University of Birmingham Ranking

Do You Know? According to the National Student Survey (NSS) July 2025 results, the University of Birmingham ranked 7th among Russell Group universities, with notable excellence in Computer Science- 2nd overall in the UK and 1st within the Russell Group, achieving over 90% satisfaction in all assessed areas.

The University of Birmingham is a public research institution. It is ranked  #76 in 2026 #80 in 2025 in the QS Rankings, #93 in the THE Rankings 2025, and #94 in the U.S. News rankings 2025. Within the UK, it stands at #10 in the U.S. News rankings.

Nationally, Birmingham is placed #13 in The Complete University Guide and #36 in The Guardian University Guide. In research-focused rankings, it falls within the 151–200 range in the Shanghai Rankings and ranks #184 in the CWTS Leiden Ranking.

The University’s impact extends well beyond academics. It supports over 13,000 jobs in the West Midlands, with nearly one in every fifty jobs in Birmingham linked to the institution. As a member of Universitas 21, a global network of research-intensive universities, Birmingham continues to shape innovation and collaboration worldwide.

University of Birmingham World Rankings 2025–26

The University of Birmingham continues to rise in global recognition. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, it ranks #76, showcasing its upward momentum. The THE World University Rankings 2025 places it at #93, while the U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025 ranks it #94, highlighting its academic reputation, research output, and student success.

Here’s a quick view of how Birmingham’s world rankings have evolved:

Ranking Agency	Ranking 2024	Ranking 2025	Ranking 2026
QS World University Rankings	84	80	76
Times Higher Education (THE)	101	93	NA
U.S. News & World Report	NA	94	94

The University of Birmingham has steadily advanced in major global university rankings, reflecting its growing academic strength and global reputation. In the QS World University Rankings, it climbed from #84 in 2024 to #80 in 2025, and further to #76 in 2026, demonstrating consistent progress across metrics like academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, and international outlook.

Similarly, the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings show an upward trend—from #101 in 2024 to #93 in 2025 highlighting improvements in teaching, research impact, and institutional reputation. Meanwhile, the U.S. News & World Report placed Birmingham at #94 globally in both 2025 and 2026, affirming its stable international standing.

Overall, the University of Birmingham is steadily strengthening its position on the global stage, supported by measurable gains across multiple ranking indicators.

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Now that you’ve looked at the overall rankings of the University of Birmingham, let’s see how it performs in specific subject areas.

Subject-Wise Ranking of University of Birmingham

Subject-wise performance highlights a university’s strengths and weaknesses in specific academic areas. By analyzing these rankings, students can gain a better understanding of how well a university aligns with their chosen field of study.

The University of Birmingham performs particularly well in subjects like medicine (#59 in QS), engineering (#96 in THE), and business (#64 in U.S. News), all of which fall within the global top 100.

Below is a breakdown of the University of Birmingham ranking for specific subjects:

QS Rankings 2025

QS rankings are based on criteria such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, research impact, and international diversity. 

Medicine (#59) is the best-performing subject in QS rankings, followed by arts and humanities (#72). Subjects like engineering (#119), business (#143), and law (#101-150) show potential for further improvement.

Here’s how different subjects perform:

Subject	Ranking 2025
Engineering	119
Business	143
Life Sciences & Medicine	59
Arts and Humanities	72
Law and Legal Studies	101-150

Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2025

In THE rankings, subjects like engineering (#96), medicine (#66), and humanities (#63) are placed within the global top 100. Business and law, both ranked in the 101–125 range, have room for improvement.

Below is the subject-wise performance in the THE rankings:

Subject	Ranking 2025
Engineering	96
Business and Economics	101-125
Medical and Health	66
Arts and Humanities	63
Law	101-125

U.S. News Rankings 2025

The U.S. News rankings show a relatively average performance in engineering (#210) compared to stronger results in business (#64), humanities (#55), and medicine (#77).

In the physical sciences, physics is ranked #62, reflecting the university’s solid standing in core science disciplines.

