University of Leeds ranks highest in the UK with the most courses in the QS rankings

The University of Leeds has ranked highest in the UK with the most courses in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject ranks the world’s top universities in individual subject areas, covering 55 disciplines.

University’s scores are based on lots of different factors, including academic reputation, employer reputation and how often the research is cited.

However, unlike other league tables in the UK, the QS Rankings doesn’t take into account what students think about their university.

The University’s top-ranking subjects globally are:

• Geology – joint 11th
• Earth Sciences – 12th
• Geophysics – 12th
• Development Studies – 18th
• Petroleum Engineering – 18th

Professor Paul Johnson, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Environment and Faculty of Social Sciences, said: “These brilliant results demonstrate the truly world-leading activities of colleagues across the schools which, combined together, make Leeds the powerhouse that it is.

“Colleagues should feel so proud of their outstanding work and collective enterprise that has resulted in this important recognition.”

Here is a list of the top 12 universities which featured in the most subject league tables this year:

1. University of Leeds – 49 subjects

2. University of Edinburgh – 48 subjects

3. University of Cambridge – 47 subjects

=4. University of Manchester – 46 subjects

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=4. University of Glasgow – 46 subjects

=4. University College London (UCL) – 46 subjects

=7. University of Birmingham – 45 subjects

=7. University of Nottingham – 45 subjects

9. University of Sheffield – 44 subjects

10. University of Bristol – 44 subjects

11. University of Oxford – 43 subjects

12. Newcastle University – 41 subjects

Professor Hai Sui Yu, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “I am pleased to see the University’s excellence recognised and I’d like to thank the colleagues responsible for our impressive gains.

“These rankings demonstrate our broad expertise as well as individual areas of strength. We also recognise that some subjects have dropped, and it is important for us to analyse the information and understand and act on the reasons for that.

“We are proud of our reputation at Leeds, and these results demonstrate the value of a Leeds degree to our students – past, present and future.”

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