Recently, the „QS World University Ranking 2026“ was released. The ranking by the company „QS Quacquarelli Symonds“ is considered one of the three most significant university rankings worldwide. This year's list evaluated 1,501 universities from various countries, including 48 from Germany. According to FAU, which is ranked 232nd, the ranking is among the most important international rankings, alongside the „Times Higher Education Ranking“ and the „Shanghai Ranking“.
What is being evaluated?
Each ranking measures different parameters. Half of the QS ranking is determined by research parameters. In particular, factors like “academic reputation” and “citations per faculty” greatly influence the ranking. Another significant portion (20 percent) involves the reputation of universities among employers and the career prospects of graduates. With 15 percent, global engagement - meaning the university's international orientation - is also reflected in the ranking. Sustainability aspects play a role as well, though a lesser one at five percent.
Direct teaching receives relatively little attention: the “learning experience” contributes only ten percent to the ranking, measured by the student-to-faculty ratio. In this area, FAU actually fares worse in an international comparison. The university emphasizes, upon request, that international rankings are heavily geared toward the Anglo-Saxon university system and thus only partially transferable to German colleges. Especially in the category “student-to-faculty ratio,” private U.S. universities perform very well due to their “low student-to-teacher ratios.” In Germany, however, many teaching-related research positions, like those found at FAU, are not captured in the rankings, even though they significantly contribute to teaching. As a result, the actual support ratio is considerably better than what is depicted in the ranking.
In which categories does the FAU excel?
FAU particularly excels in the "Citations per Researcher" category, securing the 59th spot globally. According to the university, this underscores its international research strength. Additionally, FAU improved by 56 positions in employer reputation, now ranking 290th. The academic reputation also saw an uptick, with the university placing 316th in the international ranking.
And how does FAU fare in the Germany-wide comparison?
In the national ranking, FAU holds 14th place out of 47, while the Technical University of Munich and Ludwig Maximilian University lead the list. In the "Citations per Faculty" category, FAU takes the top spot nationwide. For the categories "International Students" and "Sustainability," FAU ranks 9th and 14th, respectively. In the "Employer Reputation" category, it improved its position from 18th to 13th. Currently, the university states its focus is on improving employment-related parameters. These measure how successful a university is in educating its graduates and the societal impact they have post-study.