Royal Holloway, University of London is a public research university in Egham, Surrey, in the United Kingdom, ranked #37 globally for Music in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with #12 among universities only. The Royal Holloway ranking is #=485 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #379 in the Collegedunia Study Abroad list 2026, with Music and Performing Arts as its strongest disciplines.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #=485 globally
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #379 globally, #50 in the UK
- Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026: 401-500 band globally
- QS Music 2026: #37 globally, #12 among universities only
Reading the rank pattern: Royal Holloway’s overall global position in QS 2027 sits at #=485, but its Music subject rank is #37, a gap of about 448 places between subject and overall. For comparison, the University of Surrey ranks #246 in QS 2027 while IIT Delhi leads Indian institutes at #118. For Indian applicants, the Royal Holloway ranking matters most in specific subjects like Music, Performing Arts, Psychology and Law, not in the overall headline.
Table of Contents
- Royal Holloway, University of London Overall Rankings 2026
- Royal Holloway, University of London Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- Royal Holloway, University of London QS World University Rankings 2027
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Royal Holloway, University of London
- Royal Holloway, University of London Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026
- Royal Holloway, University of London Other Global Rankings
- Royal Holloway, University of London Subject Rankings
- Royal Holloway, University of London Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- Royal Holloway, University of London Ranking FAQs
Royal Holloway, University of London Overall Rankings 2026
Across the four ranking agencies that list Royal Holloway in 2026, the gap between its best and worst position stretches over 500 places, showing how differently each agency measures the same university.
| Ranking Body | Royal Holloway Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 | #379 globally, #50 in the UK |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #=485 globally |
| Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026 | 401-500 band globally |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 | #913 globally |
Key insight: The Royal Holloway ranking sits at #379 in Collegedunia Study Abroad and at #913 in U.S. News, a 534-place gap that flags Collegedunia’s heavier read of Indian student outcomes against U.S. News’s narrower focus on research output. For Indian applicants, the Collegedunia and QS positions are the more useful read of degree value.
Royal Holloway, University of London Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian applicant choosing Royal Holloway, the global headline rank tells only part of the story, since subject strength in Music, Psychology and Law lifts the value of specific degrees by 300-450 places over the overall position.
| Signal | Royal Holloway Position | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS World Rank 2027 | #=485 globally | Mid-tier global brand by overall QS rank, with degree value driven by subject choice. |
| QS Music 2026 | #37 globally | Among the strongest UK subject ranks outside Oxbridge, useful for Music and creative-arts applicants. |
| THE Psychology 2026 | 126-150 band | A top-150 band in a competitive subject, a credible draw for Indian Psychology applicants. |
| vs IIT Delhi (QS 2027) | IIT Delhi #118 vs Royal Holloway #=485 | The strongest Indian institute ranks 367 places higher overall, so the case for Royal Holloway is subject fit and UK study experience, not global brand alone. |
| vs University of Surrey (QS 2027) | Surrey #246 vs Royal Holloway #=485 | A nearby UK peer ranks 239 places higher overall, so applicants pick Royal Holloway for subject strength and its position near London. |
Key insight
- Subject vs overall gap: Music at #37 sits about 448 places above the overall QS 2027 rank, so the degree value rests on subject choice.
- Stability check: THE has stayed in the 401-500 band across 2025 and 2026, so the broad band signals neither sharp rise nor sharp fall.
- Indian peer read: IIT Delhi at #118 in QS 2027 sits 367 places ahead, so cost, location and subject fit, not overall rank, drive the Royal Holloway choice for Indian applicants.
Royal Holloway, University of London QS World University Rankings 2027
The Royal Holloway QS ranking has moved across a 72-place window in four years, from #413 in 2024 to #=485 in 2027, with a partial recovery in the middle of that window.
QS, which ranks universities based on academic reputation, employer opinion, research citations and other measures, releases its world ranking each June. Royal Holloway is now in QS World University Rankings 2027, the edition released in June 2026.
| Year | Royal Holloway QS World University Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #=485 |
| 2026 | #461 |
| 2025 | #477 |
| 2024 | #413 |
The four-year average of Royal Holloway’s QS world rank works out to about #459, with the sharpest single-year slip between 2024 and 2025 at 64 places. The 2025 to 2026 cycle clawed back 16 places before the 2027 edition slipped 24 again, leaving the Royal Holloway QS ranking 72 places lower than its 2024 peak.
Trend signal: Three of the last four QS editions have placed Royal Holloway between #461 and #=485, a narrow 24-place band. For an Indian applicant comparing across cycles, this means the QS reading of the university has been broadly steady, with no dramatic upward or downward swing.
Read More: Royal Holloway, University of London Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Royal Holloway, University of London
Collegedunia Study Abroad places Royal Holloway at #379 out of 824 universities globally in 2026, a top-46% position that sits 106 places above the QS reading of the same university.
Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks international universities using a model that weighs Indian student outcomes, fee value and academic profile. Royal Holloway carries six confirmed entries in the 2026 list.
| Category | Collegedunia Rank 2026 |
|---|---|
| Overall | #379 globally, #50 in the UK |
| Arts | #138 globally, #33 in the UK |
| Humanities | #138 globally, #33 in the UK |
| Law | #190 globally, #41 in the UK |
| Computer Science | #206 globally, #36 in the UK |
| Social Studies | #235 globally, #48 in the UK |
Royal Holloway’s Arts and Humanities ranks at #138 sit 241 places above its overall Collegedunia position, while the Computer Science rank of #206 sits 173 places ahead of the overall. For an Indian applicant, this gap means the subject Royal Holloway is chosen for tends to read better on Collegedunia than its overall position suggests.
India-relevance: Five of the six Royal Holloway entries on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 sit inside the global top 250 of their category, while the overall rank is at #379. For Indian applicants targeting Arts, Humanities or Law, the Collegedunia signal is stronger than the overall headline suggests.
Royal Holloway, University of London Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings 2026
The Royal Holloway THE ranking has stayed inside the 401-500 band across both editions for which the band is verified, with no movement out of that bracket since 2025.
Times Higher Education, which scores universities on teaching, research output, citation impact and international outlook, releases its world ranking each October. The current edition is THE World University Rankings 2026, released in October 2025.
| Year | Royal Holloway THE World University Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 401-500 band |
| 2025 | 401-500 band |
A flat 401-500 reading over two cycles places Royal Holloway in the global top 17% of the 3,118 universities THE ranks in 2026, the same broad zone it held in 2025. The university also ranks #31 in the UK on THE 2026 and #41 in the UK on THE’s International Outlook measure for the same edition.
What it signals: A two-year hold inside the 401-500 band, with a UK rank of #31 on THE 2026, means a stable degree value for Indian applicants. The alumni brand built on THE’s reading does not weaken between the two cycles, so the value of the Royal Holloway degree on the THE measure is unchanged.
Royal Holloway, University of London Other Global Rankings
On U.S. News, the Royal Holloway ranking sits in the bottom half of the global top 1000, a sharper reading than QS or THE because U.S. News weights research output and citation impact more heavily than the other two bodies.
| Ranking Body and Edition | Royal Holloway Rank | UK Rank |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 | #913 globally | #53 in the UK |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2022 | 601-700 band globally | Band data only |
The U.S. News #913 reading sits 428 places below the QS 2027 figure of #=485 and 534 places below the Collegedunia Study Abroad #379, a gap that points to lower research citation volume than the global top 500. For an Indian applicant, this matters mainly if the chosen programme is research-led, since U.S. News reads citation strength more strongly than teaching or reputation.
Note: The ARWU 2022 entry of 601-700 is the most recent confirmed Royal Holloway position on the Shanghai list. Newer ARWU editions have not been confirmed on the official source, so the 2022 band is shown only for record and not used in trend reading.
Royal Holloway, University of London Subject Rankings
Royal Holloway’s subject ranks tell a sharper story than its overall position, with Music at #37 globally on QS 2026 sitting 448 places above the QS overall rank for the same university.
Key insight
- Strongest subject: Music at #37 globally on QS 2026, #12 among universities only.
- Top 150 band: Psychology on THE 2026 sits in the 126-150 band, a top-5% subject reading.
- Subject-vs-overall gap: Five of the seven THE 2026 subjects sit inside the global 400 mark, while the overall rank is in the 401-500 band.
Royal Holloway, University of London Music Ranking on QS 2026
Royal Holloway ranks #37 globally on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Music, the university’s single highest subject rank on any global table.
| Measure | Royal Holloway Position |
|---|---|
| QS Music 2026 (universities and conservatoires combined) | #37 globally |
| QS Music 2026 (universities only) | #12 globally |
| QS Music 2026 UK rank | #2 in the UK |
Among universities only, the #12 figure means Royal Holloway sits inside the global top 12 for Music in QS 2026, ahead of every other UK university except one. For an Indian applicant choosing a BMus or MMus programme abroad, this is the single strongest subject rank Royal Holloway carries.
Royal Holloway, University of London THE Subject Rankings 2026
Seven Royal Holloway subjects are ranked on the THE World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with Psychology the strongest at the 126-150 band, sitting more than 270 places above the overall band.
| Subject | THE 2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Psychology | 126-150 band |
| Arts and Humanities | 201-250 band |
| Law | 251-300 band |
| Physical Sciences | 251-300 band |
| Business and Economics | 301-400 band |
| Social Sciences | 301-400 band |
| Computer Science | 401-500 band |
Psychology, Arts and Humanities, Law and Physical Sciences all sit above the overall Royal Holloway THE band of 401-500, while Computer Science matches it. The Psychology lift of about 275 places over the overall band is the single biggest subject signal on THE 2026, useful for an Indian applicant comparing BSc and MSc Psychology options at Royal Holloway against other UK universities.
