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Social Sciences & Management
Development Studies Ranking
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
51 universities
Click any university to view its application strategy timeline
| Rank | Change | University | Country | Score | Academic | Employer | Citations | H | IRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Sussex | United Kingdom | 95.3 | 100.0 | 79.6 | 86.4 | 95.7 | — | |
| 2 | 3 | SOAS University of London | United Kingdom | 93.5 | 97.4 | 81.8 | 88.4 | 91.1 | — |
| 3 | 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 88.3 | 84.7 | 93.4 | 87.6 | 100.0 | — |
| 4 | 1 | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | United Kingdom | 88.2 | 84.0 | 100.0 | 86.6 | 98.8 | — |
| 5 | 6 | The University of Manchester | United Kingdom | 85.7 | 83.1 | 71.2 | 91.7 | 99.6 | — |
| 6 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 85.3 | 81.3 | 92.2 | 87.1 | 94.8 | — | |
| 7 | 3 | Harvard University | United States of America | 85.1 | 82.8 | 94.9 | 85.3 | 87.5 | — |
| 8 | Wageningen University & Research | Netherlands | 83.4 | 81.8 | 59.2 | 91.6 | 98.0 | — | |
| 9 | — | National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore | 81.7 | 76.1 | 98.4 | 85.0 | 89.4 | — |
| 10 | 2 | UCL | United Kingdom | 80.3 | 74.1 | 86.3 | 87.3 | 93.8 | — |
| 11 | 4 | University of Cape Town | South Africa | 79.9 | 79.0 | 70.0 | 83.2 | 86.8 | — |
| 12 | 5 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | United States of America | 78.8 | 76.1 | 71.0 | 86.4 | 87.5 | — |
| 13 | 1 | Columbia University | United States of America | 78.5 | 73.7 | 83.9 | 84.7 | 88.1 | — |
| 14 | 4 | Australian National University (ANU) | Australia | 78.3 | 73.3 | 82.0 | 83.2 | 91.1 | — |
| 15 | 8 | Cornell University | United States of America | 78.2 | 74.6 | 68.0 | 87.0 | 90.6 | — |
| 16 | 8 | Stanford University | United States of America | 77.8 | 75.3 | 89.1 | 80.3 | 78.0 | — |
| 17 | 9 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico | 77.5 | 80.1 | 78.2 | 71.3 | 72.6 | — |
| 18 | 4 | University of Leeds | United Kingdom | 75.3 | 70.4 | 68.5 | 86.9 | 87.5 | — |
| 19 | 1 | Princeton University | United States of America | 75.0 | 74.4 | 79.6 | 78.1 | 71.3 | — |
| 20 | 30 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | United States of America | 74.7 | 72.4 | 51.2 | 92.8 | 81.6 | — |
| 21 | 10 | King's College London | United Kingdom | 74.6 | 66.2 | 80.1 | 87.0 | 92.2 | — |
| 22 | 14 | The University of Sheffield | United Kingdom | 74.2 | 66.3 | 64.6 | 92.8 | 93.3 | — |
| 23 | 5 | Erasmus University Rotterdam | Netherlands | 74.1 | 66.6 | 67.8 | 87.6 | 94.8 | — |
| 23 | 7 | University of East Anglia (UEA) | United Kingdom | 74.1 | 71.1 | 47.0 | 91.5 | 86.8 | — |
| 25 | 16 | University of Witwatersrand | South Africa | 74.0 | 71.8 | 67.9 | 76.2 | 84.7 | — |
| 26 | 3 | Jawaharlal Nehru University | India | 73.9 | 74.6 | 60.5 | 76.7 | 77.0 | — |
| 27 | 16 | Universidad de los Andes | Colombia | 73.2 | 68.9 | 92.4 | 78.1 | 72.6 | — |
| 28 | 5 | Leiden University | Netherlands | 73.0 | 68.0 | 68.6 | 82.7 | 86.1 | — |
| 29 | 8 | The University of Tokyo | Japan | 72.7 | 69.3 | 80.3 | 76.7 | 77.0 | — |
| 30 | 21 | The University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 72.4 | 63.6 | 78.3 | 88.7 | 87.5 | — |
| 31 | 20 | University of Bath | United Kingdom | 72.3 | 68.1 | 69.1 | 82.2 | 81.6 | — |
| 31 | 14 | The University of Queensland | Australia | 72.3 | 61.3 | 68.1 | 94.5 | 97.1 | — |
| 33 | 4 | Universidad de Chile | Chile | 72.2 | 70.5 | 79.1 | 77.8 | 68.6 | — |
| 34 | 7 | University of British Columbia | Canada | 72.1 | 67.4 | 63.1 | 82.9 | 86.1 | — |
| 35 | 16 | Johns Hopkins University | United States of America | 72.0 | 66.1 | 68.5 | 86.7 | 83.2 | — |
| 36 | 15 | Utrecht University | Netherlands | 71.7 | 65.1 | 62.6 | 87.8 | 88.1 | — |
| 37 | — | Peking University | China (Mainland) | 71.5 | 62.4 | 80.4 | 85.5 | 88.1 | — |
| 38 | 14 | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) | Chile | 71.1 | 68.5 | 77.0 | 77.4 | 71.3 | — |
| 39 | 4 | University of Toronto | Canada | 71.0 | 63.1 | 79.4 | 81.7 | 86.1 | — |
| 40 | 15 | Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne | France | 70.9 | 65.8 | 77.3 | 77.4 | 80.7 | — |
| 41 | 4 | The University of Melbourne | Australia | 70.6 | 60.2 | 78.1 | 86.3 | 91.7 | — |
| 42 | — | Yale University | United States of America | 70.5 | 65.0 | 86.3 | 80.9 | 71.3 | — |
| 43 | 30 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | United States of America | 70.4 | 64.2 | 67.6 | 84.4 | 83.2 | — |
