ELTE is the Best University in Hungary in Both Humanities and Natural Sciences

The 2024 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject published on 10 April features 55 subjects across five broad subject areas. More than 16,000 academic programmes offered by 1,500 higher education institutions in nearly 100 countries have been ranked across these subjects this year. The rankings are based on five indicators, namely academic and employer reputation, research citations per paper, the Hirsch Index, and international research network. The details of the methodology used for compiling the rankings are available here.

In the five broad subject areas, ELTE is ranked No. 221 in Arts and Humanities – as compared to No. 262 in 2023 – and No. 298 in Natural Sciences, which makes it the best higher education institution in Hungary in both fields. In Social Sciences and Management, ELTE (No. 401–450) is the second best Hungarian institution after Corvinus (No. 389), while the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (No. 501–550) is the third institution from Hungary to be included in the rankings in this subject area. In Life Sciences and Medicine, our university has entered the rankings by subject area for the first time (ranked No. 501–550), taking fourth place in Hungary preceded by Semmelweis University (No. 281), the University of Debrecen (No. 401–450), and the University of Szeged (No. 401–450).

A total of 45 academic programmes offered by 10 Hungarian universities are included in the ranking of 55 subjects. Similar to last year, ELTE has been ranked among the world’s leading universities in 15 disciplines, and it is the only higher education institution from Hungary in 10 subjects (i.e. linguistics, psychology, archaeology, geology, geophysics, history, modern languages, English language and literature, education and training, and law), and it shares first place with Budapest University of Technology and Economics in mathematics. In two fields (computer science, physics and astronomy), our university is a runner-up, whereas in biology and chemistry, it is the third best university in Hungary according to the QS rankings.

Enlisted below are the positions obtained by ELTE in the 15 relevant subjects on the global and national levels.

Our university has improved its position since last year in modern languages, computer science, education, and history. In the latter discipline, ELTE is a new entrant in the QS Rankings by Subject, and our IT programmes have made a considerable leap up the rankings from last year’s No. 401–500 to No. 351–400.

The full lists of the QS Rankings by Subject for 2024 are available here, and ELTE’s position in the national and international rankings is presented in this summary.

International outlook

On top of the cumulative rankings we find the United States, with universities leading the rankings in 32 disciplines. Harvard University is the world’s strongest performing institution, first in 19 disciplines. It is followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), leading in four subjects. UK higher education institutions came first in 16 disciplines (with Oxford University leading in four subjects). China ranks in the top-10 for eight disciplines, of which the best position (No. 5) was achieved by Tshingua University in the History of Art. Universities in France performed particularly well in terms of international research collaboration, while Oman made the largest overall improvement in the rankings according to the QS report.

“An international outlook remains paramount, manifested through diversity of students, faculty body and research relationships. Additionally, universities experiencing upward mobility have benefited from sustained, targeted investment, highlighting the importance of government support. Meanwhile, the development of partnerships with industry correlates with improved performance in employment and research,” said QS Senior Vice-President Ben Sowte.