What this means for Indian applicants: Five of the seven THE 2026 subjects sit inside the global 400 mark. The Royal Holloway subject rankings are the better gauge of degree value for Indian applicants in Psychology, Law, Arts and Humanities than the overall world rank.
Royal Holloway, University of London Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
For the roughly 250 Indian students on the Royal Holloway roll, the rankings story is about subject fit, not the overall headline, with the top Indian-chosen programmes mapping closely to the subjects that lift well above the overall band.
Popular programmes for Indian students at Royal Holloway:
- MSc Data Science: Tied to the Computer Science subject ranks, which sit at THE 401-500 and Collegedunia #206.
- MSc Artificial Intelligence: Backed by the same Computer Science research base used in the THE 2026 subject reading.
- BSc Criminology and Psychology: Anchored by the Psychology rank of THE 126-150 in 2026.
- MSc Social Work: Linked to the Social Sciences subject band of THE 301-400 in 2026.
- BSc Biomedical Sciences: Read against the Physical Sciences band of THE 251-300 in 2026.
| Signal | Royal Holloway Reading | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Strongest single subject for Indian applicants | Music at #37 on QS 2026 | The single strongest subject pitch outside Oxbridge for Indian Music applicants. |
| Best STEM-friendly subject for Indian applicants | Psychology at 126-150 on THE 2026 | A top-150 band reading that supports a credible BSc or MSc choice. |
| QS movement trend | Four-year average #459, current #=485 | A narrow band on QS means alumni brand value stays steady across cycles. |
| Closest Indian peer alternative | IIT Delhi #118 on QS 2027 vs Royal Holloway #=485 | IIT Delhi sits 367 places higher on QS overall, so Royal Holloway is a subject-fit choice, not a brand-lift choice. |
| UK peer comparison | University of Surrey #246 on QS 2027 vs Royal Holloway #=485 | A nearby UK peer ranks 239 places higher overall, so Royal Holloway must win on subject and campus fit. |
Key insight
- Subject-led brand: The Royal Holloway ranking for Indian students is strongest when read at the subject level, with Music at #37 and Psychology at 126-150 the two clearest lifts.
- Stability: The QS band of #=485 to #461 across the four most recent editions means the Royal Holloway degree carries a steady, not sliding, alumni brand.
- Peer read: Both IIT Delhi at #118 and University of Surrey at #246 sit higher on QS 2027, so the Royal Holloway choice rests on Music, Psychology or location near London, not on a higher world rank.
- Collegedunia read: Five of the six Collegedunia Study Abroad subject entries sit inside the global top 250, a stronger reading than the overall #379.
Across QS 2027, THE 2026 and U.S. News 2025-2026, the Royal Holloway ranking sits in a global band of roughly #401 to #913, but the same university ranks #37 for Music and 126-150 for Psychology in 2026, a subject-vs-overall gap of 270 to 448 places. For an Indian applicant reading the Royal Holloway ranking page, the more useful anchor is the subject of intended study, not the headline number alone.
Royal Holloway, University of London Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of Royal Holloway, University of London in 2027?
Ans. Royal Holloway, University of London is ranked #=485 in QS World University Rankings 2027. The Royal Holloway QS ranking slipped 24 places from #461 in QS 2026, while staying inside a narrow #461 to #=485 band over the last three editions.
Ques. What is Royal Holloway ranked in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026?
Ans. Royal Holloway sits in the 401-500 band of THE World University Rankings 2026 globally, and at #31 in the UK. The Royal Holloway THE ranking has stayed in this same 401-500 band across both 2025 and 2026.
Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Royal Holloway, University of London?
Ans. Royal Holloway ranks #379 out of 824 universities globally and #50 in the UK on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026. The university also carries six subject entries, the strongest of which are Arts and Humanities at #138 globally.
Ques. What is Royal Holloway’s best subject ranking?
Ans. Royal Holloway’s best subject ranking is #37 globally for Music on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, and #12 among universities only. On THE 2026, the Royal Holloway subject rankings put Psychology in the 126-150 band globally.
Ques. Is Royal Holloway a good ranked university for Indian students?
Ans. Royal Holloway is a mid-tier university by overall global rank, but a strong subject choice for Indian applicants in Music, Psychology, Arts and Humanities and Law. The Royal Holloway ranking for Indian students reads more usefully at the subject level than at the overall world rank.
Ques. How does Royal Holloway’s ranking compare with IIT Delhi for Indian applicants?
Ans. IIT Delhi is ranked #118 in QS 2027 while Royal Holloway is at #=485, a gap of 367 places. The Royal Holloway choice for an Indian applicant rests on UK study experience and subject strength in Music or Psychology, not on a higher global rank than the top Indian institute.
Ques. Has Royal Holloway’s QS ranking improved over the last four years?
Ans. No, the Royal Holloway QS ranking has slipped from #413 in 2024 to #=485 in 2027, a fall of 72 places. The four-year average sits at #459, with the sharpest single-year slip of 64 places between QS 2024 and QS 2025.
1546425900.png?h=40&w=60&mode=stretch)
Comments