| 44 | — | Tsinghua University | China (Mainland) | 69.9 | 58.6 | 81.8 | 90.5 | 86.8 | — |
| 45 | — | The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - Geneva | Switzerland | 69.4 | 71.8 | 57.4 | 68.7 | 68.6 | — |
| 46 | 5 | McGill University | Canada | 69.2 | 62.5 | 72.5 | 82.9 | 79.9 | — |
| 46 | 1 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) | Singapore | 69.2 | 63.9 | 89.7 | 75.9 | 70.0 | — |
| 48 | 3 | American University | United States of America | 68.5 | 63.2 | 63.6 | 81.8 | 79.9 | — |
| 49 | 2 | Newcastle University | United Kingdom | 68.3 | 61.8 | 65.6 | 85.8 | 78.9 | — |
| 49 | 2 | Kyoto University | Japan | 68.3 | 69.7 | 67.8 | 70.9 | 60.2 | — |
| 2026 | 1 | INSTITUTION | COUNTRY/TERRITORY | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1
University of Sussex
United Kingdom
95.3·Acad: 100.0·Empl: 79.6
23
SOAS University of London
United Kingdom
93.5·Acad: 97.4·Empl: 81.8
31
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
88.3·Acad: 84.7·Empl: 93.4
41
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
United Kingdom
88.2·Acad: 84.0·Empl: 100.0
56
The University of Manchester
United Kingdom
85.7·Acad: 83.1·Empl: 71.2
6
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
85.3·Acad: 81.3·Empl: 92.2
73
Harvard University
United States of America
85.1·Acad: 82.8·Empl: 94.9
8
Wageningen University & Research
Netherlands
83.4·Acad: 81.8·Empl: 59.2
9—
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
81.7·Acad: 76.1·Empl: 98.4
102
UCL
United Kingdom
80.3·Acad: 74.1·Empl: 86.3
114
University of Cape Town
South Africa
79.9·Acad: 79.0·Empl: 70.0
125
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States of America
78.8·Acad: 76.1·Empl: 71.0
131
Columbia University
United States of America
78.5·Acad: 73.7·Empl: 83.9
144
Australian National University (ANU)
Australia
78.3·Acad: 73.3·Empl: 82.0
158
Cornell University
United States of America
78.2·Acad: 74.6·Empl: 68.0
168
Stanford University
United States of America
77.8·Acad: 75.3·Empl: 89.1
179
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Mexico
77.5·Acad: 80.1·Empl: 78.2
184
University of Leeds
United Kingdom
75.3·Acad: 70.4·Empl: 68.5
191
Princeton University
United States of America
75.0·Acad: 74.4·Empl: 79.6
2030
University of Massachusetts Amherst
United States of America
74.7·Acad: 72.4·Empl: 51.2
2110
King's College London
United Kingdom
74.6·Acad: 66.2·Empl: 80.1
2214
The University of Sheffield
United Kingdom
74.2·Acad: 66.3·Empl: 64.6
235
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Netherlands
74.1·Acad: 66.6·Empl: 67.8
237
University of East Anglia (UEA)
United Kingdom
74.1·Acad: 71.1·Empl: 47.0
2516
University of Witwatersrand
South Africa
74.0·Acad: 71.8·Empl: 67.9
263
Jawaharlal Nehru University
India
73.9·Acad: 74.6·Empl: 60.5
2716
Universidad de los Andes
Colombia
73.2·Acad: 68.9·Empl: 92.4
285
Leiden University
Netherlands
73.0·Acad: 68.0·Empl: 68.6
298
The University of Tokyo
Japan
72.7·Acad: 69.3·Empl: 80.3
3021
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom
72.4·Acad: 63.6·Empl: 78.3
3120
University of Bath
United Kingdom
72.3·Acad: 68.1·Empl: 69.1
3114
The University of Queensland
Australia
72.3·Acad: 61.3·Empl: 68.1
334
Universidad de Chile
Chile
72.2·Acad: 70.5·Empl: 79.1
347
University of British Columbia
Canada
72.1·Acad: 67.4·Empl: 63.1
3516
Johns Hopkins University
United States of America
72.0·Acad: 66.1·Empl: 68.5
3615
Utrecht University
Netherlands
71.7·Acad: 65.1·Empl: 62.6
37—
Peking University
China (Mainland)
71.5·Acad: 62.4·Empl: 80.4
3814
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC)
Chile
71.1·Acad: 68.5·Empl: 77.0
394
University of Toronto
Canada
71.0·Acad: 63.1·Empl: 79.4
4015
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
France
70.9·Acad: 65.8·Empl: 77.3
414
The University of Melbourne
Australia
70.6·Acad: 60.2·Empl: 78.1
42—
Yale University
United States of America
70.5·Acad: 65.0·Empl: 86.3
4330
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States of America
70.4·Acad: 64.2·Empl: 67.6
44—
Tsinghua University
China (Mainland)
69.9·Acad: 58.6·Empl: 81.8
45—
The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - Geneva
Switzerland
69.4·Acad: 71.8·Empl: 57.4
465
McGill University
Canada
69.2·Acad: 62.5·Empl: 72.5
461
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)
Singapore
69.2·Acad: 63.9·Empl: 89.7
483
American University
United States of America
68.5·Acad: 63.2·Empl: 63.6
492
Newcastle University
United Kingdom
68.3·Acad: 61.8·Empl: 65.6
492
Kyoto University
Japan
68.3·Acad: 69.7·Empl: 67.8
20261
INSTITUTION
COUNTRY/TERRITORY
—·Acad: —·Empl: —