QS World University Rankings Europe 2026. Unipd among Europe’s leading universities
28.01.2026
Today, 28 January 2026, the results of the third edition of the QS World University Rankings: Europe, produced by the QS agency (Quacquarelli Symonds), were released. The ranking considers exclusively universities from European countries, which are characterized by greater comparability in terms of geographical, regulatory, and cultural context.
In this edition, QS evaluated 958 higher education institutions across 42 European countries. Within this landscape, the University of Padua ranks 92nd in Europe, improving its percentile position by approximately three percentage points compared to the previous edition. The University thus places within the top 10% of European universities and consolidates its fourth position at the national level.
The University of Padua records excellent results in two indicators, both within the European top 50, which significantly contribute to strengthening the University’s international reputation and the quality of its research network: Academic Reputation (44th in Europe), which measures perceptions of an institution’s quality within the global academic community through a large international survey, and International Research Network (48th in Europe), which assesses the intensity and quality of international scientific collaborations through publication co-authorship.
Two additional indicators place Padua within the European top 100: Outbound Exchange Students (57th), which measures the University’s ability to promote and support outgoing international mobility for its students, and Sustainability (62nd), an indicator that evaluates universities’ social and environmental impact in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this indicator, Padua ranks first among Italian universities.
“The results of the QS World University Rankings: Europe confirm the strength of the University of Padua’s international positioning and, in particular, the quality of our academic and scientific relationships at both European and global levels,” commented Rector Daniela Mapelli. “Performance in indicators related to academic reputation, the international research network, and student mobility reflects a long-term strategy focused on internationalization, the attractiveness of joint degree programmes, and the development of structured collaborations with high-profile partners.”
In recent days, the THE World University Rankings by subject 2026 were also published, in which the University of Padua confirms a solid global performance across the 11 subjects considered, entering the world top 100 for Psychology, and further improving, compared to the previous edition, in two other subjects: Business and Economics and Physical Sciences.
The methodology of the QS World University Rankings: Europe differs in part from that of the broader QS World University Rankings (WUR). In particular, new indicators related to international student mobility are introduced, both inbound (Inbound Exchange Students) and outbound (Outbound Exchange Students). In addition, some indicators already included in the WUR are assigned different weights: for example, the student-to-faculty ratio is reduced from 10% to 5%, while the capacity for international research collaboration (International Research Network) increases from 5% to 10%.
The University of Padua publishes its results and the methodologies used in a dedicated section of its institutional Ranking web portal: www.unipd.it/ranking.
