The British higher education analytics company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has published the 2027 edition of its annual World University Rankings, evaluating around 1,500 universities from across the globe.

 This year's list includes ten Hungarian higher education institutions.

The results present a mixed picture for Hungary. Of the ten universities ranked, six dropped in the standings, three maintained their positions and only one improved. Even so, most of Hungary's leading universities remain firmly within the European mid-range of the global rankings.

For the first time, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) has been named Hungary's highest-ranked university in the QS rankings.

Despite climbing to the top nationally, the university itself fell 11 places internationally, moving from 584th position last year to 595th.

Last year's leading Hungarian institution, the University of Debrecen, experienced an even larger decline, dropping from 563rd to 600th place.

The University of Szeged remained Hungary's third-highest-ranked university, although it also slipped in the global standings, falling from 597th to 633rd.

Despite these declines, all three universities remain among the world's top 700 institutions. Considering that the QS rankings include 1,500 universities and assess several thousand more, maintaining a place within the top half of the list remains a significant achievement.

Elsewhere, the results were varied. The Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) fell from the 711–720 band to the 751–760 range, while the University of Pécs dropped by around 50 places into the 791–800 category.

The Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Széchenyi István University in Győr and Óbuda University all maintained their positions within the 1,001–1,200 group.

The University of Miskolc, however, fell out of the world's top 1,400 universities.

The only Hungarian institution to improve its position this year was the University of Pannonia in Veszprém, which moved up from the 1,201–1,400 category into the 1,001–1,200 group.

According to QS analysts, the overall decline among Hungary's leading universities reflects increasingly intense international competition rather than a deterioration in educational quality.

Looking at neighbouring institutions in the rankings provides some context. The University of Debrecen now shares its ranking range with Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK and Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), one of Estonia's fastest-growing universities.

ELTE, meanwhile, is ranked alongside institutions such as the University of Iceland and Brno University of Technology, both of which have maintained strong international reputations for several years.

The picture is somewhat more encouraging in other international rankings. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities, better known as the Shanghai Ranking, ELTE has consistently placed in the 501–600 category and continues to be regarded as Hungary's strongest university across several performance indicators.

This suggests that the country's leading institutions remain internationally competitive despite the movement seen in the QS rankings.

The trend is far from unique to Hungary. According to QS, universities in 22 of the 35 European countries included in the analysis experienced more declines than improvements, highlighting the growing competitive pressure from institutions in Asia and the Middle East.

The pattern is also evident beyond Europe. In this year's rankings, 65% of American universities and 40% of British institutions fell in the standings, while 61% of Chinese universities improved their positions.

Against this backdrop, the performance of Hungarian universities reflects a broader global shift in higher education rather than an isolated national trend.

Photo: ELTE University's Library

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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