QS World University Rankings 2026: The University of Bucharest ranks first in Romania and among the top 770 universities worldwide

UB ranks 226th globally for graduate employability

The University of Bucharest reaffirms its position as a leader in Romanian higher education, according to the most recent edition of the QS World University Rankings 2026, published on June 19, 2025. Globally, the University of Bucharest is ranked in the 761–770 band, marking a significant improvement from last year’s position (801–850) and achieving some of its best results in the past decade.

81.1% of UB graduates are employed within 7–11 months after graduation

The University of Bucharest stands out particularly in terms of graduate employability (Employment Outcomes) and Employer Reputation, two key performance indicators. According to the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, UB ranks first in Romania for both metrics, reaffirming its ability to train competitive and job-ready professionals for the global labor market.

Internationally, UB holds the 226th position for Employment Outcomes and ranks 400th for Employer Reputation, consolidating its image as a university that offers relevant, up-to-date academic programs aligned with society’s current needs. These results position UB among the best higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.

As reflected in this year’s rankings, 81.1% of UB graduates secure employment within 7 to 11 months after completing their studies.

The 2026 QS Rankings also highlight the quality and international reach of UB’s academic research. The university ranks 495th globally in the International Research Network indicator, which measures the diversity and strength of global research partnerships. This performance reflects UB’s sustained involvement in impactful international research projects, driven in large part by its membership in the CIVIS European Civic University alliance since 2019, alongside ten other prestigious European universities.

Alongside the University of Bucharest, the 2026 QS World University Rankings include nine other Romanian universities, three of which are members of the Universitaria Consortium: Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (also ranked 761–770), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași (1,001–1,200), and West University of Timișoara (1,201–1,400). The full ranking is available here.

This is the second major international ranking in recent days to place the University of Bucharest at the top nationally and among the world’s best. According to the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025, one of the most respected global academic rankings, UB is ranked first in Romania and 93rd globally for its contributions to sustainable development. These rankings evaluate universities based on their performance related to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the 2030 Agenda. UB achieved its highest score for SDG 5 – Gender Equality, ranking 3rd worldwide, and is also among the top 25 universities globally for SDG 4 – Quality Education, and the top 36 for SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

The QS World University Rankings, now in its 22nd edition in 2026, annually provides a global hierarchy of the most important higher education institutions based on nine performance indicators. With different weightings in the calculation of the final score, the nine indicators assess academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, participation in international research networks and partnerships, graduate employability, and sustainability performance.

More details about the QS World University Rankings 2026 methodology can be found here and here.