2023 Shanghai Ranking: The University of Montpellier Solidifies Its Position in the Top 200
The University of Montpellier has solidified its position among the world’s top 200 universities in the Shanghai Ranking, published on August 15, 2023, by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China). Already recognized for seven years as a global leader in ecology, these strong results demonstrate its ability to make an impact worldwide and meet international standards of excellence in research and education.
Eagerly anticipated each year, the Shanghai Ranking (also known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities) has served as a global ranking of higher education institutions since 2003. An essential reference in the academic world, it ranks the best universities globally (among 1,800 institutions) based on a single index calculated from six quantitative criteria, including the number of publications in prestigious scientific journals (Nature and Science), the number of citations of researchers, the number of Nobel Prize winners in science and Fields Medalists, the renown of alumni and faculty, and more. The Shanghai Ranking thus lists the top 100 universities; beyond that, it ranks institutions in “bands” of 50 up to the200th position, then in bands of 100 up to the500th position, which concludes the list.
The University of Montpellier: a very positive overall trend since 2016!
The 2023 edition of the Shanghai Ranking once again highlights the University of Montpellier’s very positive overall momentum, as it has been ranked among the world’s top 151–200 universities for the fifth consecutive year. Since 2016, when UM was ranked in the top 400, and based on the results of the 2023 edition, it is clear that the University of Montpellier, thanks in particular to its I-SITE Excellence Program, is a major player in higher education, Research innovation in France.
“I am delighted once again this year to see the University of Montpellier rank among the world’s top universities. These strong results in the Shanghai Ranking, as well as in all other global rankings, reflect an ambitious policy of excellence that has been in place for several years, one that relies on the talent and significant dedication of our teams of researchers andProfessors, whom I would also like to congratulate. These results also stem from the exceptional resources allocated to research and education under the I-SITE Excellence Program, a project carried out in collaboration with all our partners. They also attest to the strength of our scientific community here in our region, which enables us both to address the major global challenges of the 21st century and to act on these critical issues with greater effectiveness—thereby feeding, caring for, and protecting populations and ecosystems—while allowing French research to have an even greater global impact,” stated Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.
In addition to these strong results in the Shanghai Ranking, UM also stands out in various international rankings
According to the THE Impact Ranking by *Times Higher Education*, UM ranks first among French institutions and is listed in the overall ranking among the world’s top 101–200 institutions. UM ranks in the global top 100 for four Sustainable Development Goals and holds the top spot in France for two of them, aligned with the institution’s core themes: feeding, healthcare, and protection. It is the top French institution for goals related to health, well-being, and reducing inequalities, as well as the top French institution for the goal related to life below water.
The University of Montpellier maintains its standing in the CWTS Leiden Ranking. This ranking, which provides key insights into the scientific performance of more than 1,500 leading universities worldwide, is based on scientific publications and their citations. In the 2023 global ranking of the most cited publications (+10%), published on June 21, the University of Montpellier moved up three spots compared to 2022, rising from7th to4th place among the 30 French universities listed. It is also thetop university in the country in the “Life and Earth Sciences” field, both in terms of total number of publications and the “Top 10%” criterion. This remarkable national ranking is mirrored at the European level: the University of Montpellier ranks9th in terms of publication volume (12th for the “Top 10%”) in the “Life and Earth Sciences” field, and59th (54th for the “Top 10%”) across all scientific fields.
According to the Reuters ranking of the most innovative universities, the University of Montpellier ranks first among French universities and 17th in Europe.