Shanghai 2021 thematic ranking: French mathematics are in great shape!

Before the release of the general ranking later in August, the subject ranking from the Jiao Tong University in Shanghai measures, by academic speciality, the performances of higher education institutions worldwide.

Mathematics steal the spotlights

The thematic ranking assesses institutions in five major fields (natural sciences, engineering sciences, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences) grouping 54 different disciplines.

Among these disciplines, it is mathematics that gives France the very sought-after position: with two French universities in the Top 5, including one in first place, and six institutions ranked in the Top 50, it is indeed French excellence in this field that is rewarded. In the Fields Medal list, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics, France is the second most awarded nations (after the United States).

Six institutions in the Top 50 in mathematics

For France, in the Shanghai 2021 thematic ranking, victory goes this year (as last year) to the University of Paris-Saclay, which takes a very commendable first place in mathematics, just before Princeton. It is followed by the Sorbonne University, which comes in third place.

PSL University (Paris Sciences & Lettres) is then ranked 13th, before the University of Paris in 22nd place. The Institut Polytechnique de Paris is in 31st place, the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in 36th and the Université Grenoble-Alpes in 48th.

In all, out of a ranking measuring all of the 500 institutions worldwide, France has 18 institutions ranked in the Top 100 of mathematics.

41 institutions in at least one of the Top 100

Besides mathematics, the French ministry of higher education is pleased of this result for France and points out that out the institutions ranked by the Jiao Tong University in 54 subjects included in the ranking, 41 French institutions are included in at least one of the Top 100 by subject.

The ministry qualifies the performance of the University of Paris-Saclay as “historical”. The University is ranked among in the 100 best universities worldwide in 25 subjects. The Sorbonne University is ranked 19 times, as the University of Grenoble–Alps (18 times), Paris Sciences and Letters (15 times), the University of Paris and the University of Montpellier (10 times).

A dual methodology

The world ranking of universities by academic subjects was published for the first time in 2009. The 2021 ranking compiles the academic results of over 1,800 universities in 93 countries.

To achieve this ranking, several “objective indicators” have been selected, including: research results and quality, research influence, international collaboration, and international academic awards obtained. In addition to these indicators, a survey of more than 1000 professors from the world’s top universities was conducted in February 2021.