QS European rankings: Huddersfield enters top quartile
The University of Huddersfield has entered the top quartile in the QS World University Rankings: Europe for the first time.
The latest rankings compiled by higher education analytics firm QS cover 958 institutions across Europe, and the 2026 results place Huddersfield at 225th overall, an improvement of five places on the previous year.
This ranking improvement, alongside an influx of new institutions to the rankings, means that the University is now in the top 24 per cent in Europe, an improvement from 34 per cent a year ago.
The rankings for Europe, which were launched three years ago, cover five areas: Research and Discovery, Employability and Outcomes, Learning Experience, Global Engagement and Sustainability. Within these areas, universities are assessed across a total of 12 different indicators.
For 2026, Huddersfield’s top performing metrics are International Student Diversity, International Faculty Ratio and Sustainability, placing 81st, 138th and 143rd respectively.
The University also improved its performance in three metrics: Papers per Faculty up 22 places, International Faculty Ratio up 14 places and Academic Reputation – the indicator with the heaviest weighting in the overall score - up from the 251+ band to 247.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Huddersfield, Professor Tim Thornton, commented: “I am delighted to see further success in this important measure of the University of Huddersfield's international standing. It reflects ongoing progress in the reputation of our work in excellent teaching, world-leading research and innovation.”
Full details for the QS World University Rankings, one of the main university ranking systems, can be found here.
The latest rankings success follows the University’s performance in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025, released in June, where Huddersfield was ranked number one in the world for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities.
Further positive rankings in recent years include the University being named the Most Improved University in the UK in the 2025 QS World University Ranking, having risen up the rankings by more than 200 places, and Huddersfield placing top in the UK in the global Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024.