Queen’s University Belfast in Belfast, Northern Ireland climbed 25 places to #174 in QS World University Rankings 2027, its highest percentile position ever. It places #155 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 and #19 in QS Pharmacy 2026, its top-ranked subject worldwide.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #174 globally, #25 in the UK
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #155 globally, #28 in the UK
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026: #=198 globally, #26 in the UK
- ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2025: #301-400 globally
Reading the rank pattern: Queen’s University Belfast posts its sharpest single-year QS climb on record, a 25-place jump driven by an 83-position rise in Employer Reputation. That places it 40 spots behind IIT Bombay (#134 on QS 2027) but inside the same Russell Group cohort as Newcastle and Cardiff. For Indian applicants targeting Pharmacy, Nursing or Business in the UK, the upward trend strengthens degree value over a three-year horizon.
Table of Contents
- Queen’s University Belfast Overall Rankings
- Queen’s University Belfast Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- Queen’s University Belfast QS World University Rankings 2027
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Queen’s University Belfast 2026
- Queen’s University Belfast Times Higher Education Rankings 2026
- Queen’s University Belfast ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025
- Queen’s University Belfast Subject Rankings 2026
- Queen’s University Belfast Regional and Impact Rankings
- Queen’s University Belfast Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- Queen’s University Belfast Ranking FAQs
Queen’s University Belfast Overall Rankings Across Major Global Bodies
The 24-place gap between QS (#174) and THE (#=198) signals stronger global reputation than research output, since QS weights employer and academic surveys more heavily than THE. Collegedunia Study Abroad places QUB inside the top 19% of UK universities, mirroring its QS standing.
| Ranking Body and Edition | Queen’s University Belfast Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 (Overall, Global) | #155 |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #174 |
| Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 | #=198 |
| ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2025 | #301-400 |
QUB sits inside the top 200 on QS and THE but slips to the 301-400 band on ARWU, which rewards Nobel laureate counts and Highly Cited Researchers more than reputation surveys. The Collegedunia Study Abroad position (#155) tracks closest to its QS rank, a sign that Indian-market signals reinforce the global QS picture for this university.
Queen’s University Belfast Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian student weighing Russell Group options, the Queen’s University Belfast ranking pattern reads steadier than its UK peers, with one flagship subject (Pharmacy) inside the world’s top 20 and a 24-place gap between QS and THE worth understanding before applying.
| Signal | Where QUB Ranks | What It Means for Indian Applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS World 2027 | #174 globally, #25 in UK | Top 12% of QS-ranked universities; recruiter brand stays visible in India |
| Indian peer (IIT Bombay) QS 2027 | #134 globally | QUB sits 40 places behind IIT Bombay but offers UK Graduate Route post-study work for 24 months |
| Pharmacy QS Subject 2026 | #19 globally | Single highest subject rank; strong fit for B.Pharm graduates targeting PG abroad |
| Nursing QS Subject 2026 | #=48 globally | NHS-recognised; Indian B.Sc Nursing graduates eligible after IELTS 7.0 |
| QS 5-year trend (2023-2027) | From #233 to #174 | 59-place gain; degree value appreciates faster than Russell Group median |
Queen’s University Belfast Quick Takeaway for Indian Students
- Trend signal: A 59-place QS gain over five editions places QUB among the fastest-rising Russell Group universities in the window.
- Subject leverage: Pharmacy #19 and Nursing #=48 outperform the overall rank by 155 and 126 places, raising employability in those streams.
- India proximity: Collegedunia Study Abroad rank (#155) sits 19 spots ahead of QS, signalling stronger Indian-market visibility than the global average.
Queen’s University Belfast QS World University Rankings 2027
Queen’s University Belfast ranks #174 globally on QS World University Rankings 2027, a 25-place jump from #199 in QS 2026 and the steepest single-year climb in its measured history. QS judges universities on academic and employer reputation, research citations, faculty-student ratio and international diversity.
The improvement was driven by an 83-position rise in Employer Reputation, the metric most directly visible to recruiters hiring Indian graduates. Across the five-edition window, QUB has gained 59 places since the 2023 edition.
| QS Edition | Queen’s University Belfast QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #174 |
| 2026 | #199 |
| 2025 | #206 |
| 2024 | #202 |
| 2023 | #233 |
The 5-year average sits at #203, and the 2024-to-2027 stretch alone covers a 28-place gain. The 2023 dip to #233 was the only year QUB fell outside the global top 220 in this window, which frames the current #174 as a clean breakout, not a one-off bounce.
