QS

Geography 2021

QS World University Rankings · · Methodology · Source: QS World University Rankings official website · Editorial Standards

Ranks universities globally for research strength and academic reputation in geography.

QS is the only major ranking system that weights employer reputation at 15%, with academic and employer reputation together accounting for nearly half the total score.

How does Geography evaluate universities?

Geography, published by QS World University Rankings, evaluates universities worldwide using key indicators such as Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, each assigned a distinct weight according to a publicly documented methodology. Data sources combine academic peer reviews, employer surveys, bibliometric databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, and institutional self-reported statistics, all independently verified by the publisher's research team. The 2021 edition assessed 200 universities from 17 countries and regions, covering teaching quality, research output, internationalization, and graduate employability across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. QS World University Rankings recollects raw data annually and cross-checks results to ensure the rankings reflect each institution's most current performance in faculty strength, scholarly productivity, global reach, and student outcomes, providing a reliable reference for prospective students, parents, and education researchers.

Which are the top universities in Geography 2021?

The top universities in Geography 2021 are: University of Oxford, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Cambridge, University of California, Berkeley, National University of Singapore. This edition, published by QS World University Rankings, evaluated 200 universities from 17 countries and regions using indicators such as Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation. Rankings reflect weighted performance across multiple dimensions; students should consider methodology differences and their own academic priorities when interpreting results.

How does Geography differ from other ranking systems?

QS World University Rankings, published by Quacquarelli Symonds since 2004, are defined by their heavy emphasis on reputation surveys: academic reputation (30%) and employer reputation (15%) together account for nearly half of the total score, directly reflecting how scholars and employers worldwide perceive each institution. Additional indicators include faculty/student ratio (10%), citations per faculty (20%), international faculty (5%), international students (5%), plus newer dimensions such as sustainability and employment outcomes. In contrast, THE emphasizes teaching environment and research quality, ARWU relies entirely on objective research output (Nobel Prizes, publications), and US News focuses on research reputation and citation impact. QS is therefore particularly useful for applicants concerned with institutional prestige, graduate employability, and cross-border recognition.

Current edition: published 2021-03
No results found
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇦🇺 Australia
🇦🇹 Austria
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇫🇮 Finland
🇫🇷 France
🇩🇪 Germany
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇮🇳 India
🇮🇩 Indonesia
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇮🇱 Israel
🇮🇹 Italy
🇯🇵 Japan
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇲🇽 Mexico
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇳🇴 Norway
🇵🇭 Philippines
🇵🇱 Poland
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇷🇺 Russia
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇪🇸 Spain
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🇹🇭 Thailand
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
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Total 200 universities

Per page

10
20
50
100
University
Country
1 University of Oxford logo University of Oxford 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 97.8 98.0 100.0
2 London School of Economics and Political Science logo London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 96.0 100.0 91.3
3 University of Cambridge logo University of Cambridge 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 94.2 96.9 98.7
4 University of California, Berkeley logo University of California, Berkeley (UCB) 🇺🇸 United States 92.9 95.6 87.6
5 National University of Singapore logo National University of Singapore (NUS) 🇸🇬 Singapore 92.3 95.8 90.4
6 University of California, Los Angeles logo University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 🇺🇸 United States 89.8 89.9 87.3
7 Australian National University logo Australian National University (ANU) 🇦🇺 Australia 89.1 90.2 85.9
8 University of British Columbia logo University of British Columbia (UBC) 🇨🇦 Canada 89.0 89.8 84.1
9 University College London logo University College London (UCL) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 88.0 83.9 87.7
10 University of Toronto logo University of Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada 86.5 86.6 83.5
11 University of Hong Kong logo University of Hong Kong (HKU) 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 85.5 88.8 82.1
12 Durham University logo Durham University 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 85.2 80.9 84.0
13 The University of Tokyo logo The University of Tokyo (UT) 🇯🇵 Japan 85.0 89.3 95.1
14 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany 84.5 83.4 73.7
15 University of Exeter logo University of Exeter 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 83.9 77.5 83.8
16 The University of Melbourne logo The University of Melbourne 🇦🇺 Australia 83.0 81.1 88.7
17 = University of Edinburgh logo University of Edinburgh 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 82.9 80.7 87.1
17 = University of Wisconsin–Madison logo University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW) 🇺🇸 United States 82.9 81.3 68.6
19 = Chinese University of Hong Kong logo Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 82.8 85.2 77.7
19 = University of Amsterdam logo University of Amsterdam (UvA) 🇳🇱 Netherlands 82.8 82.0 67.1
21 The University of Sydney logo The University of Sydney (USYD) 🇦🇺 Australia 82.6 79.8 84.5
22 Peking University logo Peking University (PKU) 🇨🇳 China 82.5 80.9 91.4
23 King's College London logo King's College London (KCL) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 81.2 79.6 74.5
24 = Lund University logo Lund University 🇸🇪 Sweden 80.4 77.5 72.3
24 = McGill University logo McGill University 🇨🇦 Canada 80.4 79.3 86.1
26 Utrecht University logo Utrecht University 🇳🇱 Netherlands 80.3 75.9 74.5
27 University of Manchester logo University of Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 80.0 73.9 82.2
28 University of Washington logo University of Washington (UW) 🇺🇸 United States 79.7 77.0 58.2
29 The Ohio State University logo The Ohio State University (OSU) 🇺🇸 United States 79.6 78.0 60.9
30 KU Leuven logo KU Leuven (KUL) 🇧🇪 Belgium 79.5 75.4 75.7
31 = Seoul National University logo Seoul National University (SNU) 🇰🇷 South Korea 79.3 82.6 90.5
31 = University of Chicago logo University of Chicago (UC) 🇺🇸 United States 79.3 85.8 79.6
33 = SOAS University of London logo SOAS University of London (SOAS) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 78.4 86.8 66.1
33 = University of Leeds logo University of Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 78.4 70.3 82.3
35 = Freie Universitaet Berlin Freie Universitaet Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany 78.2 83.9 71.9
35 = Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne 🇫🇷 France 78.2 85.7 66.0
37 Tsinghua University logo Tsinghua University (THU) 🇨🇳 China 78.1 74.1 91.9
38 University of Bristol logo University of Bristol 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 77.9 72.8 84.5
39 = Kyoto University logo Kyoto University 🇯🇵 Japan 77.4 81.0 90.8
39 = Pennsylvania State University logo Pennsylvania State University (PSU) 🇺🇸 United States 77.4 72.2 76.6
41 = University of Sheffield logo University of Sheffield 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 77.3 70.1 82.5
41 = Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México logo Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) 🇲🇽 Mexico 77.3 81.8 83.1
41 = University of Minnesota logo University of Minnesota 🇺🇸 United States 77.3 72.4 60.9
44 University of Auckland logo University of Auckland (UoA) 🇳🇿 New Zealand 77.1 74.4 79.4
45 The University of Queensland logo The University of Queensland (UQ) 🇦🇺 Australia 77.0 70.3 79.6
46 Universidade de São Paulo logo Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 🇧🇷 Brazil 76.7 77.8 82.1
47 Stockholm University logo Stockholm University 🇸🇪 Sweden 76.6 71.6 52.3
48 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill logo University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) 🇺🇸 United States 76.1 71.5 64.4
49 Uppsala University logo Uppsala University 🇸🇪 Sweden 75.7 72.3 67.2
50 Newcastle University logo Newcastle University 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 74.9 66.4 79.3