International Rankings

International rankings and the University’s reputation

International rankings can expand the ability of universities to attract students and researchers by comparing several indicators: total number of students, faculty, international faculty publications, citations, reputation, awards and funding; in many cases there is also a ranking by subject area. A good standing in these rankings helps to promote the university's international reputation.

International rankings methodologies

Any method used to analyse university’s and its three missions is limited. International rankings use different criteria and are not free of errors and distortions. Knowledge of the methodology is essential to put the results in the appropriate context. And it is equally important to know that there are some 25,000 recognised universities in the world, and only 1200/1500 of them are in the top rankings. Therefore, being among the top 1200/1500 universities in the world is already an excellent result. And for an Italian public university, which suffers from objective limitations such as a public funding system that is among the lowest in Europe, a limited ability to attract scientific excellence (low and predetermined salaries), an unfavourable student/faculty ratio.
A more faithful representation of the Italian universities quality and prestige is possible in the rankings by Subject, where the disciplinary excellence present in the various universities is analysed.

UnivAQ In World University Rankings

The University of L’Aquila is present in six international rankings and in national one. Rankings that consider green and sustainability issues amplify the university's institutional commitment in these areas.

*In line with other universities

*In line with other universities

ARWU Shanghai Academic Ranking

ARWU is produced by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. The assessment focuses on indicators related mainly to academic research, including alumni and staff who have won Nobel and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, publications in major citation indexes, and scientific output per capita. The best results in the subject ranking, UnivAQ are:

THE WUR - Times Higher Education World University Ranking

The Times Higher Education ranking evaluates research results but also considers research funding, teaching and international perspectives; a reputational survey among academics worldwide is carried out and Scopus bibliometric data and other statistical data are requested directly from universities. In the 2025 edition, the University of L'Aquila ranks in the 601-800 range, and in the 29-37 range in Italy, tied with 11 other Italian universities. In the ranking by subject, UnivAQ ranks:

QS World University Rankings

The Quacquarelli Symonds ranking assesses the best academic institutions based on indicators that measure universities’ reputation, research and level of internationalisation. Academic reputation is calculated through surveys sent to thousands of lecturers and researchers worldwide, accounting for 30 per cent of a university’s overall ranking. In the global rankings, UnivAQ is in the 1001–1200 group, placing it amongst the top 1,500 universities. At European level, it achieves a higher ranking: 124th.

THE Sustainability Impact Ratings

THE Sustainability Impact Ratings The Times Higher Education Impact Ratings ranks universities according to their ability to contribute to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN's 2030 Agenda. In the 2026 edition, which featured 1603 universities, UnivAQ is ranked in the 201-300 range, tied for second in Italy. The best results were obtained for:

UI GreenMetric

The Indonesian GreenMetric ranking compares universities for their efforts to reduce their impact on the environment with measures related to both upgrading/improving their infrastructure and changing the behaviour of their community and society. In the 2025 edition, UnivAQ is 32th in the global ranking and 5th in Italy. In the sub-rankings by specific category, the placement is also excellent.

The Censis Ranking of Italian Universities

Censis-the Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali publishes various rankings of Italian universities focused on educational offerings and differentiated by bachelor's degree, single-cycle master's degree and master's degree by subject area. The universities are divided into five groups based on the number of enrolled students. The University of L'Aquila falls among the middle 10,000 to 20,000 students where it ranks 18th out of 18 universities.

University of L'Aquila and the UN Sustainable Development Goals