RUDN University, also known as the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, is a Moscow public university ranked #359 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and one of Russia’s strongest performers in the global subject tables. Its single highest current-cycle subject placement is Agricultural Sciences in band #101-150 of ARWU 2025, a position that puts a Russia-based 1960-founded institution inside the top one-eighth of universities globally for that field.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #359 globally, up from #367 in QS 2026.
- ARWU 2025 (Agricultural Sciences): #101-150 globally, RUDN’s strongest current global subject band.
- ARWU 2025 (Mathematics): #301-400 globally, a second confirmed subject placement in the current Shanghai cycle.
Bottom Line for Indian Students: RUDN’s QS 2027 rank of #359 sits noticeably below its earlier 2023 peak of #295, but the subject tables tell the more useful story for applicants. Indian students looking at MBBS, Petroleum Engineering, Chemistry or Linguistics get a degree whose subject placement (#23 in QS Chemistry, band #101-150 in ARWU Agricultural Sciences) is much stronger than the overall #359 suggests. The brand value at home is anchored by the subject-level rank, not the overall world rank.
Table of Contents
- RUDN University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- RUDN University QS World University Rankings 2027
- RUDN University QS Subject Rankings
- RUDN University ARWU Subject Rankings 2025
- RUDN University QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia Rankings
- RUDN University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- RUDN University Ranking FAQs
Read More: RUDN University Admissions 2026: Deadlines, Eligibility and Process for Indian Students
RUDN University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian applicant, the RUDN University ranking pattern is a subject-first story. The university’s overall QS 2027 rank of #359 is mid-tier globally, but its subject-level placements in QS and ARWU are what determine actual degree value when graduates return to India.
| Ranking Signal | Latest Position | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS World 2027 (Overall) | #359 | Sits well above 80% of all ranked universities worldwide, supports general degree recognition. |
| QS Subject 2024 (Chemistry) | #23 | Top-25 placement for a science subject is rare for a Russia-based university and aids research-track Indian applicants. |
| QS Subject 2024 (Linguistics) | #43 | Strong global rank for Indian students targeting language, translation or modern languages careers. |
| ARWU 2025 (Agricultural Sciences) | #101-150 | Highest Shanghai cycle band for the university, useful signal for agri-science PhD applicants. |
| QS Subject 2024 (Petroleum Engineering) | #51-100 | Top-100 placement directly relevant to Indian applicants entering oil and gas hiring lanes. |
| Closest Indian alternative: IIT Bombay (QS 2027) | #129 | IIT Bombay’s overall rank is roughly 230 places ahead, but RUDN’s Chemistry and Linguistics subject ranks sit well inside the IIT band. |
The cross-table signal for Indian students is the gap between RUDN’s overall world rank and its subject ranks. The Chemistry rank of #23 sits about 336 places above the overall #359, a gap that signals where the university genuinely competes globally and where its degree carries weight at home.
Key insight
- Subject-first decision: Use the subject rank, not the overall rank, to judge degree value if you target Chemistry, Linguistics, Modern Languages or Petroleum Engineering.
- Russia top tier: RUDN is ranked 3rd among Russian universities in QS, behind Lomonosov MSU and St Petersburg State, putting it inside Russia’s top tier for global recognition.
- Trend signal: 5-year QS movement of #295 (QS 2023) to #359 (QS 2027) shows a 64-place slip, but the latest cycle delivered an 8-place improvement off the 2026 low of #367.
RUDN University QS World University Rankings 2027
RUDN University ranks #359 in QS World University Rankings 2027, the edition released by QS on 18 June 2026. The university gained 8 positions year-on-year from its #367 placement in QS 2026.
QS scores universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty and international student and faculty share.
| QS Edition | RUDN University QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| QS 2027 | #359 |
| QS 2026 | #367 |
| QS 2025 | #316 |
| QS 2024 | #342 |
| QS 2023 | #295 |
The 5-year QS trend shows RUDN’s rank moving from a peak of #295 in 2023 to #359 in 2027, an overall slip of 64 positions across the cycle. The sharpest single-year drop came between QS 2025 and QS 2026, when the rank fell 51 places from #316 to #367; the latest 2027 cycle reversed part of that slide. The 5-year average position works out to roughly #336, which keeps RUDN inside the global top 400 across every edition in the window.
