 13 | Princeton University | USA |
| 14 | University of Toronto | CA |
| 15 | Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne | FR |
| 16 | University of Chicago | USA |
| 17 | King’s College London | UK |
| 18 | The University of Hong Kong | HKG |
| =19 | University of British Columbia | CA |
| =19 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| 21 | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) | CL |
| 22 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | MEX |
| 23 | The University of Melbourne | AUS |
| =24 | Sorbonne University | FR |
| =24 | Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) | AR |
| 26 | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | DE |
| 27 | Cornell University | USA |
| 28 | Peking University | CN |
| =29 | The University of Tokyo | JP |
| =29 | University of Amsterdam | NL |
QS World Ranking by Subject 2025-Engineering and Technology
The field of engineering and technology encompasses multiple specialized disciplines, ranging from computer science to various branches of engineering. The accompanying table presents a comparative analysis of global universities within this academic domain. Tsinghua University demonstrates the most notable advancement among top-ranked institutions – rising four positions to claim 7th place in this year’s rankings.
Key Insights
While Tsinghua University cracks the top 10 and Peking University rockets 17 spots to No. 20, China and Singapore solidify their foothold among elite institutions. Meanwhile, Western European schools face turbulence—168 engineering and tech programs slipped in rankings, signalling weakened dominance.
Over 100 institutions made the cut in Data Science and AI rankings for the first time—a sharp rise reflecting surging global demand for these fields. Asian universities, notably, claimed a growing share of these spots.
The dual trends—Asia’s strategic gains in STEM and Europe’s engineering decline—hint at reordered priorities. Investments in tech-focused research and industry-aligned programs appear to reshape what “world-class” looks like.
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | Stanford University | USA |
| 4 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 5 | ETH Zurich | CH |
| 6 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | USA |
| 7 | Tsinghua University | CHN |
| 8 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 9 | Harvard University | USA |
| 10 | EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne | CH |
| 11 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) | SGP |
| 12 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | SGP |
| 13 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| 14 | Delft University of Technology | NL |
| 15 | Georgia Institute of Technology | USA |
| 16 | Peking University | CHN |
| 17 | University of Toronto | CA |
| 18 | The University of Tokyo | JP |
| =19 | Carnegie Mellon University | USA |
| =19 | Technical University of Munich | DE |
| 21 | Politecnico di Milano | IT |
| 22 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| 23 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| 24 | KAIST – Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology | KR |
| 25 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | AUS |
| 26 | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) | IN |
| 27 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | CHN |
| 28 | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) | IN |
| 29 | Purdue University | USA |
| 30 | Cornell University | USA |
QS Ranking by Subject 2025-Life Sciences and Medicine
The latest QS World University Ranking by Subject 2025 reveal consistent leadership patterns within the life sciences and medicine discipline group, encompassing nine specialized fields ranging from clinical medicine to animal health studies. Academic institutions from the United States and the United Kingdom occupy eight of the top ten positions in this comprehensive evaluation, maintaining the same cohort of top-performing universities as documented in previous annual assessments. The ranking analysis examines educational organizations across all subfields, including but not limited to medical practice, oral health sciences, and veterinary medicine training programs.
Key Insights
The elite top 25 institutions cling to their positions for QS World University Ranking by Subject 2025, showing minimal reshuffling. Meanwhile, Western Europe’s academic strongholds falter—evident in engineering’s steep slide—while U.S. schools face a net decline: 231 rose in rankings, but 291 dropped.
Medicine emerges as the undisputed heavyweight, claiming 850 ranked subjects—a record 129 new entries since 2024. No other field comes close to explosive growth, underscoring its global prioritization.
Western institutions grapple with slipping influence as Asia tightens its grip on tech-focused disciplines. This divergence hints at widening gaps in funding priorities and research agendas worldwide.
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | John Hopkins University | USA |
| 4 | Standford University | USA |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| 6 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 7 | University of California, San Francisco | USA |
| 8 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 9 | UCL | UK |
| 10 | Karolinska Institutet | SE |
| 11 | King’s College London | UK |
| 12 | Yale University | USA |
| 13 | University of Toronto | CA |
| 14 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| 15 | The University of Melbourne | AUS |
| 16 | Cornell University | USA |
| 17 | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | USA |
| 18 | University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| 19 | The University of Edinburgh | UK |
| 20 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | USA |
| 21 | University of Washington | USA |
| 22 | Duke University | USA |
| 23 | Columbia University | USA |
| 24 | The University of Sydney | AUS |
| 25 | University of British Columbia | CA |
| 26 | Peking University | CHN |
| =27 | KU Leuven | BE |
| =27 | McGill University | CA |
| 29 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | SNG |
| 30 | University of Copenhagen | DK |
QS World Ranking by Subject 2025-Natural Sciences
The interdisciplinary field of natural sciences incorporates nine distinct academic disciplines spanning geographical studies, mathematical sciences, and physical sciences. The table presents an analytical comparison of QS World Ranking by Subject 2025 within this comprehensive academic domain. Higher education institutions from the United Kingdom and the United States predominantly occupy the leading positions in these rankings, with only two institutions breaking this geographical pattern – Switzerland’s ETH Zurich securing a sixth position and China’s Tsinghua University completing the top ten list.
