Discover the 2025 World University Rankings by Subject: Key Results Unveiled!

World University Rankings by Subject 2025

This year’s World University Rankings by Subject highlights ongoing concerns about the humanities. However, these fields remain vital for top universities.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken the lead in arts and humanities, along with business, economics, and social sciences. This marks a significant shift after nearly ten years of Stanford University holding the top position in these areas.

While MIT is renowned for its STEM programs, it has excelled in the arts, achieving high scores in important categories like research quality and international outlook. As a result, MIT has climbed to second place overall in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, making it the highest-ranked institution in the US.

Top Rankings by Subject:

• Arts and Humanities: MIT
• Business and Economics: MIT
• Computer Science: University of Oxford
• Education Studies: Stanford University
• Engineering: Harvard University
• Law: Stanford University
• Life Sciences: Harvard University
• Medical and Health: University of Oxford
• Physical Sciences: California Institute of Technology
• Psychology: Stanford University
• Social Sciences: MIT

Stanford leads in education studies, law, and psychology, while Harvard excels in engineering and life sciences. Caltech tops the physical sciences category, and Oxford claims the top spots in computer science and medical fields.

Although no universities from Asia ranked first in any subject, several made strong showings. Institutions from China and Singapore appear in the top 50 across all subjects, with Hong Kong represented in nine and Japan in eight. The best Asian performance is in business and economics, where Peking University and Tsinghua University secured fourth and sixth places, respectively.

The National University of Singapore is also notable, ranking ninth in engineering and breaking into the top 10 for physical sciences for the first time, at tenth place.

This diverse representation in the rankings showcases a “multipolar higher education world,” according to Simon Marginson, a professor at the University of Oxford. He noted that as more countries rise in academic capacity, the relative standings of institutions in the Anglosphere and Western Europe may change, not due to declining quality, but because of increased competition.

Professor Marginson pointed out that the rise of East and South-East Asian education systems is a result of factors like increased student enrollment, government investment, and focused management strategies. These developments have strengthened their universities over the last two decades.

In the arts category, MIT was closely followed by Cambridge and Oxford, with strong showings from various US and UK institutions. The highest-ranked university outside Europe or North America is the National University of Singapore, positioned at 25. Peking and Tsinghua universities dropped to 38th and 39th places, respectively.

Experts suggest that Asia’s top-performing universities have yet to break into the overall top 10 due to various challenges, particularly in the arts and humanities. Futao Huang from the Research Institute for Higher Education at Hiroshima University highlights a historical disparity in focus on practical disciplines over the arts.

He argues that while STEM-focused schools like Caltech showcase the potential for global excellence, the arts and humanities are crucial for nurturing well-rounded graduates and enhancing cultural diversity. Joseph Chinyong Liow from Nanyang Technological University stresses that for a university to be considered truly world-class, a strong arts and humanities program is necessary, although this is often overlooked in universities that emphasize interdisciplinary studies.

Language also plays a role in the visibility of Asian institutions in the humanities. Much of the discourse in these fields is dominated by English, creating barriers for non-English-speaking universities. Despite these challenges, there are signs of progress. European and North American universities made up 80% of the arts and humanities rankings in 2021, but this number dropped to 70% in 2025, with Asian institutions claiming 16% of the top 750 spots, up from just 9% four years ago.

To further bolster their standings, Huang suggests that Asian nations invest more in the arts and humanities, promote academic freedom, and develop policies that elevate these disciplines to the same level as STEM fields.