Key insight: QUB is now in the global top 12% on QS, against an Indian-market median (for UK-bound applicants) closer to top 25%; that gap shapes how Indian employer ATS systems weight the degree at shortlisting.
Read More: Queen’s University Belfast Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Queen’s University Belfast 2026
Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks Queen’s University Belfast across 9 verified categories for the 2026 cycle. The Law category (#86 globally) is the strongest individual rank and outperforms the overall position by 69 places.
| Category | Collegedunia Study Abroad Rank 2026 |
|---|---|
| Overall (Global) | #155 of 824 |
| Overall (UK) | #28 of 127 |
| Law | #86 of 243 |
| Health Care | #96 of 356 |
| Medicine | #96 of 356 |
| Arts | #109 of 385 |
| Humanities | #109 of 385 |
| Engineering | #124 of 370 |
| Social Studies | #153 of 442 |
| Computer Science | #170 of 392 |
Law plus the Health Care and Medicine pair sit closest to the global top 25%, while Computer Science (#170) trails the overall position by 15 places, hinting at heavier UK competition in that vertical. The UK rank of #28 places QUB inside the Russell Group’s middle tier on Indian-applicant signals, useful for shortlisting against Newcastle and Liverpool.
Queen’s University Belfast Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026
Queen’s University Belfast ranks #=198 globally on Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, breaking back into the top 200 after three editions in the 201-250 band. THE weights teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
The THE rise is narrower than the QS jump, a sign that reputation gains have moved faster than research-output gains, since THE leans more heavily on citation metrics.
| THE Edition | Queen’s University Belfast THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #=198 |
| 2025 | #201 |
| 2024 | #201 |
| 2023 | #201-250 |
| 2022 | #201 |
Over the 5-year window, THE position has moved by only 3 places (from #201 to #=198), confirming a flat research profile. For Indian applicants weighing research opportunities such as PhD or MRes, this stability means lab and supervisor capacity has held steady rather than expanded; degree-value risk is low but research-growth upside is muted.
Trend signal: The QS-THE gap widened from 5 places in 2022 to 24 in the current editions; reputation-led metrics are pulling QUB forward faster than research-led ones, which favours Master’s applicants over PhD applicants.
Queen’s University Belfast ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings 2025
Queen’s University Belfast sits in the #301-400 band on ARWU 2025, a position it has held for four consecutive editions. ARWU rewards Nobel and Fields Medal counts, Highly Cited Researchers, Nature and Science publications, and indexed papers.
| ARWU Edition | Queen’s University Belfast ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #301-400 |
| 2024 | #301-400 |
| 2023 | #301-400 |
| 2022 | #301-400 |
| 2021 | #401-500 |
QUB moved up one band in 2022 (from #401-500 to #301-400) and has held that band since, the most stable ARWU result for the university in the last decade. Because ARWU groups rank positions in 100-place bands beyond the top 100, the steady placement reflects a methodology ceiling rather than research stagnation; Indian PhD applicants should weigh THE subject ranks alongside this number.
Queen’s University Belfast Subject Rankings 2026
Queen’s University Belfast ranks in 34 QS subjects and 11 THE subjects for 2026, with Pharmacy (#19 QS) the single best result and Physical Sciences plus Medical and Health (both #126-150 THE) leading the research-weighted picture. Six QS subjects sit inside the global top 100, and 24 inside the top 200.
Queen’s University Belfast Subject Rankings Highlights
- Pharmacy: QS #19 globally, the only QUB subject inside the world top 20; outperforms overall QS rank by 155 places.
- Nursing: QS #=48 globally, a new entry into the top 50; aligned with NHS-recognition pipelines for Indian B.Sc Nursing graduates.
- Top 100 cluster: English Language & Literature, Performing Arts and Social Policy all join Pharmacy and Nursing inside the QS top 100.
- Subject breadth: 34 QS subjects ranked (up from 32 last year); Anthropology and Dentistry are new entries this edition.
