Ranking and Karolinska Institutet

What is university ranking?

A variety of organisations rank the world's universities in fields such as research, education and student influence, based mostly on the prominence of their research. Some prospective students choose to consult these tables when considering where to study.

No ranking table can give the full picture of the quality of a university. The relevance of the information varies greatly between different tables, especially in regards to parameter choices. This page presents three international ranking tables often referred to in international media. They have been in the public eye for many years, and have a relatively high methodological transparency, as well as a high level of control of their data.

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

This table (also referred to as the 'Shanghai ranking') is now compiled by the organization ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.

For 2024, ARWU ranks Karolinska Institutet at number 43 in the world and number 10 in Europe.

In the field ”Nursing” KI is the eight in the world. In the field of ”Public Health”, KI ranks number 19 in the world and 6th in Europe. Within the field "Clinical Medicine", KI is ranked 32 in the world and 11 in Europe and in the field "Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences" 18 in the world and 9 in Europe.

Visit the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) website

Times Higher Education

This ranking is compiled by Times Higher Education, based in the United Kingdom.

For 2024/2025, Karolinska Institutet is ranked overall at number 49 in the world and number 14 in Europe. In the latest subject area ranking (2023/2024), KI placed 16th in the world and 6th in Europe within the area "Clinical and Health", 31st in the world and 8th in Europe in "Life Sciences", and 30th in the world and 8th in Europe within "Psychology".

Visit the Times Higher Education website

QS World Ranking of Universities

In the 2023/2024 QS World University Rankings, KI is number 10 in the world and number 5 in Europe in the broad subject area of Life Sciences and Medicine.

In the subject of Medicine, KI is number 7 in the world and number 4 in Europe. In Pharmacy and Pharmacology, KI is the 12th best institution in the world and 5th in Europe. In the subject of Dentistry, KI holds the 7th place in the world and 4th in Europe. In Nursing, KI is on 19th place in the world and 4th in Europe.

QS does not feature Karolinska Institutet in its overall university ranking, which only includes multi-faculty universities.

For more information about the QS rankings, visit the Top Universities website.

Best Global Universities Rankings (U.S. News & World Report)

In the latest ranking (2022/2023), Karolinska Institutet (KI) is ranked 51st in the world (the same as the year before) and 15th in Europe. In subject areas such as ”Clinical Medicine”, ”Cell Biology”, "Immunology", "Pharmacology and Toxicology" och "Psychiatry /Psychology", KI is among the top 20 universities in the world and the top 10 in Europe.

More information about Best Global Universities Rankings.

More than ranking

While Karolinska Institutet consistently rank very well, which makes us proud and happy, we recognize that varying ranking methodologies may mean that results thereof may be inconsistent and should be valued as one factor among many others when choosing which university to attend.

Our greatest assets are our staff, students and alumni – who represent a slice of life at Karolinska Institutet in a way that statistical analysis never can. Read more about what our current students have to say, or read more on why you should choose Karolinska Institutet as your place of study.