Harvard University Rankings 2026

Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. It was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is an inspiration of academic excellence, innovation, and historical prestige. Harvard serves a diverse community of approximately 24,519 students across its undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. 

Harvard University is ranked among the top 5 universities globally. In the competitive QS World University Rankings 2026, Harvard holds a strong #5th place, with notable strengths in employability. The U.S. News & World Report 2025-2026 has also ranked Harvard as number #1 in the world. 

The university consistently ranks high globally due to its top-tier faculty, quality research, and strong learning outcomes, attracting students from over 150 countries. 

Harvard University World Rankings 2025-26 

Over the past years, Harvard University has consistently ranked among the top global institutions. In the QS World University Rankings, Harvard maintained a stronghold between #4 and #5, landing at #5 in 2026.  

Meanwhile, in the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings, Harvard held steady at #3 in 2025, maintaining its dominance across teaching, research, and international outlook. Most notably, Harvard has retained the #1 position in the U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings for multiple consecutive years (2024-2026), highlighting its unmatched global reputation, faculty strength, and research output. 

To understand Harvard’s performance, let’s analyze how its rankings have changed over the years. 

 These rankings affirm Harvard’s place among the world’s elite institutions. 

After reviewing the rankings for the colleges under Harvard, you can explore detailed rankings for specific subjects on platforms like QS, THE, and U.S. News. 

Check out the details about the university here: Harvard University  

Subject-Wise Ranking of Harvard University 

Harvard University excels in many subjects and is recognised worldwide. In the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject, Harvard University reaffirmed its global academic dominance by ranking #1 across four major subject areas: Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences, Life Sciences & Medicine, and Social Sciences & Management.  

According to the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 Rankings by Subject, Harvard achieved #1 in both Engineering and Life Sciences, along with strong top-5 finishes in Medicine, Psychology, Physical Sciences, and Education.  

In the U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings, Harvard continued its subject excellence with #1 in Immunology, #2 in Infectious Diseases, and a tie at #5 in Mathematics. 

Here’s how Harvard University’s programs perform across multiple ranking bodies: 

QS Subject-wise Rankings 

QS Rankings are based on indicators such as academic reputation, faculty/student ratio, research citations, and international diversity. Over the past years, Harvard University has consistently dominated the QS World University Rankings by Subject, maintaining its position as a global academic leader.  

Here’s a look at Harvard University’s performance. 

Note: Rankings can vary based on specific programs or departments within the university. 

It has secured the #1 rank in Life Sciences & Medicine, Social Sciences & Management, and Arts & Humanities for most years, highlighting its unparalleled strength in research and innovation. In Natural Sciences, Harvard improved from #2 in 2022 to #1 from 2023 onwards, reaffirming its global reputation in fundamental sciences.  

While the university continues to excel in these disciplines, Engineering & Technology has shown slight fluctuations, moving from #12 in 2022 to #8 in 2023 and settling at #9 in 2025 due to rising competition from top technical institutions.  

Overall, Harvard’s subject-wise rankings reflect its broad-based academic excellence, with consistent leadership in core fields and competitive positioning in emerging technologies. 

(THE) Times Higher Education Subject-wise Rankings 

The Times Higher Education (THE) rankings are based on indicators such as teaching, research, citations, and industry income. Over the past years, Harvard University has maintained an exceptional standing in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, consistently placing among the top global institutions.  

Here’s how various programs at Harvard University perform: 

Note: Rankings can vary based on specific programs or departments within the university. 

In 2022, Harvard held the #2 spot, slipped slightly to #4 in 2023, and climbed back to #3 in 2024, amid rising competition from institutions like Oxford, Stanford, and MIT. Harvard continues to dominate in subject-specific areas, securing #1 in Clinical Medicine, #2 in Law, #1 in Engineering, and #5 in Humanities.  

These results underscore Harvard’s strong research output, academic influence, and global reputation, particularly in life sciences, business, and technology, while also reflecting intense competition in emerging fields. 

