University of Padua among the top 50 universities in the world
25.03.2026
The University of Padua confirms its competitiveness in the international academic landscape according to the results of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, a ranking produced by the international agency QS Quacquarelli Symonds that analyzes the performance of universities worldwide across individual academic disciplines.
Out of 6,277 institutions analyzed globally—of which 1,912 were included in the published results and 300 entered the ranking for the first time—the University ranks in 40 out of the 54 disciplines evaluated. This result highlights the breadth and quality of the research and education system developed by the University of Padua.
Particularly significant is the University’s presence in the top tiers of the international ranking: 2 disciplines are placed among the top 50 worldwide, and another 10 fall within the global top 100, confirming a strong concentration of excellence across several scientific fields.
The most prestigious result is achieved in Psychology, which enters the global top 50 and simultaneously ranks first in Italy, confirming the University’s national leadership in this field. Alongside this, Veterinary Science is also in the global top 50, further demonstrating the strength of the Life Sciences area.
Within the global top 100—and also ranked first in Italy—are two Earth Sciences disciplines: Geology & Geophysics and Earth & Marine Sciences, confirming the strong dynamism of the Natural Sciences sector within the University.
Other disciplines in the global top 100 include Agriculture & Forestry, ranked 66th in the world and second in Italy; Archaeolog and Physics & Astronomy, highlighting the University of Padua’s multidisciplinary strength.
Also within the global top 100, History stands out for its national leadership in the scientific citations indicator, ranking joint first in Italy. Anatomy & Physiology achieves a shared first place nationally, supported by particularly strong bibliometric performance, with the University leading in Italy both in number of citations and H-index. Statistics & Operational Research also confirms its position as a national co-leader, with excellent bibliometric indicators.
Among the most notable results of the 2026 edition is the debut of Data Science in the ranking, within the Engineering & Technology area. In this field, the University of Padua ranks third in Italy, immediately standing out for the high citation volumes of its scientific output—an indicator of the growing international relevance of its research activities in this sector.
“The results of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026,” comments Daniela Mapelli, “confirm the University of Padua’s ability to compete at the highest levels in the international academic landscape. The presence of numerous disciplines in the top tiers of the ranking and the achievement of a global Top 50 position in strategic fields such as psychology and veterinary sciences represent an important recognition of the work carried out by our academic community. These results reflect the quality of research developed at our University and its growing relevance in the global scientific context.”
The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, the final release of the QS2026 cycle, analyzes the same dataset used for the QS World University Rankings published in June 2025. It evaluates universities across individual disciplines based on several indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per publication, H-index, and international research networks. The disciplines are grouped into five broad areas: Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.
