ARWU 2026: the University of Padua among the world’s Top 200 and second in Italy

The University of Padua confirms its place among the top 200 universities in the world in the 2026 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), the prestigious international league table produced by ShanghaiRanking, and secures 2nd place nationally, improving by one position compared with last year.
In the new edition of the ranking, the Paduan University consolidates its position in the world’s top 200 and rises to second place in the Italian university landscape.
The result confirms the continuity of the University of Padua’s presence at the top of the international ranking.
Particularly significant is the performance relating to scientific output. In the PUB indicator, which considers the number of articles published in the last year and indexed in Web of Science, Padua reaches 103rd place worldwide. This result places the University in the highest quartile for this indicator among universities ranked between 151st and 200th place in the ARWU table.
Positive signs also emerge from the HiCi indicator, relating to the presence of Highly Cited Researchers identified by Clarivate: the score of the University of Padua rises from 3.7 in 2025 to 4.2 in 2026, allowing the University to place 160th in the world. 
“Second place nationally and confirmation among the top 200 universities in the world represent an important result in a particularly selective ranking strongly focused on research,” comments Daniela Mapelli, Rector of the University of Padua. “The strength of our scientific output and the growth in the indicator relating to the most highly cited researchers demonstrate the quality and international relevance of the research carried out within the University. Rankings are, of course, one of the possible perspectives from which to observe a university, but at the same time they allow comparison with the leading international academic institutions and provide the opportunity to identify more clearly strengths and, consequently, areas in which to continue investing.”
The Academic Ranking of World Universities, published by ShanghaiRanking, considers more than 2,500 universities worldwide, publishing the results of the top 1,000. The methodology is based exclusively on quantitative indicators linked to research and scientific output: alumni and staff who have won Nobel Prizes or Fields Medals, the presence of highly cited researchers, publications in the journals Nature and Science, scientific output indexed in the main international databases, and academic performance in relation to the size of the University.
To ensure transparency and promote a data culture, the University of Padua makes available analyses and in-depth information on the main international rankings in the dedicated section of the institutional portal: www.unipd.it/en/ranking.