The University of Montpellier confirms its international reputation in the QS 2026 rankings

[Press release] - Published on June 30, 2025 in Press Room

Following the publication of the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2026 on June 19, the University of Montpellier has consolidated its position among the world's top 500 universities, climbing an impressive 18 places in the rankings despite ever-increasing competition from Asian universities. This international recognition highlights the excellence of its teaching and research, particularly in the fields of environmental sciences and agriculture. More broadly, France appears as the fourth most represented higher education system in the EU in this ranking.

A benchmark ranking for global higher education

The QS World University Rankings, published annually by the British firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), is now one of the three leading global rankings, alongside the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU) and Times Higher Education (THE). The 2026 edition ranks more than 1,500 universities worldwide, after analyzing more than 5,600 candidate institutions.

To establish this ranking, QS uses nine performance indicators: academic reputation (30%), employer reputation (15%), faculty/student ratio (10%), citations per Professor 20%), international research network (5%), graduate employability (5%), proportion of international students and staff (10%), and an indicator of impact in terms of sustainable development (5%).

The University of Montpellier: an internationally recognized academic institution

The ranking of topics for 2026 suggests equally promising performance. The university is thus continuing its drive for continuous improvement, with the ambition of strengthening its visibility and impact in scientific and academic fields. Pending the publication of these results, the University of Montpellier ranked highly in 2025 in a number of subject areas, such as agriculture and forestry (^75th worldwide) and biological sciences (^94th worldwide). It also ranks in the top 100 in subjects such as earth and marine sciences, environmental sciences, life sciences, geophysics, and geology.

The University of Montpellier also stands out in various international rankings.

The UM also ranks in the Shanghai ranking, which covers several topics, placing it among the top 200 universities in the world. It also ranks in the THE Impact Ranking, which measures the commitment and performance of higher education institutions in terms of sustainable development. In its^sixth edition, the UM maintains its first place among French institutions and ranks among the top 101-200 institutions worldwide for its long-standing commitment to sustainable development. This year, it ranks in the top 50 worldwide for two objectives related to the institution's major themes: feeding, caring for, and protecting. Indeed, UM stands out in the sustainable development goal (SDG) "good health and well-being," ranking^30thworldwide and^1st in France. In addition, UM has made significant progress on the SDG "life below water," ranking^30thworldwide and^{once again 1st} nationally, demonstrating once again UM's excellence in ecology.

Finally, the University of Montpellier maintains its status in the CWTS Leiden Ranking. This ranking, which provides important information on the scientific performance of more than 1,500 leading universities worldwide, is based on scientific publications and their citations. In the 2024 world ranking, the University of Montpellier once again confirms its scientific influence both nationally and internationally, ranking^4th nationally (first university outside Paris) and^203rd worldwide.

According to Reuters' ranking of the most innovative universities, the University of Montpellier is the second most innovative university in France and ranks^17th in Europe.