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2024 QS Rankings: Sciences Po Second in the World in "Politics"

Find out Sciences Po's ranking by discipline in the QS Rankings of international universities.

2023 QS Rankings: Sciences Po Third in the World in "Politics"

Times Higher Education Ranking: Sciences Po places 39th in the world for the social sciences

Sciences Po has risen 11 rungs this year in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking for the social sciences. This improved performance was made possible by its cutting-edge research and international outlook.

2022 QS rankings: Sciences Po Named 3rd Best University in the World for “Politics and International Studies”

This year, Sciences Po was ranked third in the world for Politics and International Studies, just ahead of the London School of Economics and Political Studies, Princeton University, Stanford University, and the University of Cambridge.

Sciences Po ranks 2nd in the 2021 QS Rankings for Politics & International Studies

Sciences Po remains a top university in the social sciences in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by subject, keeping its second place worldwide in "Politics & International Studies" for the second year.

Sciences Po ranks 2nd in the 2020 QS Rankings for Politics & International Studies

Sciences Po continues to progress in the 2020 QS World University Rankings by subject (PDF, 9.2Mo), moving from third to second place in the world in "Political Science & International Studies". In this world ranking released on March 4, 2020, Sciences Po is positioned just behind Harvard University, and tied with Princeton University. Sciences Po is for the first time the first university of Europe in this discipline, in front of the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Studies (LSE). 

Sciences Po, 3rd in “Politics and International Studies” in QS Rankings 2019

Sciences Po improves once again its global position in "Politics and International Studies", moving up, after three successive years in 4th place, to 3rd position globally in the 2019 QS World University Rankings by subject, released on 27 February, 2019. Just behind Harvard University and the University of Oxford, Sciences Po is the first university of continental Europe and this discipline.

Sciences Po, 17th most international university in the world

The Times Higher Education World Rankings released its International Student Table 2018, a ranking of the top 200 universities in the world in terms of percentage of international students. Sciences Po comes in at 17th in the world and 1st in France in this ranking, with 44.9% international students of over 150 nationalities in the student body.

Sciences Po in 4th place in the 2018 QS Rankings for Politics and International Studies

For the third year in a row, Sciences Po is 4th in the world in the “Politics and International Studies” subject category of the 2018 QS World University Rankings, just behind Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton.

Sciences Po in the world's top 50 for social sciences

The 2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by subject places Sciences Po in 50th position worldwide for social sciences. Sciences Po ranks first among French universities in the subject. This result attests to Sciences Po’s excellence in teaching and research in sociology, geography, political & international studies, and communication & media studies.

U Multirank 2017 confirms Sciences Po’s strong performance for research & international orientation

U Multirank* has just released its university rankings for 2017. Sciences Po maintains excellent scores for international orientation and research.

Sciences Po ranks 4th in the 2017 QS Rankings for Politics & International Studies

The QS World University Rankings by subject 2017 have just been released. This year, Sciences Po remains in fourth place worldwide for Politics & International Studies, alongside Harvard University, Oxford University and the London School of Economics, and is again the highest ranked in the subject in Continental Europe.

Sciences Po 4th in the 2016 QS Rankings for Politics & International Studies

The 2016 QS World University Rankings by subject have just been released! Once again, Sciences Po’s academic excellence has been recognised.

U Multirank 2016 recognises Sciences Po's strong performance for research and international orientation

U Multirank has just released its university rankings for 2016. Sciences Po has obtained excellent scores for its international orientation and research. 

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Best universities in France 2024

Find the best universities in france through times higher education ’s world university rankings 2024 data.

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Top 10 universities in France 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in France

This league table reveals the top universities in France, according to the trusted  Times Higher Education  World University Rankings 2024 .

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This year, 44 French institutions are counted among the top universities in the world. The 2024 ranking includes 11 institutions in Paris – the most represented city in France.

Europe’s best universities Best universities in the United States Best universities in the UK Best universities in Germany  Best universities in Australia Best universities in Canada Best universities in the world

Universities in Paris take the top five spots, but institutions in Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier also feature in the top 10.

The best university in France is Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris , a collegiate university formed of 25 research and higher education institutions in the Paris area and three national research institutions. 

France is a popular destination for international students because of its range of high-ranking universities and reasonable tuition fees.

Working on a student visa in France Everything international students need to know about student visas in France The cost of studying at a university in France The 10 most beautiful universities in Europe International perspective: a Serbian student in France A day in the life of a student in France

Top 5 universities in France

5.  université paris cité.

The Université Paris Cité is a very young university, having only been established in 2019.

It has 14 campuses and research facilities across Parisian locations that include the historic Latin Quarter.

It was created through the merger of Paris Diderot University, Paris Descartes University and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.

The university provides teaching across the academic spectrum, including arts, humanities, languages, social science, economics, science and technology, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing.

4.  Sorbonne University

Sorbonne University has a number of campuses across Paris, as well as a satellite campus in Abu Dhabi. 

It has three faculties: humanities, science and medicine. Law is taught by Panthéon-Assas University (Paris 2) .

Pierre and Marie Curie University and a number of smaller institutions.

The university is home to eight notable scientific collections open to researchers, some of which are also open to the public, such as the minerals, palaeontology and zoology collections. 

3.  Institut Polytechnique de Paris

About 35 per cent of the student body at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris  are international students, with 88 different nationalities represented on campus.

There are 10 academic departments, including biology; chemistry and processes; economics; mathematics; and humanities, art, literature and languages.

The Institut Polytechnique de Paris is a public higher education and research institution formed through the merger of  five French engineering schools:  Télécom SudParis . The admissions process is very selective. 

