THE

Social Sciences 2025

Times Higher Education World University Rankings · · Methodology · Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings official website · Editorial Standards

Evaluates universities worldwide for teaching quality and research impact in social sciences.

THE evaluates universities across five pillars — Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook — making it one of the most comprehensive ranking systems.

How does Social Sciences evaluate universities?

Social Sciences, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluates universities worldwide using key indicators such as Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, International Outlook, 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 2025 edition assessed 1092 universities from 18 countries and regions, covering teaching quality, research output, internationalization, and graduate employability across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Times Higher Education 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 Social Sciences 2025?

The top universities in Social Sciences 2025 are: American University, Auckland University of Technology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Birkbeck, University of London, Bournemouth University. This edition, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluated 1092 universities from 18 countries and regions using indicators such as Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, International Outlook. Rankings reflect weighted performance across multiple dimensions; students should consider methodology differences and their own academic priorities when interpreting results.

How does Social Sciences differ from other ranking systems?

THE (Times Higher Education) World University Rankings is among the most comprehensive, evaluating universities across teaching (30%), research environment (30%), research quality (30%), industry income (2.5%), and international outlook (7.5%), with 18 fine-grained indicators. Data sources combine the Elsevier Scopus bibliometric database, academic reputation surveys, and institution-reported statistics. The methodology underwent a major 2024 revision, adding a Research Quality category to reduce reliance on sheer output volume. In comparison, QS leans more on reputation surveys, ARWU is built solely on objective research metrics (Nobel Prizes, highly cited researchers), and US News centers on research productivity and citation impact. THE suits applicants seeking a balanced view of a university's combined research and teaching strength.

Current edition: published 2025-01
No results found
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇦🇺 Australia
🇦🇹 Austria
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
🇧🇼 Botswana
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇧🇳 Brunei
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇨🇾 Cyprus
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇪🇨 Ecuador
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇪🇪 Estonia
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇫🇯 Fiji
🇫🇮 Finland
🇫🇷 France
🇬🇪 Georgia
🇩🇪 Germany
🇬🇭 Ghana
🇬🇷 Greece
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇮🇸 Iceland
🇮🇳 India
🇮🇩 Indonesia
🇮🇷 Iran
🇮🇶 Iraq
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇮🇱 Israel
🇮🇹 Italy
🇯🇲 Jamaica
🇯🇵 Japan
🇯🇴 Jordan
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
🇰🇪 Kenya
🇽🇰 Kosovo
🇰🇼 Kuwait
🇱🇻 Latvia
🇱🇧 Lebanon
🇱🇹 Lithuania
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
🇲🇴 Macau
🇲🇰 Macedonia
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇲🇹 Malta
🇲🇽 Mexico
🇲🇪 Montenegro
🇲🇦 Morocco
🇳🇦 Namibia
🇳🇵 Nepal
🇳🇱 Netherlands
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇳🇬 Nigeria
🇳🇴 Norway
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇵🇸 Palestine
🇵🇪 Peru
🇵🇭 Philippines
🇵🇱 Poland
🇵🇹 Portugal
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
🇶🇦 Qatar
🇷🇴 Romania
🇷🇺 Russia
🇷🇼 Rwanda
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
🇷🇸 Serbia
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇸🇰 Slovakia
🇸🇮 Slovenia
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇪🇸 Spain
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇨🇭 Switzerland
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🇹🇿 Tanzania
🇹🇭 Thailand
🇹🇳 Tunisia
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇺🇬 Uganda
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
🇻🇳 Vietnam
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
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Total 1,092 universities