U.S. News Subject-wise Rankings 

The U.S. News rankings are based on factors such as graduation rates, student debt, and student-faculty ratio.  

Here’s how various programs rank in the U.S. News rankings: 

Note: Rankings can vary based on specific programs or departments within the university. 

Harvard holds a #1 ranking in critical areas like Biology & Biochemistry, Clinical Medicine, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Neuroscience & Behavior, Economics & Business, Microbiology, and Psychiatry/Psychology.  

Its academic reputation extends to Cell Biology, Oncology, Immunology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, all of which also secure the top global spot.  

In the arts, Humanities (Political Science) is ranked #2, while Applied Science (Mathematics) stands strong at #3, reflecting Harvard’s interdisciplinary strength.  

Now that you’ve explored the rankings of Harvard University across three different agencies, let’s explore the achievements of Harvard students in academics and extracurriculars. 

To know about the programs offered, check out Harvard University Courses  

Harvard University: Excellence and Achievements 

Harvard offers students opportunities to grow in the arts, such as music, theatre, and visual arts. It promotes leadership qualities through its numerous clubs, initiatives, and global exposure. 

Here are some of the achievements of Harvard University. 

Academic Excellence and National Recognition 

Students from Harvard have achieved rare academic achievements such as Rhodes scholarships and Phi Beta Kappa honors. 

Community and Lifestyle Recognitions 

Harvard’s community development initiatives, including the Global Day of Service and Stad Fellowship, engage students, faculty, and alumni in giving back to society. 

Cultural and Creative Excellence 

Programs like Arts First and fellowship opportunities such as the Artist Development Fund are key highlights of Harvard’s commitment to fostering cultural excellence. 

 Now that you’ve explored Harvard’s achievements in academics, culture, and community development, let’s look at some other rankings of Harvard University. 

Miscellaneous Rankings 

Harvard ranks among the top 10 universities globally in rankings such as Forbes and Princeton Reviews, an indication of its exceptional quality and reputation. 

Here’s how Harvard performs in other rankings: 

Harvard’s exceptional performance in Forbes Rankings (#8) reflects its strong alumni success, high student satisfaction, and academic quality.  

The CWTS Leiden Ranking (#2) showcases its outstanding research output, citation impact, and international collaboration.  

Additionally, Harvard secured #4 place in Princeton Review rankings, underlining its excellence in academics, campus life, and overall student experience based on student feedback.  

Harvard University: Rankings Vs Acceptance Rate 

Harvard University has one of the lowest acceptance rates at 3.6%, which indicates a selective nature of admissions. Programs such as Engineering and Medicine have similar acceptance rates, highlighting the academic quality and competitiveness of these fields. 

Harvard's high rankings in Business, Engineering, and Medicine are impressive, but the low acceptance rates may not be directly linked to these rankings. 

Now, let’s check out the methodologies used for rankings. 

Ranking Methodologies 

QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and U.S. News & World Report are the leading university ranking systems that have become benchmarks for assessing university performance.  

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

QS World University Rankings Methodology 

QS evaluates universities globally based on multiple indicators that reflect academic reputation, faculty quality, and research impact. The methodology helps students and academics compare institutions effectively. 

Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings Methodology 

THE Rankings focus on research, teaching, knowledge transfer, and international outlook, providing a holistic view of a university’s global performance. 

U.S. News & World Report Rankings Methodology 

U.S. News Rankings emphasize academic excellence in research and undergraduate outcomes, helping students gauge institutional quality in the U.S. and worldwide. 

Conclusion 

Harvard's consistently ranking in global publications like QS (#5) and THE (#3) solidify its reputation as a top-tier institution. Its exceptional performance in fields like Engineering (#9), Business (#1), and Clinical Health (#1), based on QS rankings, demonstrates its strength across all programs.  

However, its comparatively low ranking for Engineering (#20) in the U.S. News rankings suggests challenges in improving criteria such as student debt and graduate retention rates. 

Other reputable rankings, such as Forbes and Princeton Review, also place Harvard in the top 10, reinforcing its status as one of the world's top universities.