UiO remains Norway's top university in Shanghai Ranking, drops to 86th globally

The University of Oslo (UiO) has maintained its position as Norway's highest-ranked university in the latest Shanghai Ranking, securing the 86th spot globally. This represents a slight drop from its previous 83rd position in 2025, although the university reported an improvement in its overall score.

"We are pleased that we maintain our position as Norway's clearly best-ranked university. Even though we move down three places, we score slightly higher than in 2025. That is good," said Rector Ragnhild Hennum. She emphasized that the rankings do not dictate the university's priorities.

"We will continue to work purposefully to improve research quality at the university, based on our own premises, and not on the rankings' terms. Good working conditions for students and employees are most important to us," Hennum added.

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We are pleased that we maintain our position as Norway's clearly best-ranked university. Even though we move down three places, we score slightly higher than in 2025. That is good.

Following UiO, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is the second-best in Norway, placed between 151 and 200 globally. The University of Bergen ranks between 301 and 400, while UiT The Arctic University of Norway falls between 501 and 600. In the Nordic region, the University of Copenhagen leads at 34th place, ahead of Karolinska Institutet and Aarhus University. UiO ranks fourth among Nordic universities.

Globally, Harvard University tops the ranking, followed by Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The University of Cambridge is the highest-ranked European institution, at fourth place overall. The Shanghai Ranking evaluates universities based on criteria including scientific publications, research awards, and alumni assessments.

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We will continue to work purposefully to improve research quality at the university, based on our own premises, and not on the rankings' terms. Good working conditions for students and employees are most important to us.