Per page

10
20
50
100
University
Country
301-400 American University logo American University (AU) 🇺🇸 United States 37.6 34.2 30.7 59.3 47.7 33.3
301-400 Auckland University of Technology logo Auckland University of Technology (AUT) 🇳🇿 New Zealand 37.6 19.7 12.6 84.5 44.7 87.1
301-400 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid logo Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) 🇪🇸 Spain 37.6 28.8 26.7 65.3 58.1 61.3
301-400 Birkbeck, University of London logo Birkbeck, University of London (BBK) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 28.1 20.0 68.2 52.0 76.1
301-400 Bournemouth University logo Bournemouth University (BU) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 19.6 18.7 83.1 44.2 78.0
301-400 Brunel University of London logo Brunel University of London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 21.1 18.8 76.7 59.5 87.7
301-400 Ca' Foscari University of Venice logo Ca' Foscari University of Venice 🇮🇹 Italy 37.6 30.9 26.1 64.5 44.9 61.5
301-400 Charles University logo Charles University 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 37.6 33.6 30.8 43.5 60.0 52.4
301-400 Chulalongkorn University logo Chulalongkorn University (CU) 🇹🇭 Thailand 37.6 30.3 25.7 52.4 87.1 46.9
301-400 Chung-Ang University logo Chung-Ang University (CAU) 🇰🇷 South Korea 37.6 28.4 23.7 59.8 76.6 82.3
301-400 Concordia University logo Concordia University 🇨🇦 Canada 37.6 21.5 22.5 65.6 67.1 74.2
301-400 Dalhousie University logo Dalhousie University 🇨🇦 Canada 37.6 21.3 21.4 67.1 66.6 68.8
301-400 Dalian University of Technology logo Dalian University of Technology (DUT) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 22.7 15.3 80.1 73.7 51.8
301-400 Edinburgh Napier University logo Edinburgh Napier University 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 21.2 19.2 71.9 31.5 80.1
301-400 Edith Cowan University logo Edith Cowan University (ECU) 🇦🇺 Australia 37.6 16.0 18.3 81.3 55.2 69.4
301-400 Georgia State University logo Georgia State University (GSU) 🇺🇸 United States 37.6 24.4 28.6 70.2 61.2 41.0
301-400 Hanyang University logo Hanyang University 🇰🇷 South Korea 37.6 31.2 22.0 53.5 84.4 74.9
301-400 Hokkaido University logo Hokkaido University 🇯🇵 Japan 37.6 34.6 26.2 43.6 52.7 83.8
301-400 Huazhong University of Science and Technology logo Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 26.9 14.0 74.7 83.4 57.3
301-400 Iowa State University logo Iowa State University (ISU) 🇺🇸 United States 37.6 26.1 27.1 65.4 83.3 31.3
301-400 Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa logo Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) 🇵🇹 Portugal 37.6 26.5 29.3 64.8 66.0 59.9
301-400 Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz logo Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 🇩🇪 Germany 37.6 25.6 25.5 74.2 67.4 35.9
301-400 Johannes Kepler University of Linz logo Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU) 🇦🇹 Austria 37.6 17.3 18.8 73.5 70.1 78.4
301-400 King Abdulaziz University logo King Abdulaziz University (KAU) 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 37.6 14.1 17.2 87.3 72.7 65.7
301-400 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology logo Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) 🇰🇷 South Korea 37.6 27.0 27.4 53.1 99.6 40.2
301-400 Kyung Hee University logo Kyung Hee University 🇰🇷 South Korea 37.6 26.8 22.3 59.2 98.7 77.7
301-400 Kyushu University logo Kyushu University 🇯🇵 Japan 37.6 30.4 28.3 54.2 84.6 70.4
301-400 Leibniz University Hannover logo Leibniz University Hannover 🇩🇪 Germany 37.6 25.6 28.6 66.8 67.4 45.2
301-400 Mahidol University logo Mahidol University (MU) 🇹🇭 Thailand 37.6 34.5 22.2 47.7 64.5 68.1
301-400 Manchester Metropolitan University logo Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 20.8 19.5 76.8 31.2 59.4
301-400 Massey University logo Massey University 🇳🇿 New Zealand 37.6 21.1 20.5 69.1 77.4 79.5
301-400 Murdoch University logo Murdoch University 🇦🇺 Australia 37.6 23.5 16.3 72.3 37.5 88.1
301-400 Nankai University logo Nankai University (NKU) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 29.3 17.7 66.7 63.5 55.7
301-400 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México logo Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) 🇲🇽 Mexico 37.6 36.9 38.2 32.5 54.3 59.4
301-400 Northumbria University logo Northumbria University 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 37.6 22.1 20.0 77.0 41.8 64.1
301-400 Northwestern Polytechnical University logo Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 20.2 22.4 67.5 99.4 50.3
301-400 Norwegian University of Life Sciences logo Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) 🇳🇴 Norway 37.6 25.2 15.5 74.6 45.8 68.8
301-400 NOVA University of Lisbon NOVA University of Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal 37.6 23.6 27.4 61.1 56.5 53.3
301-400 Universitat Oberta de Catalunya logo Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) 🇪🇸 Spain 37.6 23.4 16.6 81.9 28.1 46.4
301-400 The University of Osaka logo The University of Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan 37.6 36.8 24.7 40.6 81.1 77.5
301-400 University of Salzburg logo University of Salzburg (PLUS) 🇦🇹 Austria 37.6 20.2 18.7 63.9 68.9 92.6
301-400 Pusan National University logo Pusan National University (PNU) 🇰🇷 South Korea 37.6 25.9 24.4 58.6 90.8 83.0
301-400 Queen’s University Queen’s University 🇨🇦 Canada 37.6 23.5 24.9 62.7 71.8 62.1
301-400 Universitat Rovira i Virgili logo Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) 🇪🇸 Spain 37.6 18.0 23.2 71.9 51.7 60.8
301-400 Ruhr University Bochum logo Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) 🇩🇪 Germany 37.6 24.1 23.0 67.7 80.1 53.9
301-400 Rutgers University–New Brunswick logo Rutgers University–New Brunswick 🇺🇸 United States 37.6 34.6 21.8 68.9 67.1 39.5
301-400 Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa logo Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa 🇮🇹 Italy 37.6 27.7 21.7 71.5 78.1 57.0
301-400 Shenzhen University logo Shenzhen University (SZU) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 17.6 17.9 77.8 91.1 49.6
301-400 Sichuan University logo Sichuan University (SCU) 🇨🇳 China 37.6 26.7 19.1 65.5 90.8 54.6
301-400 Southern Cross University logo Southern Cross University (SCU) 🇦🇺 Australia 37.6 19.7 20.8 69.5 59.1 70.3