Imperial College London
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Imperial College London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom / England / London
Public Russell Group Est. 1907

About

The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, known by its trade names Imperial College London and Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned South Kensington as a cultural district with museums, colleges, and the Royal Albert Hall. In 1907, two colleges – the Royal College of Science and...

The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, known by its trade names Imperial College London and Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned South Kensington as a cultural district with museums, colleges, and the Royal Albert Hall. In 1907, two colleges – the Royal College of Science and the Royal School of Mines – merged to form Imperial College London, with City and Guilds College joining in 1910.

Ranking Overview

Ranking Snapshot

Ranked Top 10 worldwide across 4 major ranking systems

QS #2 (2027)
THE #8 (2026)

Ranked in 111 subject rankings

QS QS World University Rankings
# =2
99.2
2027
THE Times Higher Education World University Rankings
# 8
1
94.7
2026
ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities
# 29
3
41.2
2026
US News U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings
# =14
3
83.9
2027

Key Facts

Students
21,340
Student-Staff Ratio
12.1 : 1
Int'l Students
60%
Female : Male
43 : 57
Staff
7,705

Historical Trend

Longitudinal View
QS QS
THE THE
ARWU ARWU
US News US News
1 11 21 31 41 50 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Rank
:
Score:

Top Subjects

Best-performing areas
3
Automation & Control
Top 10
4
Clinical & Health
Top 10
4
Chemical Engineering
Top 10
4
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems
Top 10
5
Infectious Diseases
Top 10
5
Energy Science & Engineering
Top 10
5
Petroleum Engineering
Top 10
6
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health
Top 10
=6
Life Sciences & Medicine
Top 10
7
Engineering & Technology
Top 10
7
Civil & Structural Engineering
Top 10
=7
Biological Sciences
Top 10
7
Medicine
Top 10
8
Mineral & Mining Engineering
Top 10
=8

Subject Rankings

Detailed breakdown

ARWU

47 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Automation & Control 3 257.7 2025
Energy Science & Engineering 5 242.7 2025
Mechanical Engineering 10 202.1 2025
Clinical Medicine 10 271.2 2025
Biotechnology 11 179.6 2025
Electrical & Electronic Engineering 13 173.1 2025
Public Health 15 204.4 2025
Mathematics 17 247.8 2025
Civil Engineering 18 160.4 2025
Human Biological Sciences 20 196.9 2025
Management 20 175.8 2025
Water Resources 21 171.5 2025
Mining & Mineral Engineering 24 114.4 2025
Chemical Engineering 26 184.7 2025
Earth & Marine Sciences 29 200.7 2025
Metallurgical Engineering 30 132.3 2025
Medical Technology 31 183.2 2025
Finance 33 139.5 2025
Biological Sciences 34 197.7 2025
Aerospace Engineering 35 122.9 2025
Ecology 37 224.1 2025
Materials Science 38 220.4 2025
Robotic Science & Engineering 39 138.3 2025
Physics & Astronomy 43 224.7 2025
Economics & Econometrics 43 148.7 2025
Telecommunication Engineering 45 156.9 2025
Instruments Science & Technology 45 139.9 2025
Biomedical Engineering 45 127.4 2025
Chemistry 51-75 - 2025
Atmospheric Science 51-75 - 2025
Computer Science 51-75 - 2025
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology 51-75 - 2025
Environmental Sciences 51-75 - 2025
Transportation Science & Technology 51-75 - 2025
Artificial Intelligence 51-75 - 2025
Pharmacy & Pharmacology 51-75 - 2025
Statistics & Operational Research 51-75 - 2025
Oceanography 101-150 - 2025
Veterinary Science 101-150 - 2023
Business Administration 101-150 - 2025
Geography 151-200 - 2025
Remote Sensing 151-200 - 2025
Nursing 201-300 - 2025
Psychology 201-300 - 2025
Food Science & Technology 301-400 - 2025
Education & Training 301-400 - 2025
Agricultural Sciences 401-500 - 2025

THE

5 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Clinical & Health 4 91.3 2026
Computer Science 9 93.5 2026
Life Sciences 11 92.0 2026
Engineering & Technology 12 92.4 2026
Physical Sciences =12 90.4 2026

US News

47 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems 4 83.8 2027
Infectious Diseases 5 90.2 2027
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health 6 90.6 2027
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging 9 81.3 2027
Immunology 12 72.9 2027
Surgery 13 75.5 2027
Endocrinology and Metabolism 14 71.5 2027
Engineering 19 80.9 2027
Energy and Fuels 20 80.7 2027
Gastroenterology and Hepatology =20 73.0 2027
Clinical Medicine 25 77.8 2027
Electrical and Electronic Engineering 25 80.4 2027
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences =26 76.2 2027
Cell Biology 27 65.1 2027
Mechanical Engineering 28 72.4 2027
Neuroscience and Behavior 28 65.5 2027
Microbiology =29 59.3 2027
Biology and Biochemistry 31 65.2 2027
Psychiatry/Psychology 31 71.5 2027
Mathematics =32 77.4 2027
Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology 34 58.4 2027
Molecular Biology and Genetics 36 62.9 2027
Ecology 38 71.6 2027
Optics 39 72.0 2027
Chemical Engineering =39 77.1 2027
Green and Sustainable Science and Technology 40 69.8 2027
Materials Science 42 73.4 2027
Computer Science =43 70.2 2027
Social Sciences and Public Health 45 70.8 2027
Chemistry =46 73.3 2027
Environment/Ecology 47 72.9 2027
Physics & Astronomy =49 72.6 2027
Oncology 49 65.6 2027
Condensed Matter Physics =54 66.4 2027
Pharmacology and Toxicology =54 66.5 2027
Civil Engineering 55 56.0 2027
Artificial Intelligence 56 66.2 2027
Geosciences 65 64.8 2027
Space Science =68 59.3 2027
Physical Chemistry =71 73.1 2027
Economics & Econometrics 74 59.7 2027
Water Resources 74 48.0 2027
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 75 62.0 2027
Plant and Animal Science 80 65.5 2027
Polymer Science 120 39.2 2027
Environmental Engineering 129 45.4 2027
Agricultural Sciences =278 36.4 2027

Organization Structure

Related units
University 2
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ranking of Imperial College London?

Imperial College London's performance in the latest university rankings: QS Rank =2, THE Rank 8, ARWU Rank 29, US News Rank =14.

When was Imperial College London founded?

Imperial College London was founded in 1907.

What are the top subjects at Imperial College London?

Top subjects at Imperial College London include: Automation & Control, Clinical & Health, Chemical Engineering, Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems, Infectious Diseases.

Where is Imperial College London located?

Imperial College London is located in London, United Kingdom.