Here are the rankings for different subjects:

Subject	Ranking 2025
Engineering	210
Business and Economics	64
Arts and Humanities	55
Clinical Medicine	77
Physical Sciences (Physics)	62

After reviewing the subject-wise rankings, let’s take a look at how the University of Birmingham performs in other rankings.

Exceptional performance in rankings such as QS and THE reflects a strong academic reputation, which can make University of Birmingham admissions more competitive. Now, let’s explore how the university fares in other alternative rankings.

Miscellaneous Ranking 2025

The University of Birmingham shows a relatively average performance in research-focused rankings. It is placed in the 151-200 range in the Shanghai Rankings and holds the #184 position in the CWTS Leiden Ranking. However, it performs well in climate-related efforts, securing the #38 spot in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2025.

In contrast, national rankings reflect a stronger position. The university ranks #13 in The Complete University Guide and #36 in The Guardian University Guide, both placing it well within the top 50 in the UK.

Here’s how the University of Birmingham performs in other relevant rankings:

Ranking Body	Ranking 2025
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)	151-200
The Complete University Guide	13
CWTS Leiden Ranking	184
The Guardian University Guide	36
QS Sustainability Ranking 2025	38

The University of Birmingham ranks in the 151-200 range in the ARWU Shanghai Rankings, which focus on research output, academic citations, and faculty achievements. 

In the CWTS Leiden Ranking, which also emphasizes scientific impact and publication data, it holds the #184 position globally. 

Nationally, it is ranked #13 in The Complete University Guide, which considers factors like student satisfaction, graduate prospects, and academic quality. 

The Guardian University Guide places it at #36, reflecting solid performance in areas such as teaching, course satisfaction, and student outcomes.

The QS Sustainability Rankings 2025 place the University of Birmingham at #38 globally. This reflects strong efforts in environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance practices.

Now, let's explore how the University of Birmingham promotes extracurricular initiatives that contribute to the holistic development of its students.

University of Birmingham: Excellence and Achievements

The University of Birmingham offers strong support for non-academic activities, with 41 student groups and 62 sports clubs. Academically, its faculties have earned recognition, including the Neutron Scattering Group prizes, and they actively contribute to global sustainability initiatives. 

Culturally, the university has also been honored by BAFTSS for achievements in music and filmmaking.

Below is a breakdown of the University of Birmingham’s key achievements:

Academic Excellence and National Recognition

The University of Birmingham’s international recognition is evident through 10 Nobel Prizes awarded to its alumni and staff. Their expertise in nuclear energy has also positioned them as key contributors to a £200 million global initiative on nuclear fusion.

Here are some of the achievements:

Category	Recognition
Nobel Prize	10 alumni and staff are Nobel Prize winners.
UK Neutron Scattering Group (NSG) Prize	Dr. Adam Michalchuk received the award for his work on mechanochemical reactivity using advanced neutron techniques.
Nuclear Fusion Research	Experts from the university are part of a £200 million program advancing nuclear fusion.

Community and Lifestyle Recognitions

Every year, 8,000 students volunteer for community development. The university aims to create a positive societal impact through initiatives like the climate emergency declaration. It also partners with local organizations to offer free legal services to those in need.

Here are some community development initiatives:

Category	Recognition
Global Sustainability	University has declared a climate emergency and has made sustainability a key pillar in its 2030 Strategic Framework.
Pro Bono Cases	Partners with the Birmingham Community Law Centre to provide free legal services to the local community.
Covid-19 Assistance	Medical students supported NHS workers with childcare provision during the coronavirus crisis.

Cultural and Creative Excellence

The university offers rich cultural and creative resources, including three museums, an art gallery, and a botanical garden. 

In addition, the university’s creative excellence was recognized with a BAFTSS award for music and filmmaking. The School of Humanities also received £2.4 million to research the world’s religious traditions.

Here are some cultural and creative achievements: 

Category	Recognition
BAFTA Awards	Staff and students from the Department of Film and Creative Writing won awards at the BAFTSS Conference.
Research into Religious Traditions	Received £2.4 million to research on global religious traditions and their connection to the meaning of life.
Cultural Sector Revival	Offers tailored internships and partners with the Royal Shakespeare Company through the Shakespeare Institute.

