Manchester retains leading global position in QS World University Rankings

19 Jun.

2025

The University of Manchester has retained its position among the world’s leading universities, according to new rankings announced on Thursday 19 June.

The annual QS World University Rankings evaluate over 8,000 institutions around the world, based on several different indicators including academic reputation, citations, employment outcomes and sustainability.

While the University has dropped one place to 35th globally, 11th in Europe and 7th in the UK, its performance has improved with higher scores in eight out of the ten assessment indicators used by QS. Most notably, the University achieved an outstanding score of 99.5 in the new ‘International Student Diversity’ measure.

Manchester’s global academic reputation also continues to rise. The University is now ranked 31st in the world for academic reputation - up two places from last year - placing it among an elite group of globally respected institutions.

The results reflect the University’s international profile and continued excellence in research, with other standout performances in indicators such as the International Research Network and International Students, which both received scores above 99.4.

Manchester is now ranked 7th globally for its international research collaborations - up from 12th last year - and remains in the QS global top 10 for sustainability, ranked 9th in the world.

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These results reinforce our global standing and reflect the world-leading work taking place across the University. Although we want to see improvement in our overall ranking, I am pleased with the progress we've made in areas that matter deeply to us - our international reach, our research excellence and our commitment to sustainability.

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Ivison

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“It’s encouraging to see Manchester climb to 7th in the world for international research collaboration,” said Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research. “The University’s research excellence is rooted in a culture of curiosity, collaboration and purpose, and the international collaborations of our academics across the globe is crucial for advancing research and tackling some of the major issues facing the world today.”

The University’s social and environmental impact is ranked in the top ten globally with the university being the only institution in the world in the top 10 in for both the QS World University Sustainability Rankings and Times Higher Education Impact Rankings). In 2025, the University was ranked in first place in the UK and Europe and second in the world for benefitting society and the environment by Times Higher Education for the third year running.

For further information, visit the QS World University Rankings website.

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