Sapienza University of Rome, founded in 1303 in Rome, Italy, ranks #1 in the world for QS Classics & Ancient History for six straight years. The university sits at #=111 globally in QS World University Rankings 2027 and is placed #2 among Italian institutions in that edition.

  • QS World University Rankings 2027: #=111 globally, #2 in Italy
  • Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #87 out of 824 universities worldwide
  • THE World University Rankings 2026: #170 globally
  • ARWU (Shanghai) 2025: #101-150 band globally

What this means for Indian applicants: Sapienza’s #=111 QS 2027 rank sits 23 places ahead of IIT Bombay (#134), reshaping how Indian applicants weigh an Italian public degree. QS places Sapienza at #=111 while THE puts it at #170, a 59-position gap that signals strong academic and employer reputation with a softer research-citation profile. For applicants targeting humanities, physics, engineering or pharmacy, six Sapienza subjects sit inside the QS global top 50.

Read More: Sapienza University of Rome Admissions 2026: Deadlines, Eligibility & Acceptance Rate for Indian Students

Sapienza University of Rome Overall Rankings 2026-2027

Sapienza’s overall ranks vary by 59 positions across five live ranking bodies, with QS reading the sharpest and THE the softest.

Ranking Body (Edition)Sapienza University of Rome Rank
Collegedunia Study Abroad Global Ranking 2026#87 of 824
QS World University Rankings 2027#=111
U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026#155
THE World University Rankings 2026#170
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025#101-150

The 59-position QS-THE gap reflects QS giving heavier weight to academic and employer surveys, where Sapienza’s seven-century brand counts for more than its citation-per-paper score. For Indian applicants, this means the degree carries strong recruiter recognition across both Europe and North America regardless of which body the hiring manager checks.

Key insight: Four of five bodies place Sapienza inside the global top 170, and on QS the university now sits 23 positions ahead of IIT Bombay, an India-relevance signal that did not exist in the 2023 editions.

Sapienza University of Rome Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students

Three rank-derived signals decide whether Sapienza University of Rome belongs on an Indian applicant’s Italy shortlist: position versus IIT Bombay, position among Italian peers and the spread of top-50 subjects.

SignalRank DataWhat it means for Indian applicants
Position vs IIT Bombay (QS 2027)Sapienza #=111 vs IIT Bombay #134Sapienza ranks 23 places ahead of India’s top IIT in QS 2027, a brand-strength edge for global employers
Position in Italy (QS 2027)#2 nationally, behind Politecnico di Milano (#87)Second-best Italian generalist university for international students
Subjects in QS global top 50 (2026)Six subjectsMore top-50 subjects than nearly any Indian university offers in QS 2026
Subjects ranked world #1 (QS 2026)Classics & Ancient History (6th straight year)Rare global #1 anchor on the degree certificate, useful for PhD applications
Collegedunia Study Abroad rank#87 of 824Top 11% of all CD Study Abroad universities, broadly equivalent to QS reading

Reading these signals together, an Indian student gets a degree that beats IIT Bombay on QS, sits inside the top 11% on CD Study Abroad and carries six top-50 subject anchors. Tuition for the same degree stays under EUR 3,000 per year on the public-fee scale, which makes the rank-to-fee ratio one of the strongest in Europe.

Key insight

  • QS-vs-IIT Bombay gap: 23 positions in Sapienza’s favour, the first such gap for Sapienza in five QS editions.
  • CD-vs-QS alignment: CD’s #87 read and QS’s #=111 read both place Sapienza inside the global top 12%.
  • Subject-vs-overall: Six QS top-50 subjects exceed what the #=111 overall rank alone suggests, especially for humanities and pharmacy applicants.

Sapienza University of Rome QS World University Rankings 2027

Sapienza’s QS rank has climbed 60 positions across five editions, the largest sustained rise of any Italian generalist university in QS history. QS, which ranks universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations and international diversity, placed Sapienza at #=111 in QS 2027, its best ever read.

