According to the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings - Europe, the University of Bologna ranks 17th in Europe for academic reputation. Academic Reputation is the most influential indicator in the ranking, accounting for 30% of the overall score, and measures universities’ international standing based on the opinions of academic experts worldwide.
Overall, the University of Bologna ranks 59th in Europe and second in Italy, with an overall result that places it ahead of 94% of the universities included in the ranking, improving on last year’s 93%. This result comes against the backdrop of a significant increase in the number of institutions included in the ranking, which rose from 685 universities in 2025 to 958 in 2026 (with the number of Italian universities increasing from 51 to 64).
Alongside academic reputation, the University’s other key strengths include Outbound Exchange Students, where it ranks 27th in Europe; its International Research Network, with a 45th place; and its Employer Reputation, ranking 52nd in Europe.
These strong results are also reflected at national level, where the University of Bologna ranks second in Italy for academic reputation, employer reputation and international research outlook. It is also worth highlighting the University’s third place in Italy for Sustainability and for Employment Outcomes.
The University of Bologna’s leading role at both national and international level is confirmed by the major academic rankings. The latest QS Rankings by Subject place the University of Bologna in the global top 100 in 21 disciplines, and first in Italy in 19 disciplines. In addition, the Times Higher Education ranking has placed the University of Bologna first in Italy in each of its last five editions. As for sustainability, the GreenMetric ranking places the University ninth worldwide and, for the ninth consecutive year, first in Italy.
The new edition of the QS World University Rankings – Europe is based on 1.5 million academic reputation surveys and 520,000 employer reputation surveys, combined with the analysis of more than 19.8 million scientific publications and 200 million citations.
