Portugal has once again strengthened its presence in international higher education with nine universities ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2026, released this week by British consulting firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The significant rises of several Portuguese institutions show a continuous national effort in areas such as research, academic reputation, and internationalization – with emphasis on the University of Lisbon.
The University of Lisbon is once again the highest-ranked national institution, climbing 30 places from the previous year and now occupying the 230th place in the world ranking. The University of Porto is one of the biggest climbers in this edition, advancing 41 places from the 278th to 237th place, consolidating its position as one of the most competitive universities internationally.
Another highlight is the New University of Lisbon, which rose from 388th place in 2025 to 327th in 2026, an improvement of 61 places that puts it ahead of Coimbra for the first time. The University of Coimbra is now in 347th place, while the University of Aveiro is in 419th place, both with solid performances that keep these institutions in the group of the world's top 500 universities.
The University of Minho also improved on last year's ranking and is now in 566th place. ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa ranks in the 711–720 range, and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa rises to the 781–790 range. The University of Algarve stands out with a significant improvement, entering the 1001–1200 range, confirming the institution's growing international recognition.
The QS World University Rankings, compiled annually by British consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), assesses more than 1,500 universities worldwide based on seven key indicators: academic reputation (30%), reputation among employers (10%), faculty-student ratio (10%), citations per article (20%), H index (5%), international research network (5%), and internationalization, measured by the proportion of foreign faculty and students (20%). These criteria seek to reflect the quality of teaching, the impact of research, the employability of graduates, and the degree of internationalization of each institution.
This ranking can be useful for students who are finishing high school and plan to apply for higher education next month. Although a university's global ranking should not be the only factor to consider, it can provide valuable insight into the academic and scientific reputation of institutions, especially for those considering international paths or highly competitive fields.
Globally, the ranking continues to be led by leading institutions. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retains first place for the 13th consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London, which rises to second place, and the University of Oxford in third. Harvard University and the University of Cambridge complete the top 5 worldwide. These results reflect the dominance of Anglo-Saxon universities in international rankings, supported by decades of investment in research, talent recruitment, and global collaboration networks.
Portugal thus continues to assert itself on the international higher education scene, with several universities making consistent progress in the QS World University Rankings. These results demonstrate the potential and growing quality of national higher education institutions, which is another factor for students to consider when building their academic future.