Our University recognised among top 100 globally across 10 subject areas
26 Jan 2026
THE World University Rankings by Subject (WURS) – a testament to our high level of teaching and research excellence – will inform our strategic plan, Manchester 2035.
The University of Manchester has been recognised for its commitment to academic excellence in research and teaching by Times Higher Education (THE), with 10 subjects ranking in the top 100 in the THE World University Rankings by Subject (WURS) for 2026.
The University ranked in the top 50 globally for four subjects, including Arts & Humanities (41), Business & Economics (41) and Social Sciences (32). The University received its highest ranking for Engineering, taking 5th place in the UK ranking and 48th globally.
The University saw its ranking improve in three subjects compared to the previous rankings, including Social Sciences (by 5 to 32), Arts & Humanities (by 2 to 41) and Physical Sciences (by 4 to 51).
The THE subject rankings cover 148 individual disciplines under broad subject areas. The methodology judges universities based on five core pillars of evaluation: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry.
Vice-President for Research, Professor Colette Fagan said: “This global subject ranking is testament to the high level of teaching and research excellence this University prides itself on. We use global rankings to inform our evaluation of our current offering and strategic plans to ensure we are providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their chosen fields, both at the University and beyond.”
Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, Professor Jenn Hallam added: “Following the recent launch of our 2035 strategy, we are collectively working to meet our big ambitions of making learning flexible, personalised and digitally-enabled, and allowing students to co-create their study on their own terms. These rankings are useful in demonstrating where we are, and where we would like to be, to ensure we keep building on the high-quality teaching we deliver to our talented students.”
Right now The University of Manchester ranks 8th in the UK and 56th in the world in the THE World University Rankings for 2026. The prestigious rankings evaluate more than 2,000 institutions from 115 countries and territories.
In the QS World University Rankings 2026, The University of Manchester ranks 7th in the UK and 35th in the world, while the University also ranks first in the UK and second in the world in the THE Impact Rankings.
As part of From Manchester for the world we are taking action to improve our research and teaching, and how this is captured in global rankings, focusing our attention on our placement in the QS World University Rankings overall and by Subject, while also tracking the Times Higher World University Rankings and Academic Ranking of World Universities. A townhall on our approach to rankings will be held in Spring 2026.