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U of T ranked among the world’s best across 32 subjects by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Jul 25, 2022
An aerial view looking down University Avenue in Toronto.
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The 2022 ShanghaiRanking by subject, the latest subject ranking by the independent ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, have placed the University of Toronto in the top 10 globally in eight subjects: sociology (4th); medical technology (6th); psychology (7th); pharmacy and pharmaceutical science (8th); education (10th); finance (10th); public health (10th); and statistics (10th).

Moreover, U of T was among a handful of elite schools that ranked in the top 25 for 21 different subjects – an achievement matched only by the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Stanford University and Tsinghua University. 

The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 also ranked U of T first in Canada in more subjects – 31 – than any other university in the country.

We are immensely proud to see the University of Toronto recognized for its expertise across such a diverse array of disciplines. Very few universities can match this sheer breadth of excellence.
The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 ranked U of T first in Canada in more subjects – 31 – than any other university in the country.

“We are immensely proud to see the University of Toronto recognized for its expertise across such a diverse array of disciplines – a testament to the high quality of scholarship and research generated by our world-class faculty.” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

“Very few universities can match the sheer breadth of U of T’s excellence, from the medical sciences and engineering to the social sciences and humanities.”

Now in its sixth year, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 assessed more than 5,000 universities in 54 subject areas spanning the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences.

The rankings measure the performance of universities in terms of research output, quality and influence; international collaboration; and academic awards. Bibliometric data are used to develop the majority of indicators and are complemented with data on faculty honours and awards. Each subject has a different mix of indicator weightings and thresholds for inclusion, depending on the nature of the data being used.

We are immensely proud to see the University of Toronto recognized for its expertise across such a diverse array of disciplines. Very few universities can match this sheer breadth of excellence.
The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 ranked U of T first in Canada in more subjects – 31 – than any other university in the country.

In all, U of T ranked in 51 of the ShanghaiRanking’s 54 subject areas, up one from last year, and was the only university ranked among the world’s top 100 in 46 subjects. The university’s ranking moved up in 19 subjects, declined in 14 subjects and remained unchanged in 17 subjects. 

U of T placed in the world’s top 50 in 32 subjects. Only five universities were ranked among the top 50 in more subjects – Harvard University, the University of Michigan, MIT, Stanford University and the University of Washington. 

The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022 comes on the heels of U of T’s strong performance in another prestigious, subject-focused ranking – the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022. In the QS ranking, U of T placed first in Canada across all five subject areas and was the only university in the world to rank in the top 50 for 46 specific subjects. 

The ShanghaiRanking Consultancy also produces the influential Academic Ranking of World Universities, the most recent edition of which saw U of T ranked Canada’s top university and 22nd in the world. 

Overall, U of T continues to be one of the world’s top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings: U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities, Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, and National Taiwan University World University Rankings. 

By Rahul Kalvapalle