Key insight: The 8-place improvement in QS 2027 is the first upward move in three cycles, and the overall band of #295 to #367 keeps the university inside the global top one-sixth of QS-ranked institutions for every one of the five years tracked.
Read More: RUDN University Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
RUDN University QS Subject Rankings
RUDN University’s QS subject placements run far ahead of its overall world rank, with Chemistry, Linguistics and Modern Languages all inside the global top 50. The table below uses the most recently confirmed QS by Subject edition for RUDN as published on the university’s official rankings register.
| Subject (QS by Subject 2024) | RUDN University Global Rank |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | #23 |
| Linguistics | #43 |
| Modern Languages | #47 |
| Mathematics | #76 |
| Hospitality Management | #51-100 |
| Petroleum Engineering | #51-100 |
The Chemistry rank of #23 sits 336 positions above RUDN’s overall QS 2027 rank of #359, the largest subject-versus-overall gap in the university’s profile. Three of the six listed subjects (Chemistry, Linguistics, Modern Languages) sit inside the global top 50, and a fourth (Mathematics) is inside the top 100. For Indian applicants, this places RUDN’s strongest subjects in the same broad QS band as several IITs and central universities for the same fields.
Subject ranking signals
- Top-50 cluster: 3 of 6 ranked subjects (Chemistry, Linguistics, Modern Languages) sit inside the global top 50, a concentration that drives the university’s brand value in Indian recruiter circles for these fields.
- Petroleum Engineering edge: Band #51-100 is directly useful for Indian applicants targeting ONGC, Reliance, IOCL and Shell-India hiring lanes, where global subject rank is a screening filter.
- Math gap to peers: RUDN at #76 in Mathematics sits roughly 30 places behind IIT Bombay’s subject band, narrowing the QS gap that the overall ranks suggest.
RUDN University ARWU Subject Rankings 2025
The Shanghai Ranking, also called ARWU, places RUDN inside the global top 150 for Agricultural Sciences, the university’s single strongest position on a research-driven ranking. ARWU weighs research output, citations, top-journal publications and faculty research awards.
| Subject (ARWU GRAS 2025) | RUDN University Global Band |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Sciences | #101-150 |
| Mathematics | #301-400 |
| Environmental Science and Engineering | #401-500 |
The Agricultural Sciences band of #101-150 puts RUDN inside the global top eighth of universities ranked by Shanghai for that subject, which is a stronger signal for Indian agri-science PhD applicants than the overall world rank. The Mathematics ARWU band of #301-400 sits well below the QS subject placement of #76 for the same field, a gap that reflects ARWU’s heavier weighting of top-journal publication counts compared with QS’s academic reputation surveys.
Note: ARWU recognises only 3 subjects for RUDN in its 2025 cycle versus QS recognising 6, so research-track applicants should treat the QS subject table as the broader RUDN strength map and the ARWU table as the publication-intensity check.
RUDN University QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia Rankings
RUDN University’s last confirmed QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia (EECA) placement is #31 in 2022, a 12-position climb from its #43 position in 2021. QS paused the standalone EECA regional ranking after this cycle, so 2022 is the most recent edition with a verified RUDN position.
| QS EECA Edition | RUDN University Regional Rank |
|---|---|
| QS EECA 2022 | #31 |
| QS EECA 2021 | #43 |
The 12-place jump from #43 to #31 in one cycle came on the back of gains in International Research Network, Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation indicator scores. Among the 143 Russian universities that featured in the last EECA cycle, RUDN was placed inside the top 15, reinforcing the QS-level signal that the university sits in Russia’s top tier rather than its second tier.
What it signals: A regional top-31 position out of 451 ranked universities equals a roughly 7th-percentile placement across the broader EECA pool, which is materially stronger than the overall world rank suggests for Indian applicants comparing regional peers.
RUDN University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
For Indian students, RUDN University’s ranking profile splits cleanly into a mid-tier overall world rank and a much stronger subject and regional rank. The decision lever is the subject rank for the chosen field, not the overall #359 figure.
Popular programs for Indian students at RUDN:
- MBBS (General Medicine): The single largest Indian-student program at RUDN, supported by NMC, FAIMER and WDOMS recognition. The university is widely listed as Russia’s highest-QS-ranked MBBS destination for Indian applicants.
