Uppsala University ranked in 37 subjects in global ranking of academic subjects
Uppsala University has 37 subjects ranked in the 2026 Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS), which covers around 2,000 universities from around 100 countries and regions.Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
When the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) recently released the 2026 rankings, it included 37 subjects at Uppsala University. The highest ranking (37th) in Political Sciences was followed by Energy Science & Engineering (44th).
Uppsala University also ranks among the world’s leading higher education institutions in subjects such as Mining & Mineral Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and Oceanography.
GRAS is one of the world’s most well-established international subject rankings for higher education. The rankings cover 57 academic subjects in Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine Sciences and Social Sciences, and is based on several research-related indicators, including Research Impact, Research Output, International Collaboration and World-Class Faculty.
In this year’s edition of GRAS, universities around the world were ranked based on their research performance in individual subjects. The ranking covers around 2,000 universities from around 100 countries and regions.
Professor Sven Oskarsson, Department of Government. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
For Sven Oskarsson, professor and Head of the Department of Government, the ranking of 37 in Political Sciences is proof positive of a strong research environment with international collaborations and research with high impact.
“It is of course very pleasing that we have ranked so high. The simple answer to what this says about our research environment is that we have many very talented researchers and research groups at the Department. Much of the research carried out at the Department is also international in that there are many collaborations between researchers and research groups at the Department with other researchers around the world,” he says.
He also highlights several factors that have contributed to the Department's strong position:
“We have been successful in securing external research funding over a long period. We also have many examples of successful interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and research groups at the Department and researchers in other disciplines. It’s also important in this context that the climate at the Department as a whole is very open with a willingness to share knowledge.”
The University ranks well in highly competitive areas
Uppsala University’s highest ranking in the Engineering area – Energy Science & Engineering – was 44. Patrik Johansson, Professor of Chemistry who specialises in batteries, and the coordinator for the Area of Advance Fossil-Free Energy at the Faculty of Science and Technology, is delighted with this ranking.
Professor Patrik Johansson, Department of Chemistry - Angstrom Laboratory. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
“Given how competitive the STEM field is globally, especially in ‘Energy Science & Engineering’, and the competition from China, which is really reflected in the rankings, our ranking is truly impressive,” says Patrik Johansson, adding:
“What stands out among the indicators included is ‘World-Class Faculty’, which means that we have created excellent environments and recruited successfully for a long time. Without overly interpreting the ranking, it is proof positive that we are contributing in several ways to the green energy transition.”
Uppsala University has 37 subjects ranked in the 2026 GRAS, with the highest ranked subjects being in Political Sciences (37), Energy Science & Engineering (44), Geography (51–75), Mining & Mineral Engineering (51–75), Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences (51–75), Mathematics (76–100), Physics (76–100), Oceanography (No. 76–100), Clinical Medicine (No. 76–100) and Public Health (No. 76–100).
Anneli Björkman och Emma Hallberg Gardell
Facts about Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS)
In 2009, Shanghai Ranking launched the first world ranking of universities by academic subjects, which in 2016 was officially renamed Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).
GRAS evaluates universities around the world in 57 subjects in Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine Sciences and Social Sciences. GRAS is based on nine objective indicators divided into five categories: World-Class Faculty, World-Class Research Output, High-Quality Research, Research Impact, and International Collaboration. Each year, GRAS ranks approximately 20,000 subject units from approximately 2,000 universities in about 100 countries and regions.
In GRAS 2026, the selection of top tier journals, international awards and key international organisations was based on the Shanghai Ranking’s own expert survey, Academic Excellence Survey (AES). By June 2026, 1,560 professors from the world’s 100 highest ranked universities in 21 countries and regions had participated. The survey resulted in a list of 42 top awards, 36 key international organisations, 182 top journals and 26 top conferences.