LMU in rankings
LMU consistently ranks among Europe's leading universities and holds top positions in all relevant international rankings
For years, LMU has been evaluated in international rankings—both as a university as a whole and in individual academic departments—and has achieved outstanding results. These rankings take various indicators into account, such as reputation, performance in research and teaching, and the number of citations in academic publications.
LMU’s consistently strong performance in national and international rankings is a reflection of the achievements of our university as a whole. It speaks to the excellence of our research and teaching, the high quality of our student support, and the outstanding environment we provide for researchers. These achievements are the result of a shared commitment across LMU – and of our determination to keep raising the bar, every single day.Matthias H. Tschöp, President of LMU
University rankings
Times Higher Education (THE) has published the World University Rankings since 2004. The rankings currently evaluate almost 2,200 universities from 115 countries. They are based on 17 indicators, spanning research publication quality, citations, reputation, teaching, industry outcome, and international outlook.
LMU’s Ranking in the THE World University Rankings 2027
(Published: September 30, 2026)
#2 in Germany
#41 globally
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, has been published since 2003. It ranks the world's 1,000 best universities from 62 countries. The research-focused evaluation is based on six indicators – including winners of Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, publications in leading journals such as Nature and Science, and citation rate.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#49 globally
The QS World University Rankings have appeared since 2004 and currently assess roughly 1,500 universities from 105 countries. Across nine indicators, they measure performance in the areas of research, teaching, internationalization, employability, and sustainability.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#17 in Europe
#61 globally
Launched in 2026, The World’s Top Universities is a ranking carried out by TIME Magazine in partnership with Statista. It ranks universities according to 16 indicators, evaluating areas such as research, teaching, graduate success, innovation transfer, and open education.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#66 globally
The Best Global Universities by U.S. News & World Report has been published since 2014 in conjunction with Clarivate Analytics. The ranking is based on 13 indicators, most of which relate to bibliometric research data and global and regional research reputation.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#57 globally
The National Taiwan University (NTU) Ranking has been published under this name since 2012. As a pure bibliometric ranking, it measures the research performance of universities through eight indicators based on Web of Science publication and citation data.
LMU's 2025 Ranking
#1 in Germany
#62 globally
The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has been compiling the Global 2000 List since 2012. The ranking evaluates research, teaching, and employability according to eight indicators, including academic awards for staff and alumni and leadership positions in globally leading companies.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#1 in Germany
#15 in Europe
#51 globally
Subject rankings
The Times Higher Education (THE) Subject Rankings evaluate universities worldwide across 11 different subject areas. The rankings are based on 18 indicators from the general THE World University Rankings—including reputation, bibliometric metrics, student-faculty ratio, finances, and patents—which are weighted differently depending on the subject area.
LMU’s Rankings in 2026
- Arts & Humanities: #1 in Germany (#15 globally)
- Business & Economics: #3 in Germany (#39 globally)
- Computer Science: #2 in Germany (#50 globally)
- Education Studies: #2 in Germany (#63 globally)
- Law: #1 in Germany (#21 globally)
- Life Sciences: #3 in Germany (#44 globally)
- Medical and Health: #2 in Germany (#44 globally)
- Physical Sciences: #2 in Germany (#30 globally)
- Psychology: #1 in Germany (#25 globally)
- Social Sciences: #4 in Germany (#60 globally)
The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) evaluates universities worldwide across 57 subjects in five disciplinary areas. The evaluations are based on five indicators—including bibliometric metrics, award winners, Highly Cited Researchers, and scientific awards—which are weighted differently depending on the subject.
LMU’s Top 5 Rankings in 2025
- Communication: #1 in Germany (#9 globally)
- Medical Technology: #1 in Germany (#13 globally)
- Human Biological Sciences: #1 in Germany (#29 globally)
- Physics: #1 in Germany (#40 globally)
- Public Administration: #2 in Germany (#41 globally)
The QS World University Rankings by Subject have been published annually since 2011 and evaluate universities worldwide in 55 individual subjects across 5 subject areas. Depending on the subject area, the rankings are based on up to five differently weighted indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per publication, H-index, and international research network.
LMU's 2026 ranking
Arts & Humanities: #35 globally
Engineering & Technology: #228 globally
Life Sciences & Medicine: #46 globally
Natural Sciences: #43 globally
Every three years, the Center for Higher Education Development (CHE) takes a close look at different academic departments and surveys students, departments, and others on the subject.
The CHE Ranking covers the following academic disciplines:
Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Geography, German Studies, Earth Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Pharmacy, Physics, Political Science/Social Sciences, Psychology, Romance Languages, Sociology, Economics
Some department pages may provide additional information about the rankings.
The WirtschaftsWoche (WiWo) Ranking has been published every two years since 2019. It ranks universities across the German-speaking world in subjects such as business, economics, and law. The evaluations are based on surveys of HR staff in German companies regarding their graduate recruiting preferences.
LMU's 2024 ranking
Business administration: #1
Economics: #1
Law: #1
Computer science: #6
Natural sciences: #5
Bibliometric rankings
Clarivate’s list of “Highly Cited Researchers” is published annually and recognizes the researchers worldwide who are most frequently cited in prestigious scientific journals. The distinction is awarded in 21 disciplines as well as an additional interdisciplinary category.
The latest international publication analysis recognizes 17 LMU scholars as among the most successful in their field.
Published since 2014, the Nature Index tracks publication performance in 178 prestigious journals. In addition to universities, the list includes non-university research institutions and private companies operating across the natural, health, applied, and social sciences.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#126 worldwide
The CWTS Leiden Ranking has been evaluating the research performance of universities worldwide based on bibliometric data since 2013. It offers various analyses regarding publication figures and citations. Since 2024, it has used open data sources such as OpenAlex.
LMU's 2025 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#106 worldwide
Topic-specific rankings
QS World University Sustainability Ranking
Launched in 2022, the QS Sustainability Ranking evaluates the commitment of universities to sustainability. The assessment is based on 53 individual indicators across three pillars, including both environmental and social aspects.
LMU's 2026 Ranking
#4 in Germany
#103 worldwide
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WURI
The World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) have been assessing the innovative strength of universities since 2020. Across 24 categories, they analyze how institutions generate added value for society through creative programs and practice-oriented approaches.
LMU's 2025 Ranking
#4 in Germany
#230 globally
© LMU
GEURS
The Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS) has been published since 2011. Based on a global survey of employers, it assesses the employability and success of graduates from the perspective of the private sector.
LMU's 2025 Ranking
#2 in Germany
#54 globally
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