Queen’s University Belfast QS Subject Rankings 2026
Pharmacy at #19 is the single biggest applicant draw, and its 155-place subject-vs-overall gap is the widest of any QUB subject. Nursing’s entry into the global top 50 marks the first edition in which both flagship health-sciences subjects sit inside that tier.
| QS Subject 2026 | Queen’s University Belfast Rank |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | #19 |
| Nursing | #=48 |
| English Language and Literature | Top 100 |
| Performing Arts | Top 100 |
| Social Policy and Administration | Top 100 |
| Dentistry | #51-150 |
| Anthropology | Newly Ranked |
The five top-100 subjects span health, humanities and social sciences, not the engineering or computer science verticals where Indian applications skew highest. That places QUB’s QS edge narrowest exactly where competition from India is widest, which Indian B.Tech graduates should price in.
India-relevance: Pharmacy and Nursing inside the top 50 are decision-tier signals for B.Pharm and B.Sc Nursing graduates; the 24-subject top-200 spread also covers Education, Linguistics and Politics for humanities applicants.
Queen’s University Belfast THE Subject Rankings 2026
Physical Sciences and Medical and Health share QUB’s best THE result (#126-150), and these two map directly to its strongest research-income streams. Eight of 11 THE subjects sit inside the global top 250.
| THE Subject 2026 | Queen’s University Belfast Rank |
|---|---|
| Physical Sciences | #126-150 |
| Medical and Health | #126-150 |
| Arts and Humanities | #151-175 |
| Education Studies | #151-175 |
| Engineering | #151-175 |
| Law | #151-175 |
| Life Sciences | #151-175 |
| Psychology | #201-250 |
| Social Sciences | #201-250 |
| Business and Economics | #301-400 |
| Computer Science | #301-400 |
Business and Economics and Computer Science slip to the 301-400 band on THE despite Business sitting inside the QS top 200, a divergence that reflects THE’s heavier weighting of research citations over employer reputation. For MBA and MSc Business Analytics applicants, the QS verdict is the more relevant of the two lenses.
Queen’s University Belfast Regional and Impact Rankings
Queen’s University Belfast ranks #70 on QS Europe 2026 (up from #73 last year) and #79 on THE Impact Rankings 2025, with Life Below Water (=#14) the standout SDG result. Both regional results outperform the global rank, a sign of stronger competitive position inside Europe than against the full global field.
Queen’s University Belfast QS Europe Rankings 2026
The Queen’s University Belfast world ranking lens shifts when narrowed to Europe: the 2026 position improved from #73 to #70, holding pace with the global QS rise.
| QS Europe Edition | Queen’s University Belfast QS Europe Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #70 |
| 2025 | #73 |
| 2024 | #70 |
The #70 position places QUB inside the top 8% of QS Europe-ranked universities, ahead of its QS World percentile of top 12%. For Indian applicants weighing UK, Ireland and Continental options together, that Europe-wide standing tightens the comparison set in QUB’s favour.
Queen’s University Belfast THE Impact Rankings 2025
QUB stands at #79 globally on THE Impact 2025, which measures performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Three SDG areas place inside the global top 35.
| SDG Category (THE Impact 2025) | Queen’s University Belfast Rank |
|---|---|
| Overall | #79 |
| Life Below Water (SDG 14) | #=14 |
| Life on Land (SDG 15) | #=29 |
| Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) | #=31 |
| Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17) | #32 |
The =#14 marine-research result feeds directly into QUB’s School of Biological Sciences and its Marine Laboratory at Portaferry. For Indian PhD candidates in marine biology, climate science or conservation, that SDG number is a decision-grade signal that runs independent of the overall global rank.
Queen’s University Belfast Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
For Indian students, the Queen’s University Belfast ranking for Indian students reads stronger at the subject and regional level than at the overall global level. The 24-place QS-THE gap and the 19-place gap between QS (#174) and Collegedunia Study Abroad (#155) both point to brand strength in the Indian market that runs ahead of the research-heavy bodies.
Popular programs for Indian students at QUB: The 794 Indian students currently on campus cluster around five programs that map directly to the university’s strongest ranking results.
- MSc Business Analytics and MSc Finance: Queen’s Business School delivers a £6,000 automatic scholarship for self-funded South Asian applicants; both sit inside the QS top 200 in Business.