YearSapienza University of Rome QS World Rank
2027#=111
2026#128
2025#132
2024#=134
2023#171

The 2024 edition was the turning point: Sapienza jumped from #171 to #=134 in a single year, a 37-position climb that closed half the gap to the global top 100. Since then the university has added another 23 places, advancing without a single down-year, and now sits less than 12 positions outside the QS top 100.

Trend signal: The five-year average QS rank is #135, but the current #=111 reading is 24 positions sharper than that average, marking Sapienza as on an upward trajectory rather than a stable one.

For Indian applicants reading the QS Italy table, Sapienza ranks #2 behind Politecnico di Milano (#87) and ahead of University of Bologna (#123) in QS 2027. The Sapienza-Bologna gap of 12 places matters most for arts, humanities and pharmacy applicants since Sapienza outranks Bologna on both QS overall and across most subject tables.

Read More: Sapienza University of Rome Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students

Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Sapienza University of Rome

Collegedunia Study Abroad places Sapienza inside the global top 11% of all tracked universities, a tighter read than every body except QS.

CategoryCollegedunia Rank
Collegedunia Study Abroad Global Ranking 2026#87 of 824

The CD #87 read sits 24 positions sharper than QS 2027’s #=111 and 83 positions sharper than THE 2026’s #170. CD weighs Indian-applicant outcomes such as visa success, English-medium course count and Indian-student community size, which lifts Sapienza above its citation-only ranks. For an Indian applicant, this means the degree’s day-to-day usefulness, English-taught programs (66 of 311) and visa success rate, all pull the rank tighter than pure research metrics would suggest.

Sapienza University of Rome Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026

Sapienza posts its best ever THE rank in 2026, with #170 globally marking a 15-place gain over the 2025 edition. THE, which rates universities based on teaching, research, citations and international outlook, has tracked Sapienza inside the global top 250 for every edition since 2022.

YearSapienza University of Rome THE World Rank
2026#170
2025#185
2024#181
2023#201-250
2022#197

The five-year THE pattern shows a 27-position improvement from 2023’s band to 2026’s #170, with the sharpest single-year jump between 2025 and 2026. The Arts and Humanities sub-table goes further: Sapienza is ranked #33 globally and #1 in Italy for the twelfth straight year, a streak that no other Italian university matches.

What it signals: A 15-position THE climb in one year, combined with a #90 standing in the THE World Reputation Rankings 2025, means Sapienza’s brand among academics outpaces its overall research metric, which is good news for applicants chasing a publication-heavy PhD profile.

Sapienza University of Rome ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025

Sapienza has stayed inside the ARWU global top 150 for four straight editions, the only Italian generalist university to do so since 2022. ARWU, which ranks universities mainly based on research papers, Nobel laureates and Fields medallists, placed Sapienza in the #101-150 band in 2025.

YearSapienza University of Rome ARWU Rank
2025#101-150
2024#101-150
2023#101-150
2022#101-150
2021#151-200

The 2022 jump moved Sapienza one full band up from the 2021 edition, and the university has held that #101-150 position for four years without slipping. ARWU’s GRAS subject tables sharpen the read further: Aerospace Engineering at #20, Physics at #21 and Pharmacy at #41 are the three subjects where Sapienza ranks higher than its overall band.

Trend signal: A four-year flat line in the #101-150 band is the result Indian applicants want from a research-heavy ranking, since ARWU is the slowest ranking to swing and stability signals a consistent research engine.

Sapienza University of Rome U.S. News Best Global University Rankings 2025-2026

U.S. News places Sapienza at #155 globally in its 2025-2026 edition, the second-best read among Italian universities. U.S. News rates universities mainly on global research reputation, publications and citation impact.

EditionSapienza University of Rome U.S. News Rank
2025-2026#155

The U.S. News #155 sits 44 positions sharper than the THE 2026 read and 44 positions softer than the QS 2027 read, which puts U.S. News squarely in the middle of the spread. For an Indian student headed to U.S. graduate school after a Sapienza bachelor’s, U.S. News is the ranking the admissions office is most likely to check, and a top-160 position carries Sapienza into the same recruiter tier as several mid-Ivy alternatives.