2.  Université Paris-Saclay

University of Paris was established in 2019 it became the Université Paris-Saclay .

The university is part of the Paris-Saclay project, which brings together nine higher education institutions and a business cluster on a research-intensive academic campus. The campus is being developed on the Plateau de Saclay on the outskirts of the city. Its model is similar to the one adopted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, where each college keeps its independence while remaining part of the university.

Paris-Saclay offers a range of undergraduate, master’s and PhD programmes in the fields of science and engineering, life and health sciences, social sciences and humanities.

1.  Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris

Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris  is made up of 25 higher education institutions and research centres in the Paris area.

A total of 28 Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, physiology and medicine, and economics have been awarded to researchers from the university.

Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris  was formed in April 2010 from five prominent French institutions: the  École Normale Supérieure , the Collège de France, the Paris Observatory, Chimie ParisTech and  ESPCI ParisTech .

The institutions under the umbrella of the university are a mixture of older institutions established during the Enlightenment period and new institutions.

The university’s main aim is to establish itself as one of the world’s top research institutions. It has also developed links with other top-ranking institutions around the world, including the  University of Cambridge ,  UCL ,  Peking University  and National Taiwan University. 

Click each institution to view its full  World University Rankings 2024  results

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Rankings: The 47 best universities in France for 2024/2025

QS Ranking 2024 THE Ranking 2024 ARWU Ranking 2023 Université PSL 24 40 41 38 71 301 Sorbonne University 59 75 46 71 58 15 184 251 201 École des ponts ParisTech 192 401 – Université Grenoble Alpes 294 301 101 319 501 – 328 801 – University of Montpellier 382 301 151 387 351 151 392 601 – University of Strasbourg 421 – 151 Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University 452 401 201 465 351 201 Université Paul Sabatier 511 – 301 University of Lille 631 601 301 Université de Rennes 1 711 801 401 Université de Lorraine 721 601 201 721 501 401 Université de Nantes 771 501 701 851 801 – University Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas 851 – – 951 – 301 Université Lumière Lyon 2 1001 1201 – Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 1001 – – University of Caen Normandy 1001 – – University of Poitiers 1001 801 901 University Toulouse - Jean Jaurès 1001 – – University of Franche-Comté 1201 1001 – University of Limoges 1201 – – Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University 1201 1501 – University Paris Nanterre 1201 1201 – – 401 – – 601 – – 152 69 University of Clermont Auvergne – 801 601 University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour – 1201 – University of Technology of Compiègne – 1201 – University of Tours – 801 – University of Western Brittany – 801 – INSA Toulouse – – 701 – – 701 EHESS - School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences – – 801 University of Savoy – – 801 University Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC) – – 801 – – 901

Explained: How do the university rankings work?

The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking , or ARWU ) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.

Summary: Top 10 universities

Study in France

Thanks to world-leading universities and tuition-free education at public institutions, France is one of the most popular student host countries in the world. Many French universities have increased the number of English-taught degree programmes in recent years. Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Social Studies - in France, you can study virtually any subject in English.

Read more about studying in France

Find the right study programme for yourself:

Relevant links.

• Studying abroad in France: Basic information for international students
• Study programmes in France
• Visit the website of the QS World University Rankings
• Visit the website of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
• Visit the website of the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities

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QS ranking 2023: with 32 French institutions ranked, France keeps its rank

The QS World University Ranking has just been released, and France keeps its rank: 32 French universities and grandes écoles are ranked, just like last year, but most of them improved their rank. Six French institutions are in the Top 200, 4 in the Top 100 and 2 in the Top 50.

The  QS World University Ranking  is a yearly ranking of higher education institutions published since 2018 by Quacquarelli Symonds, a specialised British company using the results of more than 1,400 universities or schools in more than 90 countries. With the Shanghai and THE rankings, the QS ranking is one of the most trusted in the world.

France keeps its rank with institutions gaining grounds

In the 2023 edition, with two institutions in the Top 50, France reached the 7 world rank , after the US, the UK and China, among others. This good rank is due to the performance of 32 institutions which for the most part improved their mark , and are located all over France .

Institutions in the Top 100 are:

• PSL University (26th, +18 ranks compared to 2022);
• Institut Polytechnique de Paris (48th, +1 rank, compared to last year);
• Sorbonne University (60th, +12);
• University of Paris-Saclay (69th, +17).

In the Top 200 :

• ENS Lyon (111th, +19);
• Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (174th, +71 ranks, a personal record!); 

In the Top 500 :

• Paris Cité University (248th +13);
• Sciences Po Paris (259th);
• Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (300th, +10);
• University of Grenoble Alpes (317th, +3);
• University of Strasbourg (434th, +13);
• INSA Lyon (457th);
• Aix-Marseille University (490th).

From the 500th to 800th rank, some 20 universities follow: the universities of Montpellier, Bordeaux, Toulouse 3 – Paul Sabatier, Claude Bernard - Lyon 1, CY – Cergy Paris Université, Paris 3 - Panthéon-Assas, Côte d’Azur, Lille, Lorraine, Nantes, Rennes 1, Paul Valéry – Montpellier, Lumière – Lyon 2, Toulouse 1 – Capitole, Poitiers, Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, Jean Moulin – Lyon 3, Paris Nanterre and Caen Normandie.

Methodology focused on 6 indicators

To create its ranking, QS relies on six indicators to determine the score of an institution:

• academic reputation ;
• reputation among employers ;
• quotes , which measure the scope of research;
• teachers/students  ratio;
• internationalisation of teaching staff ;
• percentage of international students in the institution.

Related contents

• The QS ranking 2023 https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-world-university-rankings
• Press release from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Research https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/publication-du-classement-qs-2023-85796

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