QS ranking 2023: with 32 French institutions ranked, France keeps its rank

The QS World University Ranking is a yearly ranking of higher education institutions published since 2018 by Quacquarelli Symonds, a specialised British company using the results of more than 1,400 universities or schools in more than 90 countries. With the Shanghai and THE rankings, the QS ranking is one of the most trusted in the world.

France keeps its rank with institutions gaining grounds

In the 2023 edition, with two institutions in the Top 50, France reached the 7 world rank, after the US, the UK and China, among others. This good rank is due to the performance of 32 institutions which for the most part improved their mark, and are located all over France.

Institutions in the Top 100 are:

• PSL University (26th, +18 ranks compared to 2022);
• Institut Polytechnique de Paris (48th, +1 rank, compared to last year);
• Sorbonne University (60th, +12);
• University of Paris-Saclay (69th, +17).

In the Top 200:

• ENS Lyon (111th, +19);
• Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (174th, +71 ranks, a personal record!); 

In the Top 500:

• Paris Cité University (248th +13);
• Sciences Po Paris (259th);
• Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (300th, +10);
• University of Grenoble Alpes (317th, +3);
• University of Strasbourg (434th, +13);
• INSA Lyon (457th);
• Aix-Marseille University (490th).

From the 500th to 800th rank, some 20 universities follow: the universities of Montpellier, Bordeaux, Toulouse 3 – Paul Sabatier, Claude Bernard - Lyon 1, CY – Cergy Paris Université, Paris 3 - Panthéon-Assas, Côte d’Azur, Lille, Lorraine, Nantes, Rennes 1, Paul Valéry – Montpellier, Lumière – Lyon 2, Toulouse 1 – Capitole, Poitiers, Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, Jean Moulin – Lyon 3, Paris Nanterre and Caen Normandie.

Methodology focused on 6 indicators

To create its ranking, QS relies on six indicators to determine the score of an institution:

• academic reputation;
• reputation among employers;
• quotes, which measure the scope of research;
• teachers/students ratio;
• internationalisation of teaching staff;
• percentage of international students in the institution.