Sapienza University of Rome Subject Rankings 2026

Sapienza University of Rome holds six subjects inside the QS global top 50 and 26 subjects inside the QS global top 100 in the 2026 by-subject tables, the largest top-100 subject count of any Italian university.

Key insight

  • Classics & Ancient History at #1: Six straight years at the global top, the only world-#1 subject held by an Italian university across any QS table.
  • Archaeology and History of Art at #7: Both jumped from outside the top 15 in 2025 (#11 and #18) to a joint #7, the largest two-subject climb in QS Subject 2026 globally.
  • Physics & Astronomy at #38: The strongest STEM read on the QS Subject table, validating Indian applicants targeting a physics PhD pipeline.
  • Pharmacy & Pharmacology at #48: First time inside the QS global top 50, useful for Indian applicants planning EU pharmacy registration.

Sapienza University of Rome QS Subject Rankings 2026

SubjectSapienza QS Subject Rank 2026Change vs 2025
Classics & Ancient History#1Held the top position
Archaeology#7Climbed from #11
History of Art#7Climbed from #18
Physics & Astronomy#38Held inside top 50
Modern Languages#42New entry inside top 50
Pharmacy & Pharmacology#48New entry inside top 50

Two patterns sit inside this table. Three subjects in the global top 10 is the first time any Italian university has cleared that bar in QS history. Six subjects in the top 50, up from four in QS 2025, is the second-fastest top-50 subject growth among Italian universities this cycle.

India-relevance: An Indian applicant who picks a Sapienza M.Sc. in Physics, M.S. in Data Science or M.Sc. Pharmacy walks out with a degree from a department ranked #38, #=111 overall and #48 respectively, all of which sit ahead of any Indian institute’s matching subject rank in QS 2026.

Sapienza University of Rome ARWU GRAS Subject Rankings 2025

ARWU GRAS reads tighter than QS for several Sapienza subjects, which signals that the university’s research output dominates its reputation score in those disciplines.

SubjectSapienza ARWU GRAS Rank 2025
Aerospace Engineering#20
Physics#21
Mechanical Engineering#38
Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences#41
Automation & Control#47

The ARWU Aerospace Engineering rank of #20 is sharper than Sapienza’s QS overall rank by 91 positions, the widest single-subject gap on the university’s rank sheet. For Indian engineering applicants, this means the aerospace department alone reads at top-20 strength even when the broader university reads at #=111.

Sapienza University of Rome THE Subject Rankings

THE Arts and Humanities 2025 places Sapienza at #33 globally and #1 in Italy, a position the university has held for twelve consecutive years. THE Law 2026 ranks Sapienza at #61, a 14-place climb from the prior edition that signals research-output growth in legal studies.

Sapienza University of Rome Regional Rankings 2026

Sapienza ranks #77 in the QS European University Rankings 2026 and #42 in Europe on the CWUR 2026 read, with both bodies pointing to a steady mid-tier European position.

Regional Ranking Body (Edition)Sapienza University of Rome Rank
QS European University Rankings 2026#77 in Europe, #3 in Italy
CWUR 2026 Europe#42 in Europe, #1 in Italy
THE Best Universities in Italy 2026#1 in Italy (Arts and Humanities sub-table)

The 35-position spread between QS Europe (#77) and CWUR Europe (#42) reflects what each body measures: CWUR rewards alumni reach and faculty awards, where Sapienza’s 720-year alumni network reads as a top-50 European force. For Indian students planning to job-hunt across Italy, France, Germany or the Netherlands after graduation, the CWUR signal is the more useful read since EU recruiters weigh alumni network as heavily as fresh research output.

Sapienza University of Rome Rankings: Indian Student Outlook

For Indian applicants in 2026, Sapienza University of Rome reads as a top-12% global degree on every major body, with a subject mix sharper than its overall rank suggests. The five program areas Indian students most commonly pick are Data Science, Computer Science & Engineering, Cognitive Neuroscience, Business Management and Architecture, four of which sit inside subjects with verified QS or ARWU top-100 ranks.