Key Insights
Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy lead a global surge in Natural Sciences, with over 130 new entrants in Materials Science alone. North America dominates numerically (993 ranked institutions), but Eastern Asia’s 796 entries signal a narrowing gap.
Northern, Western, and Southern European universities lose ground across Natural Sciences—mirroring trends in other fields. Meanwhile, Eastern Asian institutions fill the void, exemplified by Korea University’s stunning 79-rank leap in Physics & Astronomy.
While traditional STEM regions stagnate, specialized investments in Asia drive breakthroughs. The sheer volume of new entrants in Materials Science hints at shifting R&D priorities toward sustainability and tech innovation.
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| 3 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 4 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 5 | Standford University | USA |
| 6 | ETH Zurich | CH |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | USA |
| 9 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 10 | Tsinghua University | CHN |
| 11 | EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne | CH |
| =12 | Peking University | CHN |
| =12 | Princeton University | USA |
| 14 | The University of Tokyo | JP |
| 15 | Sorbonne University | FR |
| 16 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| 17 | Université Paris-Saclay | FR |
| =18 | Technical University of Munich | DE |
| =18 | Université PSL | FR |
| 20 | University of Toronto | CA |
| 21 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | SNG |
| 22 | University of British Columbia | CA |
| 23 | Cornell University | USA |
| 24 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) | SNG |
| 25 | Yale University | USA |
| 26 | University of Science and Technology of China | CHN |
| =27 | Columbia Uiversity | USA |
| =27 | University of Chicago | USA |
| 29 | UCL | UK |
| 30 | The University of Edinburgh | UK |
QS Ranking by Subject 2025-Social Sciences
The Social Sciences and Management discipline category covered 16 distinct academic fields, from business administration to legal studies and market research. Analyzing global institutions within this comprehensive academic field reveals Anglo-American dominance for this year’s QS World Subject Rankings, with U.S. and U.K. universities occupying nine of the top ten positions. Singapore’s flagship institution, the National University of Singapore, claims the tenth position as the sole non-Anglophone entry in this elite group.
Key Insights
Eastern Asia’s universities are surging ahead—333 subjects climbing versus 72 declines—while Western Europe backslides (290 drops vs. 91 gains). This mirrors broader regional realignments, with tech-focused economies pulling ahead.
Economics, Politics, and International Studies saw a flood of new entrants globally, highlighting their cross-border urgency in an era of geopolitical tensions. Yet traditional education powerhouses like Canada, Finland, and the Netherlands lose traction, their once-vaunted systems failing to keep pace.
Three British institutions hemorrhaged over 20 places in Business & Management of QS Subject Rankings this year—a stark warning for a sector long reliant on prestige. As Asian schools invest in industry-aligned programs, legacy reputations alone no longer guarantee top spots.
| Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | Standford University | USA |
| 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| 5 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 6 | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | UK |
| 7 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | USA |
| 8 | Yale University | USA |
| 9 | Univeristy of Chicago | USA |
| 10 | National University of Singapore (NUS) | SNG |
| 11 | Columbia Uiversity | USA |
| 12 | Bocconi University | IT |
| 13 | Peking University | CHN |
| 14 | University of Toronto | CA |
| 15 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| 17 | New York University (NYU) | USA |
| 18 | Tsinghua University | CHN |
| 19 | UCL | UK |
| 20 | University of British Columbia | CA |
| 21 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) | SNG |
| 22 | The University of Hong Kong | HKG |
| 23 | London Business School | UK |
| 24 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | AUS |
| 25 | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) | CH |
| 26 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| 27 | The University of Melbourne | AUS |
| 28 | Princeton University | USA |
| 29 | Northwestern University | USA |
| 30 | University of Amsterdam | NL |
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FAQ
The QS Subject Rankings assesses universities worldwide in specific academic fields, analyzing academic/employer reputation, research impact, and faculty output. Updated yearly, it highlights strengths in over 50 disciplines, aiding students and institutions in identifying top programs. It is widely used for education and career planning and offers comparative insights for informed academic choices.
MIT remains the global leader in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, securing the top spot for the 13th consecutive year. Harvard University, meanwhile, continues to dominate the 2025 THE World Reputation Rankings, extending its 14-year streak as the most prestigious academic institution.
The 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject analyzed over 1,700 institutions across 100+ countries, covering 55 disciplines. This marks the largest edition to date, with 171 universities appearing for the first time. The rankings highlight global academic diversity, including emerging markets like Asia and the Middle East.
The 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject evaluate 55 disciplines across five broad academic fields: Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.
Subject rankings matter because they pinpoint institutional strengths in specific fields, helping students align choices with career goals. They reveal emerging academic hubs and industry-aligned programs like MIT’s AI dominance. Metrics like employer reputation reflect real-world relevance, while research citations highlight the impact of innovation. Unlike broad rankings, they expose niche excellence – ETH Zurich’s Earth Sciences or China’s Art History breakthroughs guiding specialized decisions.
The 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject evaluate institutions using five core metrics: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index, and International Research Network assessing cross-border collaboration strength. Weightings vary by discipline – e.g., medicine prioritizes citations, while performing arts emphasize employer reputation. Data sources include 16.4M academic papers and insights from 240K+ scholars/employers, covering 55 disciplines across 1,700+ institutions.
