A major international study recently ranked the world’s top universities for 2026. One university in Austria secured a spot in the top 100, while others were also included in the list. Here’s what to know.
Thinking of moving to Austria to study? You’re not alone.
Throughout history, the Alpine nation has been the backdrop for cutting-edge research projects, groundbreaking theories and intellectual exchange.Â
The country is known around the world for its high quality of education. Of the roughly 400,300 students enrolled in university, around 87,000 come from abroad.Â
Austria is home to 22 public universities in cities such as Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz and Klagenfurt, and around 19 private institutions.Â
New rankings give an idea of the top-rated universities and how they compare globally.Â
READ ALSO: ‘Vienna is a special place’: Why Americans move to Austria
What is the top university in Austria?
Every year, the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings evaluates over 2,000 universities worldwide, using a set of indicators including teaching, research, international outlook and industry links.
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For the Times Higher Education ranking, universities were each scored out of a hundred in various categories.
In the latest edition, Vienna University (Universität Wien) once again received the highest marks among Austrian institutions, managing to secure a spot in the top 100.Â
Overall, Vienna was ranked in the 95th spot, retaining its position from the previous year.Â
The university, founded in 1365 by Rudolph IV, Duke of Austria and modelled on the Sorbonne in Paris, is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and the largest research institution in Austria.Â
More than 94,000 students are enrolled there, including 28,000 international students. In fact, Vienna scored particularly high in the international outlook’ category, snagging 94 out of 100 points.
READ ALSO: Are the fees for Austrian universities more expensive for foreigners?
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The university runs more than 180 degree programmes. Although all of its undergraduate courses are in German, some of its postgraduate ones are offered in English.
In the industry category, Vienna Uni took 80 points, while it was scored 79.8 in research quality.
In 2022, the higher education facility made headlines worldwide after one of its professors, Anton Zeilinger, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on quantum entanglement.
Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger addresses a press conference on October 4, 2022 at the Institute of Quantum Physics of the University in Vienna, after he was awarded with the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)
Did any other universities in Austria make the list?
Yes – although they were much further down the list. The Medical University of Vienna landed in the 181st spot. It scored especially high in the industry links category with 99.9 points.Â
The Medical University of Graz and the Medical University of Innsbruck both landed in the 201-250th group position.Â
The Central European University in Vienna, an English-language institution with around 1,500 students from more than 100 countries, was ranked in the 251-300 position.Â
TU Wien and the University of Innsbruck were in the 301-350 grouping, while the Johannes Kepler University of Linz secured a spot in the 401-500 section.
The University of Graz managed to secure a spot in the 501-600 group, while Graz University of Technology, Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg and the University of Klagenfurt were ranked in the 601-800 group position.Â
Lastly, the Montanuniversität Leoben in Styria secured a spot in the 801-1,000 grouping. Â
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What are the top universities worldwide?
The University of Oxford retained its number one spot in the world for the 10th consecutive year, according to the Times ranking.
It was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with Princeton University and the University of Cambridge sharing the third spot.