Rankings – facts and figures
University of Copenhagen: 5th best university in Europe
according to the CWTS Leiden Ranking.
What are rankings?
Each year a number of international rankings are published that seek to compare the World’s universities with each other. These rankings assess, among other things, the scope and quality of the universities' research and the quality of the teaching.
The University of Copenhagen has chosen primarily to follow four of the most influential rankings:
- Academic Ranking of World Universities – ShanghaiRanking (ARWU)
- CWTS Leiden Ranking
- Quacquarelli Symonds – World University Rankings (QS)
- Times Higher Education – World University Rankings (THE)
How does UCPH rank?
The University of Copenhagen is the highest-ranking university in Denmark and often the highest-ranking University in the Nordic Region.
The University of Copenhagen ranks among the top 1 percent of the World's universities.
University of Copenhagen's ranking by geographical region*
| Ranking | Denmark | Nordic Region | Europe | World |
| ARWU – Shanghai (2024) | 1 | 1 | 7 | 32 |
| CWTS Leiden Ranking** (2024) | 1 | 1 | 5 | 49 |
| QS – Quacquarelli Symonds (2025) (published 2024) |
1 | 3 | 35 | 100 |
| THE – Times Higher Education (2025) (published 2024) |
1 | 4 | 33 | 97 |
* The listed years are the years indicated in the rankings.
** Number of publications in the top 10 per cent of most cited publications.
How are rankings calculated?
The methods behind rankings varies and some rankings adjust their method annually. Despite their limitations, rankings have considerable influence on a university's international reputation.
Read more about the methods behind the four rankings that the University of Copenhagen follows:
- Purely research-oriented and does not use reputation
- Great emphasis on research indicators. Using Web of Science to calculate the number of citations, high level-publications and number of top one per cent most cited researchers. (70%)
- ARWU does not include data from the Humanities
- Emphasis on Nobel and Fields medals for employees/alumna (30%)
- Purely research-oriented and does not use reputation
- CWTS Leiden Ranking does not provide an overall ranking on the basis of a total score like QS, THE and ARWU. Instead ranks are based on different parameters, such as number of top 10% most cited publications, etc.
- Publication data is normalised, which makes it possible to compare universities despite differences in size and subject areas.
- Uses Web of Science to compile their publication data
- In connection with their annual ranking, CWTS Leiden also releases revised positions for previous years that take into account any changes in the methodology. UCPH’s overview shows the original ranking for the year.
- Great emphasis on reputation via questionnaires (50%)
- Number of faculty are weighed in relation to the number of citations and number of students (40%)
- International mix of academic staff and students is weighted (10%)
- Uses the SCOPUS database for check of citations
- Considers both research and education parameters
- Great emphasis on reputation via questionnaires on both research and teaching
- Uses the SCOPUS database to check citations
- International mix of academic staff, students and collaboration is weighted
- Technology transfer and cooperation are also considered
Previous positions
University of Copenhagen has had a positive development in some rankings over the past ten years, while positions in other rankings have varied.
University of Copenhagen’s World rankings since 2010
| Year | QS | THE | Leiden | ARWU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 100 | 97 | - | - |
| 2024 | 107 | 103 | 49 | 32 |
| 2023 | 82 | 114 | 42 | 32 |
| 2022 | 79 | 96 | 37 | 39 |
| 2021 | 76 | 84 | 33 | 30 |
| 2020 | 81 | 101 | 39 | 33 |
| 2019 | 79 | 116 | 36 | 26 |
| 2018 | 73 | 109 | 39 | 29 |
| 2017 | 68 | 120 | 41 | 30 |
| 2016 | 69 | 82 | 43 | 30 |
| 2015 | 45 | 160 | 49 | 35 |
| 2014 | 45 | 150 | 47 | 39 |
| 2013 | - | 130 | 52 | 42 |
| 2012 | 51 | 135 | 59 | 44 |
| 2011 | 52 | 177 | 62 | 43 |
| 2010 | 45 | - | - | 40 |
Contact
If you have questions regarding University of Copenhagen rankings, please contact Svend Kragballe at Research & Information Security