Cardiff ranks among world’s best universities in major global rankings

Cardiff University has been recognised among the best performing universities in the world with eight subjects ranked in the Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Three subjects are placed in the Top 50, with a further five in the Top 100 highlighting Cardiff’s international reputation for research and teaching excellence across a range of disciplines.

The subjects ranked in the Top 100 are:

• Communication and Media Studies (37)
• Dentistry (=41)
• Architecture/Built Environment (=50)
• English Language and Literature (=62)
• Psychology (=79)
• Archaeology (51-100)
• Geography (51-100)
• Nursing (51-100)

Cardiff has also increased the number of subjects in the 101-150 ranking, with 11 now featuring in this band including Medicine, Modern Languages, Statistics and Operational Research and Earth and Marine Sciences.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner said: “Cardiff is a university built on curiosity and the conviction that learning and discovery can change lives. We know that our brilliant academics are leaders in their fields, creating knowledge and ideas that future generations will depend on – and these rankings reflect their dedication and expertise.

“We’re proud that our students are part of that journey and that we can immerse them in discovery, vibrant learning and future-proofed teaching.”

The results form part of a period of strong progress for the University across major global and national rankings. Over the last year Cardiff has risen in a string of league tables including the Complete University Guide, where it is ranked as one of top 25 institutions in the UK, and a climb to 181^st in the world in the influential QS World Rankings. It also came top for overall satisfaction in the 2025 Global Student Satisfaction Awards, and was named the number one university in Wales, according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.

The QS World Rankings by Subject are compiled annually to help prospective students identify the leading universities in a particular subject.

This year, QS analysed the reputation and research output of 6,273 institutions. From this group, 1,912 were ranked across 55 disciplines and five broad subject areas, creating over 21,000 entries.