Indian-relevant SignalRank Data
Position vs IIT Bombay in QS 2027Sapienza #=111 beats IIT Bombay #134 by 23 places
Strongest subject for Indian STEM applicantsPhysics & Astronomy #38 (QS 2026); Aerospace Engineering #20 (ARWU 2025)
Strongest subject for Indian humanities applicantsClassics & Ancient History #1, Archaeology #7, History of Art #7 (QS 2026)
Strongest subject for Indian health-science applicantsPharmacy & Pharmacology #48 (QS 2026); Pharmacy #41 (ARWU 2025)
5-year QS climb60 positions (from #171 in 2023 to #=111 in 2027)
Indian-friendly factors66 English-taught programs of 311 total; 11,812 international students on campus

Key insight

  • Rank momentum: A 60-position QS climb in five editions is the largest sustained rise among Italian generalist universities, which means a Sapienza degree’s QS recall value will likely improve again before graduation.
  • QS-vs-IIT gap for the first time: Sapienza’s #=111 sits 23 places ahead of IIT Bombay (#134), the first time Sapienza has beaten India’s top engineering institute on QS.
  • Subject-vs-overall edge: Six QS top-50 subjects and three ARWU top-50 subjects exceed what the #=111 overall read alone suggests.
  • Affordability-to-rank ratio: Public tuition under EUR 3,000 per year combined with a top-12% global rank gives Sapienza one of Europe’s strongest rank-to-fee ratios for Indian applicants.

Sapienza University of Rome’s rank profile in 2026 reads as a 60-position QS climb in five editions, a stable ARWU #101-150 band, six QS top-50 subjects and a U.S. News #155 standing. For Indian applicants weighing Italy against the UK, Germany or Singapore, the QS-IIT gap of 23 positions and the public-fee scale together change the cost-of-recall maths in favour of a Sapienza application.

Sapienza University of Rome Ranking FAQs

Ques. What is the Sapienza University of Rome ranking in QS World University Rankings 2027?

Ans. Sapienza University of Rome ranks #=111 globally in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #2 among Italian universities. This is its best-ever QS result and a 60-position climb from its #171 position in QS 2023.

Ques. What is the Sapienza University of Rome ranking in THE World University Rankings 2026?

Ans. Sapienza is ranked #170 globally in THE World University Rankings 2026, its best-ever THE position. The university gained 15 places over its 2025 read of #185.

Ques. Where does Sapienza University of Rome rank in ARWU (Shanghai) 2025?

Ans. Sapienza sits in the #101-150 global band in ARWU 2025, the same band it has held for four straight editions. In ARWU GRAS 2025 subject tables, Aerospace Engineering ranks #20 and Physics #21.

Ques. What is Sapienza University of Rome’s top subject ranking?

Ans. Classics & Ancient History is ranked #1 in the world in QS Subject Rankings 2026 for the sixth consecutive year. Archaeology and History of Art share the world #7 position, and Physics & Astronomy ranks #38 globally.

Ques. How does the Sapienza University of Rome ranking for Indian students compare to the IITs?

Ans. Sapienza ranks #=111 in QS 2027, which is 23 positions ahead of IIT Bombay at #134. Sapienza also has six QS top-50 subjects, more than any single IIT carries in the same edition.

Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Sapienza University of Rome?

Ans. Sapienza ranks #87 of 824 universities in the Collegedunia Study Abroad Global Ranking 2026, placing it inside the global top 11%. This reading is 24 positions sharper than its QS 2027 rank and 83 positions sharper than its THE 2026 rank.

Ques. Has the Sapienza University of Rome world ranking improved over the last five years?

Ans. Yes, Sapienza has improved on every major body. QS climbed 60 positions from #171 (2023) to #=111 (2027), THE climbed 27 positions from the #201-250 band (2023) to #170 (2026), and ARWU moved up one band from #151-200 (2021) to #101-150 (2025).