U of T ranks among top 20 globally across all five broad fields in QS World University Rankings by Subject

Apr 15, 2024

The university is ranked 10th in the world for arts and humanities in 2024

An overhead view of three people inspecting old books at a table — *Photo by Matthew Volpe*.

The University of Toronto is ranked among the top 20 universities globally across all five broad subject fields featured in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 – including a coveted top-10 spot for arts and humanities.

The rankings, compiled by London-based analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluate universities’ performance across five broad subject fields and 55 more specific subjects.

In the five broad fields, U of T ranked 10th in arts and humanities, 12th in social sciences and management, 13th in life sciences and medicine, 17th in engineering and technology and 19th in natural sciences.

It also made the global top 10 in seven more specific subject areas: sports-related subjects (5th), nursing (5th), education (8th), data science (9th), English language and literature (10th), mineral and mining engineering (10th) and philosophy (10th).

Moreover, U of T placed among the top 50 institutions in 46 subjects – more than any other university in the world – and scored in the top 25 in 34 subjects behind only the University of California, Berkeley; University of Cambridge; Harvard University, University of Oxford, National University of Singapore and University of California, Los Angeles.

Academic and research excellence

“These latest rankings recognize U of T’s place among an elite group of global universities that consistently demonstrate academic and research excellence across a broad array of disciplines,” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

“This wide range of scholarly expertise, along with U of T’s culture of multidisciplinary collaboration, puts us in a unique position to tackle some of the most complex and pressing challenges of our time, from treating cancer to addressing climate change.”

For the 2024 edition of its subject rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds ranked nearly 1,600 universities across 55 subjects. The results are based on indicators including academic and employer surveys, research citations per paper, an index that quantifies the productivity and impact of an institution’s published work and a metric that reflects the reach of international collaborations.

These latest rankings recognize U of T’s place among an elite group of global universities that consistently demonstrate academic and research excellence across a broad array of disciplines.

Globally, the university made gains in 21 subjects this year, including jumping 12 spots to 21st place in communication and media studies and an 11-spot rise to secure 10th place in mineral and mining engineering. U of T also climbed the ranks in four of the broad fields, ascending 10 spots in engineering and technology, five in arts and humanities, four in natural sciences and three in social sciences and management. Its standing remained unchanged in life sciences and medicine.

These latest rankings recognize U of T’s place among an elite group of global universities that consistently demonstrate academic and research excellence across a broad array of disciplines.

Among Canadian universities, U of T ranked first in all five broad fields and first in 34 more specific subject areas. In total, U of T was ranked by QS in 50 of the rankings’ 55 subjects.

Overall, U of T is ranked first in Canada and among the top 25 universities globally in the five most closely watched international rankings: QS World University Rankings, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities, Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities and National Taiwan University World University Rankings.

By Adina Bresge