THE World University Rankings 2026: University of Freiburg in 12th place nationally
Freiburg, 10/10/2025
In the 2026 edition of the THE World University Rankings, the University of Freiburg placed 12th out of 55 German institutions. Internationally, it is again ranked among the best 150 universities.
‘The University of Freiburg is in the top group of universities both nationally and internationally. The fact of maintaining our position among the world’s best 150 universities for the eleventh time in a row is a testament to our academic excellence – particularly against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive environment’, says Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation. Also worthy special mention are the results in the ‘industry’ category, where the University of Freiburg’s achieved 99.7 out of 100 points, and the ‘research quality’ category (84.5 out of 100 points). On the whole, the performance of German and European universities was poorer than in last year’s rankings, states Rensing: ‘This development shows how important it is for us to unite with our partners, for example in the context of national and international university alliances, in pushing for conditions that will continue to enable top international research in Germany and Europe in the future.’
“The University of Freiburg is in the top group of universities both nationally and internationally. The fact of maintaining our position among the world’s best 150 universities for the eleventh time in a row is a testament to our academic excellence.“
Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing
Vice Rector for Research and Innovation
Eighth place nationally in the ‘international outlook’ category
The University of Freiburg is among the ten best universities in Germany in the ‘international outlook’ category. It is listed as the eighth best German university in this category, improving its position by one place in comparison to last year.
The criteria considered for the ‘international outlook’ category are the proportion of international students and academic staff as well as publications with international co-authors.
Methodology
The THE World University Rankings are based on 18 indicators in the five categories ‘teaching’, ‘research environment’, ‘research quality’, ‘international outlook’, and ‘industry’. The rankings are compiled on the basis of statistical data provided by the universities themselves, bibliometric data from Elsevier, and data from an academic reputation survey conducted by THE.