Teaching and research quality as well as international outlook are Unibo's strongest assets.
Unibo is the first university in Italy in the latest edition of the World University Rankings by Times Higher Education (THE), one of the most influential international university rankings in the world.
The University of Bologna has climbed one place up the World University Rankings to confirm its position in the top 200 institutions of the world for the third year in a row. Unibo places 167th, despite a higher number of universities being ranked (from 1,397 in 2019 to 1,527 in 2020). If we consider that there are 26 thousand universities in the world, the University of Bologna soundly sits among the 1% best universities at the global level.
By looking at THE performance indicators, we can see how Unibo has performed particularly well when it comes to teaching quality. Moreover, it has improved its performance in terms of research quality and quantity as well as international initiatives and opportunities.
"In recent years, the University of Bologna has achieved better results because we worked hard on strategic targets", says Rector Francesco Ubertini. "We have expanded and enriched our international programme catalogue and, therefore, the University now attracts a higher number of international students and researchers as well as funds for competitive research projects. At the moment, we are putting resources and funds into teaching innovation, research facilities and into improving the quality of our international recruiting strategies. I know rankings offer a limited view as they are unable to grasp the complexities and ramifications of our sophisticated institutions. However, I am glad that THE World University Rankings took notice of our improvements and placed the University of Bologna first in Italy and 167th in the world. This result is even more relevant if we consider that the University of Bologna has a multicampus structure and covers all areas of knowledge. 2020 results show only nine mega-universities (hosting more than 50,000 students) in the world’s top 200. Among those mega-universities, the largest in Europe is the University of Bologna".
Finally, a few months back, the University of Bologna performed exceptionally well in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which measured universities’ impact on societies and their commitment to sustainable development according to the Sustainable Development Goals described in the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. On that occasion, Unibo placed sixth in the world and first in Europe.