QS World University Rankings 2027: The University of Freiburg ranks among the top 10 nationally across several indicators

In the latest World University Rankings published by the British company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the University of Freiburg is ranked 14th nationally. Internationally, it is ranked 245th out of more than 1,500 universities listed.

The University of Freiburg ranks amongst the top ten German universities in three indicators. In the Sustainability indicator, it ranks 5th nationally, having improved by two places compared with the previous year. In terms of the proportion of international researchers (indicator International Faculty Ratio), the University of Freiburg is ranked 6th nationally, as in the previous year. In the indicator Employment Outcomes, the University of Freiburg has also improved by two places nationally compared with the previous year, placing it 9th in Germany.

Methodology of the QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings assess universities on the basis of nine indicators across five areas. In the category Research and Discovery, the indicators include Academic Reputation (30 per cent) and Citations per Faculty (20 per cent). To assess the category Employability and Outcomes, the indicators Employer Reputation (15 per cent) and Employment Outcomes (5 per cent) are taken into account. The area of Global Engagement is assessed on the basis of International Faculty Ratio and International Student Ratio (5 per cent each) as well as the indicator International Research Network in the form of joint publications (5 per cent). For the latter, Elsevier’s Scopus database is used. The assessment of the category Sustainability is based on the results in the QS Sustainability Rankings (5 per cent). The area of Learning Experience is assessed on the basis of the indicator Faculty Student Ratio (10 per cent).