Rankings and surveys

The QS World University Rankings is one of the world’s most popular sources of comparative data about university performance. In 2024, the methodology was updated.

QS World University Rankings by Subject

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are compiled annually to help prospective students identify the leading universities in a particular subject.

QS Europe Rankings

QS World University Rankings by Region ranks separately universities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, the Arab region and Europe. The University of Tartu belongs to the latter.

• Europe 2026: 136
• Northern Europe 2025: 59 (14th among EU countries)

QS Sustainability Rankings

2026: 377

THE (Times Higher Education) has been providing trusted performance data on universities for students and their families, academics, university leaders, governments and industry since 2004.

In 2024, THE implemented a new WUR 3.0 methodology.

THE Global Subject Rankings

The Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. It was first published in 2003 by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Since 2009, the ARWU has been published annually and copyrighted by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.

ARWU also publishes subject-based rankings.

U.S. News ranks institutions from the U.S. and more than 90 other countries based on 13 indicators measuring their academic research performance and global and regional reputations.

• Best Global Universities 2025: 236
• Best Global Universities in Europe: 92

There are also rankings by subject available.

The "Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities" is released by National Taiwan University and is known as the NTU Rankings.

• 2025: 346

See further data on the University of Tartu.

The "Webometrics Ranking of World Universities" is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain.

2026: 390

The CWTS Leiden Ranking offers important insights into the scientific performance of over 1200 major universities worldwide. Compared with other university rankings, the Leiden Ranking offers more advanced bibliometric indicators.

TIME magazine launched its first the World’s Top Universities Ranking in 2026, and the University of Tartu is ranked 168th globally and the 1st in Estonia.

Estonia ranks second in the Academic Freedom Index 2026.

The Academic Freedom Index (AFI) assesses de facto levels of academic freedom across the world based on five indicators: freedom to research and teach; freedom of academic exchange and dissemination; institutional autonomy; campus integrity; and freedom of academic and cultural expression. The AFI currently covers 179 countries and territories and provides the most comprehensive dataset on academic freedom.

According to the universities’ reputation survey conducted by Kantar Emor in spring 2023 among Estonian residents aged 15–60, people of all age groups consider the University of Tartu as Estonia’s most reputable higher education institution.

When asked about higher education institutions, 86% of the respondents spontaneously mentioned the University of Tartu first; the percentage was even higher, 97%, among young people aged 15-24. The reputation of the University of Tartu was considered excellent or very good by 84% of the nearly 1,400 respondents.

According to the survey, the university’s reputation is based on first-class education, credibility, high-level research and successful alumni. The university’s diploma is highly valued in the labour market. The internationalisation of the university is also seen as an advantage.

Statistics Estonia analysed the economic contribution of working international students and international graduates. The analysis, commissioned by the Education and Youth Board, shows that, in the academic year 2021/22, international degree students contributed 14 million euros and international graduates over 8 million euros in taxes. Read more here.

Studyportals, in collaboration with IELTS, Shorelight Education and US News Global Education, launched the first ever Global Student Satisfaction Awards in 2019. Entirely based on student reviews, the awards recognise the best educators globally and are the first of their kind to review universities based solely on student voices and experiences. The University of Tartu was awarded for outstanding achievements in student satisfaction and brought home the award for Best Admission Process.

In 2019, a total of 183 higher education institutions from around the globe, including 48 from Europe and eight from Estonia, participated in the International Student Barometer (ISB) survey – a leading, large-scale survey of student attitudes. The results show that the highest scores for learning and living experience and support services among international students studying at Estonian higher education institutions were awarded to the University of Tartu. Among European higher education institutions, the University of Tartu ranked 2nd-6th, while the world rankings placed it in 10th-60th place. Read more here.