- Petroleum Engineering: RUDN’s band #51-100 in QS Subject 2024 makes this a direct fit for Indian applicants targeting oil-and-gas hiring tracks.
- Chemistry and Pharmacy: QS subject rank #23 for Chemistry is the university’s standout placement and supports research-track applicants.
- Linguistics and Modern Languages: QS ranks of #43 and #47 respectively make RUDN one of the few non-English-medium universities Indian linguistics students consider for a top-50 subject placement.
- Engineering (broad track): Includes oil and gas, chemical and environmental engineering, with the ARWU 2025 placement of #401-500 in Environmental Science and Engineering acting as the research signal.
| India-Relevant Data Point | Value |
|---|---|
| QS World 2027 rank versus 2023 rank | #359 versus #295 (64-place slip across the cycle) |
| Strongest QS subject for Indian applicants | Chemistry at #23 globally |
| Strongest ARWU subject (research signal) | Agricultural Sciences band #101-150 |
| QS EECA peer signal (regional positioning) | #31 across 451 EECA universities |
| Position among Russian universities in QS | 3rd in Russia by global QS rank |
Indian student takeaways
- Subject-vs-overall split: Top-50 QS placements in 3 subjects sit roughly 300+ positions above the overall #359, which is the actual brand signal for an Indian recruiter or admissions committee assessing the degree.
- Russia tier signal: 3rd place among Russian universities in QS keeps RUDN inside the country’s top tier alongside Lomonosov MSU and St Petersburg State, which matters for India-based program recognition.
- Subject mismatch risk: Programs outside the 6 ranked QS subjects and 3 ranked ARWU subjects (for example, Business and Management, Computer Science, Economics) carry a weaker external rank signal and should be judged on the overall #359 figure alone.
- Trend reversal: The 8-place QS climb in 2027 ends a 3-cycle slide and is the first upward move since the QS 2023 peak of #295.
RUDN University’s ranking story for an Indian applicant in 2026 reduces to a single arithmetic check: subtract the chosen-subject rank from the overall #359. The gap of about 336 positions for Chemistry, 316 for Linguistics and 312 for Modern Languages tells you whether the degree carries a top-50 global signal or a top-400 one, and the answer should drive the application decision more than the headline world rank.
RUDN University Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of RUDN University in 2027?
Ans. RUDN University is ranked #359 in QS World University Rankings 2027, the edition released on 18 June 2026. This is an 8-place improvement from its #367 position in QS 2026.
Ques. Is RUDN University ranked among the top universities in Russia?
Ans. Yes. RUDN University ranks 3rd among Russian universities in the QS World University Rankings, behind Lomonosov Moscow State University and St Petersburg State University. It is consistently placed inside Russia’s top tier across QS World, QS Subject and ARWU subject tables.
Ques. What is RUDN University’s strongest subject in global rankings?
Ans. Chemistry is RUDN University’s strongest QS subject placement at #23 globally in QS by Subject 2024. In the research-led ARWU 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Agricultural Sciences is the strongest position at #101-150 globally.
Ques. How has RUDN University’s QS world ranking changed over the last 5 years?
Ans. RUDN University’s QS world ranking moved from #295 in QS 2023 to #359 in QS 2027, a net slip of 64 positions. The lowest point was QS 2026 at #367, and the latest 2027 cycle reversed part of that slide with an 8-place gain.
Ques. Is RUDN University good for MBBS based on rankings?
Ans. RUDN is widely listed as Russia’s highest-QS-ranked MBBS destination for Indian students, anchored by its overall QS 2027 rank of #359 and its strong subject placements in adjacent fields like Chemistry (#23). The MBBS degree itself is recognised by India’s NMC and by FAIMER and WDOMS internationally.
Ques. What is RUDN University’s QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia (EECA) ranking?
Ans. RUDN University ranked #31 in QS EECA 2022 across 451 regional universities, up from #43 in 2021. QS paused the standalone EECA regional ranking after the 2022 cycle, so #31 remains the most recent confirmed regional position.
Ques. Does RUDN University appear in ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) subject rankings?
Ans. Yes. RUDN University appears in 3 ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) 2025 tables: Agricultural Sciences at #101-150, Mathematics at #301-400 and Environmental Science and Engineering at #401-500. ARWU does not publish a verified overall world rank for RUDN in its 2025 cycle.
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