ONCE AGAIN, CU IS THE ONLY SLOVAK UNIVERSITY IN THE TOP THOUSAND OF THE QS WUR AND THE IMPACT RANKINGS
Bratislava, 19 June 2025: Today, the QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) 2026 published its assessment of the world’s top universities. Comenius University Bratislava (CU) was ranked 684th. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THE Impact Rankings) 2025 also published new results, with CU ranked in the shared 601st–800th position. CU is also the highest-ranked Slovak university in both rankings.
The QS World University Rankings is one of the world’s leading university rankings and has been evaluating universities since 2004. This year, the ranking listed the 1,501 best higher education institutions out of a total of 8,467 evaluated institutions from 106 locations worldwide. In this edition, the QS WUR tightened its evaluation methodology, assessing universities according to ten criteria with different weights. The world’s top universities are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Imperial College London, and Stanford University.
In addition to CU, five other Slovak universities appeared in the ranking. Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Technical University of Košice, and University of Žilina all ranked jointly in the 1001st–1200th range. The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra was ranked in the 1201st–1400th range.
CU has participated in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings since 2019, when THE began mapping higher education institutions’ progress on 17 indicatores reflecting the path towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CU maintained its position amid growing competition among 2,526 evaluated institutions from 130 countries and regions. Australia’s Western Sydney University leads the global ranking for the fourth year in a row, followed by the University of Manchester in the UK, with South Korea’s Kyungpook National University (KNU) in third place.
CU was ranked in the shared 101st–200th range for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). The university also performed well in SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), ranking 86th. CU was also ranked in SDG 4 (Quality Education) in the 1001st–1500th place range. In the mandatory SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), CU ranked 1001st–1500th.
Five Slovak higher education institutions were ranked in the sixth edition of THE Impact Rankings. Alongside CU, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Technical University of Košice, and the University of Economics in Bratislava were all ranked in the shared 1001st–1500th range, and the University of Žilina once again confirmed its position in the 1501+ range.
“We are pleased that we have been ranked first among Slovak universities in the current rankings. This success reflects the commitment of our staff, students, and graduates. Through the collective efforts of all of us Comenius University is able to form an exceptional community. Rankings are just one way of comparing the success of higher education institutions; we will continue to focus on what matters most: top-level research, preparing experts for practice, and serving society,” said Marek Števček, Rector od Comenius University Bratislava.
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Comenius University Bratislava is the only Slovak university to be ranked in all major evaluation rankings. In the 2026 QS World University Rankings it achieved 684th place. In the Round University Ranking 2025, it holds 475th place. CU ranked 739th in the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) 2025, placing it among the top 3.5% of universities worldwide. The ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) assigned it the 901st–1000th place range. In the prestigious Best Global Universities ranking, it is ranked 806th, and in physics, it holds 299th place. The SCImago ranking places it at 3,327th. In the NTU Ranking (National Taiwan University Rankings), it is in the 951st–1000th range; in physics, it ranks 351st–400th globally. In the Three University Missions MosIUR 2024 ranking, it is 278th; THE Impact Rankings places it in the 601st–800th range. The THE WUR ranks CU in the 1201st–1500th place range. The RankPro World University Ranking placed it 181st. In the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS), CU ranks 401st–500th in physics. The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 lists CU in the 601st–650th range in medicine and the 601st–675th range in physics.