For seven years in a row, the University of Bologna has held its position as the top-ranked Italian university in the World University Rankings by Times Higher Education (THE), one of the most renowned and respected international university rankings.
Worldwide, the University of Bologna has climbed 19 positions, moving from 130th to 111th. The result confirms a positive trend and is particularly significant in light of the expansion of the ranking: the number of universities included has risen from 2,191 in the 2026 edition to 2,297 in the 2027 edition, an increase of 106 institutions. Considering that there are 26.000 universities in the world, the University of Bologna soundly sits among the 1% best universities on a global level.
“The University of Bologna’s position as the top university in Italy for the seventh consecutive year, together with its improved position in the global ranking, is an important recognition,” comments Rector Giovanni Molari “This result reflects the commitment of our community and the quality of its work in an increasingly broad and competitive international context. Moving up 19 places is testament to the University of Bologna’s continued development and encourages us to further strengthen the quality of our research and teaching, as well as our international dimension.”
The THE World University Rankings assesses university performance using 18 indicators grouped into five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. The methodology combines data provided by universities with the results of an international reputation survey and an analysis of scientific publications and citations indexed in Elsevier’s Scopus database.
