Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has produced an annual global ranking of higher education institutions since 2004, which evaluates universities on the basis of six criteria:

• academic reputation,
• employer reputation,
• faculty/student ratio,
• citations per faculty,
• international student ratio,
• international faculty ratio.

Two Hungarian universities included in the list for the first time

Eleven Hungarian universities have been evaluated in this year’s list (QS World University Rankings 2023), out of which two institutions (the University of Pannonia and Óbuda University) were included in the ranking for the first time. Among the Hungarian universities, the University of Debrecen came in second place behind SZTE, with 651-700th position in the global list. In third place there are Eötvös Loránd University and the University of Pécs, both ranked 701-750th.

Among the seven other Hungarian institutions in the list, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the Széchenyi István University and the Szent István University (Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences) have been ranked 801-1000th, the Corvinus University of Budapest, the University of Miskolc and the University of Pannonia have been placed 1001-1200th, while Óbuda University has earned 1201-1400th position.

Rankings of the Hungarian universities in the QS list:

• 1. University of Szeged: 551-560.
• 2. University of Debrecen: 651-700.
• 3. Eötvös Loránd University: 701-750.
• 3. University of Pécs: 701-750.
• 4. Budapest University of Technology and Economics: 801-1000.
• 4. Széchenyi István University: 801-1000.
• 4. Szent István University (Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences): 801-1000.
• 5. Corvinus University of Budapest: 1001-1200.
• 5. University of Miskolc: 1001-1200.
• 5. University of Pannonia: 1001-1200.
• 6. Óbuda University: 1201-1400.

Source: QS World University Rankings 2023

Photo: SZTE

SZTE: first position in faculty/student ratio

The University of Szeged (SZTE) has been positioned as the best Hungarian university in the QS rankings for more than a decade. In addition to this year’s overall ranking, SZTE has also gained Number 1 position among Hungarian universities in one of the six indicators, namely in faculty/student ratio (320th in this indicator’s global list).

UD: first position in the ratio of foreign students

The University of Debrecen (UD), ranked second among Hungarian universities (651-700th in the global ranking), has achieved the best position among Hungarian universities in the indicator of the ratio of foreign students (161st in this indicator’s list).

ELTE: first position in academic reputation

Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), ranked third among Hungarian institutions and 701-750th in the global ranking, has earned the Number 1 position in Hungary according to the indicator of academic reputation (354th in this indicator’s list).

BME: first position in employer reputation

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), ranked 801-1000th in the global ranking, became the best Hungarian university in the field of employer reputation (464th in this indicator’s list). The BME has made progress in the indicators of academic recognition and the proportion of foreign academic staff and students compared to last year.

MIT is on the top

As for the top institutions of the global ranking, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been again ranked first, meaning that MIT has been earning the top spot for more than a decade. Cambridge came in second place and Stanford in third. Oxford and Harvard have also been ranked in the top 5.