The University of Birmingham acceptance rate gives a direct sense of how selective the admissions process is. Let’s explore how this compares with its global rankings.

University of Birmingham: Ranking V/S Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate is estimated to be between 13% and 14%, based on data from similar universities, as the University does not publish an official overall rate. However, for Medicine, the university has released specific data showing an acceptance rate of around 39.5%, highlighting the competitive nature of the program.

Here are the acceptance rates for different subjects:

Course	QS Ranking 2025	Acceptance Rate
Engineering	119	NA
Business	143	NA
Life Sciences & Medicine	59	39.5%
Arts and Humanities	72	NA

Now that you've seen the variation in acceptance rates, let’s explore the different ranking methodologies.

Ranking Methodologies

QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and U.S. News & World Report are the leading university ranking systems that assess university performance. Each ranking focuses on aspects such as academic reputation, research quality, and global outlook to rate the performance of universities.

Here’s a detailed look at the criteria used for ranking universities.

QS World University Rankings

The QS world ranking focuses on employer reputation and academic outcomes, obtained from surveys of thousands of academic experts and employers worldwide. It also gives importance to faculty research and international student admissions.

Here are the criteria used in QS World University Rankings.

Focus Area	Indicators	Weightage
Research and Discovery	Academic Reputation	30%
	Citations per Faculty	20%
Employability and Outcomes	Employer Reputation	15%
	Employment Outcomes	5%
Global Engagement	International Faculty Ratio	5%
	International Research Network	5%
	International Student Ratio	5%
	International Student Diversity	0%
Learning Experience	Faculty Student Ratio	10%
Sustainability	Sustainability	5%

Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings

The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings focus on research influence, teaching reputation, and staff-to-student ratio. It also emphasizes international diversity and industry income, assessing how well universities collaborate with industries and global academic networks.

Here are the criteria used by THE rankings.

Focus Area	Indicators	Weightage
Teaching	Teaching Reputation	15%
	Staff-to-student ratio	4.5%
	Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio	2%
	Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio	5.5%
	Institutional income	2.5%
Research Environment	Research reputation	18%
	Research income	5.5%
	Research productivity	5.5%
Research Quality	Citation impact	15%
	Research strength	5%
	Research excellence	5%
	Research influence	5%
International Outlook	Proportion of international students	2.5%
	Proportion of international staff	2.5%
	International collaboration	2.5%
Industry	Industry income	2%
	Patents	2%

U.S. News and World Report Rankings

This indicator uses special criteria like first-year retention rates, graduation rates, and student-faculty ratio. Other criteria, like borrower debt and financial resources, measure how well universities support low-income students. 

Here are the criteria used in U.S. News and World Report Rankings

Focus Indicators	Weightage
Graduation Rates	16%
First-year retention rates	5%
Graduation rate performance	10%
Pell graduation rates	5.5%
Pell graduation performance	5.5%
College grads earning more than a high school grad	5%
Borrower debt	5%
Peer assessment	20%
Financial resources	8%
Faculty salaries	8%
Full-time faculty	3%
Student-faculty ratio	4%
Standardized tests	5%

The above rankings reflect how well a university is positioned to offer quality education and outcomes to students, using indicators like employability and industry applications.

Conclusion

The University of Birmingham is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and is considered a top-tier institution globally. In the 2025 rankings, it stands at #80 in QS, #93 in THE, and #94 in U.S. News. 

Nationally, it ranks #13 in The Complete University Guide and #36 in The Guardian University Guide, reinforcing its reputation among the UK's leading universities.

In subject-wise rankings, engineering (#96 in THE), business (#64 in U.S. News), and medicine (#59 in QS) all find a place within the global top 100. However, areas like law (ranked 101–150 in QS) show room for improvement.

Overall, the University of Birmingham remains a strong choice for students aiming to study engineering, business, or medicine in the UK.