University of Birmingham ranks among world’s best universities

The University of Birmingham ranks amongst the best performing research-intensive universities in the world – with six areas placing in the Top 50 of the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject.

A further 20 subjects are in the top 100, with disciplines ranging from Medicine to Performing Arts and Chemical Engineering to Sociology (which improved by 24 places to 76th). Life Sciences & Medicine, and Arts & Humanities are also in the top 75.

Dentistry, English, Theology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Linguistics all place in the Top 50, whilst Sport maintains its place in the top 10 globally (8).

Birmingham has a reputation for providing a world-class sports training environment, not only for its own international student-athletes, but also for hosting international athletes ahead of world sporting events. The University of Birmingham will see athletes battling it out for spots at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, as this season’s British World 10,000m trials will now be held at the University’s athletics track on June 14. The University also provided competition venues for squash and hockey during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

In 1946, Birmingham became the first UK university to offer a degree in Sport &Exercise Sciences, extending the original focus on Physical Education. Today, as the 125th anniversary of the university is celebrated, the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences offers a range of study options at undergraduate, Masters and PhD level.

Professor Deborah Longworth, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University of Birmingham commented: “As the University of Birmingham celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, our students continue to benefit from an outstanding research-intensive education that develops the knowledge, skills and attributes sought after by employers and delivers great career prospects for our graduates.

“With 26 subject areas in the top 100 – six of which are in the top 50, with sports-related subjects in the top 10 – the rankings recognise Birmingham as a place for leading scientists, professionals and students who want to be involved in world-class research and achieve a degree that will enhance professional opportunities around the world.”

Birmingham was revealed as the UK university most targeted by the country’s leading graduate employers, according to ‘The Graduate Market in 2024’. This survey of almost 1,600 universities world-wide underscores Birmingham’ s reputation as a destination of choice for those wishing to secure a top-flight career in many areas.

The QS World University Rankings are the most used global rankings and are a measure of a university’s global reputation.

This year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject cover 60 academic disciplines, in each of which more than 1,500 universities are assessed. If the institution offers the subject and produces enough research papers, it will be given a score.

From these scores, a ranking table is produced to display anything from the leading 50 to the leading 500 institutions by subject. The rankings are compiled using indicators selected to assess institutions’ international reputation in each subject area, plus research impact.

The University of Birmingham sits amongst the best-performing research-intensive universities in the world, sustaining increases in the QS World University Rankings 2024 to rank at 80, and also climbing in the 2025 THE World University Rankings to sit at 93rd globally. The latest THE placing reflects the University’s sustained improvement over the last seven years - moving steadily upwards from 141st in the 2018 THE World University Rankings.

One of the measures in the QS Rankings is the IRN (International Research Network) Rank. The University of Birmingham is ranked 31st - its strongest performing area, demonstrating excellent international research connectivity and collaboration. This indicates very effective global research partnerships and networks.

Birmingham also continues to perform strongly in the 2025 QS World University Rankings for Sustainability. Now ranked 38th globally, the University of Birmingham has maintained its position at 14th in the UK, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring its research, education and operations make major contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target.

The QS World University Rankings measures a university’s global reputation and is the most used international league table. Marking universities with a score out of 100, the Sustainability category demonstrates which institutions are leading the way in social responsibility and environmental sustainability.