The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking is one of the most comprehensive global rankings. By now, more than 2.100 universities around the world participate in this direct comparison, which is carried out on the basis of bibliometric analyses, surveys and statistical data. In 2018, the University of Passau took part in these rankings for the first time and was found to be among the best 25 percent of universities worldwide. Since then, the University of Passau consistently maintained a steady position among the best 25 percent worldwide.
The University of Passau ranks among the top 25 percent worldwide for the eighth time in a row. This is particularly pleasing because the number of participants continues to grow dynamically. In the current THE World University Ranking, the University of Passau is ranked 501-600, placing it in the top quarter of the current THE World University Ranking 2025. One strategic success factor for the future of the University of Passau lies in further internationalisation: The University is implementing further improvements in the admission and support of international researchers and students. For the “International Outlook” area, THE shows an increase of around ten percent over the past three years, confirming the measures already taken by the University in the area of internationalisation.
With its placement among the leading 401–500 universities worldwide, the University of Passau belongs once again to the top quarter of the current THE World University Ranking. It is also pleasing for the University of Passau that it was able to improve on its overall score by over six percent compared to last year, aided in particular by a good performance in the areas of International Outlook and Research Quality. For the first time, the ranking included Study Abroad as a factor – here the University of Passau scored 99.9 out of 100 possible points for its offers. Press release
In this year's Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking, the University of Passau was once again placed in the top quarter of universities. The University is ranked in the 401–500 group. Of the 51 German universities taking part in the ranking, the University of Passau comes in at 38th, taking 5th place in Bavaria.
"For several years now, our University has consistently been rated one of the best 25% in this internationally reputable ranking. I am exceptionally pleased by this remarkable result. I would like to thank everyone involved. Thanks to the edge the Hightech Agenda Bayern gives us and the gains we are achieving, for example, in the area of doctoral research, we intend to defend our strong position and improve it, if possible", said University President Professor Ulrich Bartosch.
For the fifth consecutive time, the University of Passau was placed in the top quarter of universities around the globe in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking. The University has already continuously held this high level since it first participated in 2018. In the current ranking, published on 2 September, the University of Passau is ranked in the 351–400 group. Among the 50 German universities taking part in the ranking, the University of Passau comes in at 32nd, whereas it takes 5th place in Bavaria.
This is all the more gratifying when one considers that the number of universities ranked has grown by more than 50% throughout the past five years: the latest ranking evaluates a total of 1,662 universities. Leading the ranking, as in previous years, is the University of Oxford (UK). The California Institute of Technology and Harvard University (both US) share second place.
The University of Passau has achieved an outstanding success in the THE Young University Ranking 2024: For the seventh time in a row, it is ranked among the top 10 percent of all young universities worldwide.
The field of participants in the ranking has once again grown significantly to a total of 1,171 young universities. Compared to last year, 208 more “young universities” (i.e. universities founded less than 50 years ago) joined the international ranking – an increase of 22 percent. Despite this strong increase in competition, the University of Passau secured 66th place and defended its fourth place in Germany. In the global comparison, University remains among the leading 10 percent. The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings assess universities' performance in research, teaching and knowledge transfer. Citations and internationality also play a role.
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) once again leads the 2024 ranking, followed by French university PSL (Paris) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The University of Passau has once again achieved a very pleasing success in the THE Young University Ranking 2023: For the sixth time in a row, it is among the top 10 percent of all young universities worldwide.
The number of young universities participating in the current ranking has grown significantly to a total of 963. Compared to the previous year, 173 more "young universities" (younger than 50 years) took part in the international comparison, which corresponds to an increase of 22 percent. Despite the once again strongly increased competition, the University of Passau occupies position 60 and is thus in fourth place in Germany. Among the criteria used in THE Young University Ranking are performance in research, teaching and transfer, as well as citations and internationality.
The 2023 ranking is led by Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), followed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the French university PSL (Paris) in third place.
The University of Passau has once again achieved a very pleasing success in the THE Young University Ranking 2022: For the fifth time in a row, it is among the top 10 percent of all young universities worldwide.
A total of 790 young universities (younger than 50 years) took part in this year's ranking, which is almost 70 percent more than last year. The University of Passau occupies position 44 in this strongly growing field of applicants and is thus in third place in Germany. In Bavaria, the University of Passau remains in first place, ahead of the University of Bayreuth in 58th place. Among other things, achievements in research, teaching and transfer are evaluated; citations and internationality also play a role.
The 2022 ranking is led by Université PSL (Paris), followed by Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
The University of Passau again successfully placed in the fifth Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, which evaluates universities' performance against goals and indicators for sustainable development. The University received several excellent results from THE out of 2,300 participating universities, especially in the areas of “Quality Education” and “Reduced Inequalities” (Inclusion).
“Inclusion” measures the extent to which a university – both as an employer and as a place of study – is committed to equal opportunities and the rights of people with disabilities, among other things. With regard to both groups, i.e. students and staff with disabilities, the University achieved an excellent result. Although the field of participants in this category has grown again by a good 15 percent (to 1,261 universities), the University of Passau was able to place 99th and thus secure its position in the top 100 universities worldwide.
The University also made it into the top 15 percent of universities worldwide in the “Quality Education” category. The University of Passau achieved another top result in the top 25 percent worldwide in the field of gender equality (equality between women and men).
The University of Passau once again performed very well in the sixth Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, which evaluates universities' performance against goals and indicators for sustainable development. The University received several excellent results from THE out of 2,100 participating universities, especially in the areas of “Quality Education” and “Reduced Inequalities” (Inclusion).