- MSc Data Analytics: Sits inside Computer Science, where THE shows #301-400 but QS subject coverage stays inside the top 200; popular bridge for Indian CS graduates.
- MSc Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: Backed by Life Sciences THE #151-175 and the SDG 14 Life Below Water =#14 result.
- MBA: Queen’s Business School flagship; eligible for the £7,500 India Academic Excellence Award.
- MPharm and Pharmacy PG: Backed by the QS Pharmacy #19 global rank, QUB’s single strongest ranking number.
| Signal | Reading for Indian Applicants |
|---|---|
| QS World #174 vs CD Study Abroad #155 | CD rank sits 19 places ahead of QS; Indian-market visibility outpaces the global average |
| QS World #174 vs IIT Bombay #134 | 40-place gap; QUB offsets with a 24-month UK Graduate Route post-study visa |
| Pharmacy QS #19 | 155-place subject-vs-overall gap; flagship draw for B.Pharm graduates |
| 5-year QS gain (2023 to 2027) | +59 places; one of the steepest Russell Group rises in the window |
| QS Europe #70 vs QS World #174 | Top 8% in Europe vs top 12% globally; stronger inside-Europe peer set |
Queen’s University Belfast Indian Applicant Quick Read
- Strongest pull: Pharmacy #19 and Nursing #=48 on QS Subject 2026 are decision-tier ranks for B.Pharm and B.Sc Nursing graduates planning UK PG study.
- Brand stability: ARWU stays at #301-400 for four straight editions; degree value resists revision and stays predictable for visa and recruiter checks.
- Upside curve: A 25-place QS jump in a single edition is rare among Russell Group members; the QUB brand is appreciating, not flat.
- Lower-edge subjects: Computer Science and Business at THE #301-400 lag the overall position; QS is the better lens for those two streams.
Queen’s University Belfast now ranks inside the world’s top 12% on QS and inside the top 200 on THE, with a 59-place QS gain since 2023 and four straight years of ARWU stability behind it. For Indian applicants targeting Pharmacy, Nursing, Law or Health Care, the subject-tier ranks deliver between 60 and 155 places of upside over the overall global number, the gap that ultimately shapes recruiter perception of the degree in the Indian job market.
Read More: Queen’s University Belfast Scholarships 2026 for Indian Students
Queen’s University Belfast Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of Queen’s University Belfast in 2027?
Ans. Queen’s University Belfast ranks #174 in QS World University Rankings 2027, up 25 places from #199 in QS 2026 and #25 in the UK. This places it inside the global top 12% on QS metrics.
Ques. Is Queen’s University Belfast in the global top 200?
Ans. Yes. The Queen’s University Belfast ranking sits inside the top 200 on both QS 2027 (#174) and THE 2026 (#=198). On ARWU 2025 it sits in the #301-400 band, since ARWU weights Nobel laureate counts and Highly Cited Researchers more heavily than reputation surveys.
Ques. What is the best subject ranking for Queen’s University Belfast?
Ans. Pharmacy and Pharmacology is QUB’s highest QS subject result at #19 globally on QS Subject Rankings 2026. Nursing also sits inside the top 50 at #=48, and English Language and Literature, Performing Arts and Social Policy all rank inside the QS top 100.
Ques. How does Queen’s University Belfast rank compared to IIT Bombay for Indian students?
Ans. IIT Bombay ranks #134 on QS World 2027 against Queen’s University Belfast at #174, a 40-place gap. QUB offsets the gap with a UK Graduate Route post-study work visa of 24 months and stronger subject scores in Pharmacy, Nursing and Law.
Ques. Is Queen’s University Belfast a Russell Group university?
Ans. Yes. Queen’s University Belfast is a member of the Russell Group of 24 UK research-intensive universities. The Queen’s University Belfast world ranking on QS 2027 (#174) places it in the mid-tier of the Russell Group, alongside Newcastle and Cardiff.
Ques. What is Queen’s University Belfast’s UK ranking?
Ans. QUB ranks #25 in the UK on QS 2027, #26 on THE 2026 and #28 on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026. It is the top-ranked university in Northern Ireland on every major global ranking body.
Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Queen’s University Belfast?
Ans. The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Queen’s University Belfast for 2026 is #155 globally and #28 in the UK. Its strongest CD category is Law at #86, followed by Health Care and Medicine, both at #96.
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