“Inclusion” measures the extent to which a university – both as an employer and as a place of study – is committed to equal opportunities and the rights of people with disabilities, among other things. With regard to both groups, i.e. students and staff with disabilities, the University achieved an excellent result. Although the number of participants in this category has increased by over 20 percent (to 1,108 universities), the University of Passau has moved into the top 100 of universities worldwide, in 97th place. The University also made it into the top 15 percent of universities worldwide in the “Quality Education” category.
The University also achieved great results in the top 25 percent worldwide in the areas of “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and “Gender Equality“. Equality, family-friendliness and sustainability are strategic goals of the University – and the appreciation and visibility gained are a validation of the University's efforts and commitment.
The University of Passau again performed satisfactorily in the fifth Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, which evaluates universities' performance against goals and indicators for sustainable development. The University received several excellent results from THE out of 1,625 participating universities, especially in the area of "Reduced Inequalities" (Inclusion).
"Inclusion" measures the extent to which a university – both as an employer and as a place of study – is committed to equal opportunities and the rights of people with disabilities, among other things. With regard to both groups, i.e. students and employees with disabilities, the University achieved excellent results. Furthermore, the University anti-discrimination measures were also rated above average. Overall, the University of Passau is in the group of 101–200 best universities in the world out of more than 900 that have taken part in the comparison in the field of "Inclusion".
The University of Passau also achieved results among the top 25 percent worldwide in the fields of "Quality Education" and "Gender Equality". Equality, family-friendliness and sustainability are strategic goals of the University – and the appreciation and visibility gained are a validation of the University's efforts and commitment.
In the fourth survey of the "THE Impact Ranking", which evaluates goals and indicators for sustainable development, the University of Passau has once again performed successfully in a global comparison. Times Higher Education (THE) awards the University several top rankings among 1,406 participating universities, including for "Quality Education".
The University of Passau achieved this excellent international result by offering outstanding learning opportunities for students and an exciting portfolio for the general population. Worth mentioning here are public year-round services and facilities such as the library, the range of courses taught both online and face-to-face, offerings in the field of lifelong learning as well as a variety of events and cooperation projects in the community.
In addition to "Quality Education", the University of Passau achieved the best results in the areas of "Reduced Inequalities" and "Gender Equality". For these indicators, the University is in the top 10 to 20 percent worldwide. Equality, family-friendliness and sustainability are strategically important concepts for the University of Passau – and the University's commitment to these is vindicated by these great results.
The Subject Rankings are based on the annual THE World University Rankings published annually in early September.
In the Subject Ranking 2025, Business and Economics is among the top 201–250 departments and succeeded in climbing 50 places, despite a further sharp increase in the number of participants. This puts the Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems on a par with Goethe University Frankfurt and Sorbonne University in Paris, among others. The subject ranking is led by MIT and the universities of Oxford and Stanford in second and third place respectively. In total, the 990 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking.
Despite a further strong increase in the number of participants, the University’s Social Sciences successfully defended its position in the 301–400 group. MIT leads the table ahead of the universities of Oxford and Stanford, who swapped places since last year. In total, the 1,093 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking, which corresponds to an increase in participation of around ten percent.
The Computer Science department of the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics is currently ranked 401–500 in a field of participants that has also continued to grow strongly by around ten percent. In total, the 1,122 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking for 2024. Oxford leads the field of computer science, followed by Cambridge and MIT.
The University ranks among the leading 251–300 departments in the 2024 Subject Ranking for Business and Economics. This ranking is led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Universities of Stanford and Harvard. In total, the 909 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking.
The subject area "Social Sciences" once again reaches the 301–400 ranking group in the latest ranking. MIT and Stanford are tied for the lead in the Social Sciences, ahead of Oxford in third place. In total, the 997 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking.
In the subject area "Computer Science", the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics continues to achieve rankings in the 301–400 group. In this area, the University of Oxford leads ahead of Stanford and MIT. In total, the 1,027 departments with the most publications are listed in this subject ranking for 2024.
The University of Passau has received good rankings in THE Subject Rankings 2023 in the areas of: Business and Economics, Computer Science and Social Sciences.
Passau's Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems attained a place among the best 201–250 business schools worldwide. Year-on-year the faculty climbed 150 places despite the considerably larger number of schools and faculties included in the ranking.
This ranking comprises the 870 faculties with the highest publication volume.
In this year's Subject Ranking for Computer Science, the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics attained a place out in the 301-400 group. Year-on-year, the number of participants increased by some 10 percent.
This ranking group comprises the 974 faculties with the highest publication volume.
In this year's Subject Ranking for Social Sciences, the University's Faculty of Arts and Humanities rose a magnificent 200 places and attained a place in the 301–400 group.
This ranking group comprises the 941 faculties with the highest publication volume.
In the THE World University Rankings, the participating universities are compared in their core competencies of research, teaching, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Points are allocated for a set of 13 different indicators, which allow THE to create a comprehensive league table.
Some of the data, above all indicators on the student body, staff figures and financial resources are reported by the participating universities themselves, while others are obtained from academic databases and THE-conducted surveys among international academics. The overall result is made up of five areas with different weightings: The categories "Teaching", "Research" and "Citations" each carry the highest weighting of 30 percent, whereas the category "International Outlook" has a weighting of 7.5 percent and "Industry Income" 2.5 percent.
