US News & World Report Media Company has recently published the results of its Best Global Universities Rankings for 2025-2026. In this 11th consecutive annual edition of the US News Best Global Universities Rankings, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens placed 1st among Greek and Cypriot Universities and 216th worldwide. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ranked 2nd nationwide and 416th globally. In Europe, the University of Athens secured 78th place, up from 82nd last year. In addition, NKUA achieved significant distinctions in many subject areas in the 2025-2026 rankings, including the following:
- Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems (#38),
- Infectious Diseases (#65),
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology (#52),
- Clinical Medicine (#94), and
- Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health (#80).
Related links:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/search?country=cyprus&country=greece
Also, Times Higher Education released its prestigious THE University Impact Rankings for 2025. Achieving outstanding results across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens placed 1st among the 21 Greek and Cypriot Universities included in this ranking and in the 201-300 bracket globally among 2,536 Institutions evaluated.
Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings assess the position of Universities globally, based on their economic and social impact, as measured against the 17 SDGs of the United Nations. This 7th consecutive annual edition of the THE University Impact Rankings is the largest to date in terms of University participation, including more than 2,526 Institutions from 130 countries and regions. It features 17 tables—one for each of the 17 SDGs—as well as an overall ranking.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings
According to this ranking, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens scored exceptionally well and achieved notable distinctions across all 8 SDGs, for which it submitted data.
More specifically, our University ranked:
- 53rd globally for SDG 5: Gender Equality,
- 64th globally for SDG 4: Quality Education,
- 65th globally for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities,
- in the 101-200 bracket globally for SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,
- in the 201-300 bracket globally for SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and
- in the 301-400 bracket globally for SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.
Table 1 presents NKUA’s ranking for each Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for the current year, listed in ascending numerical order. The overall score received by the University is provided, along with the total number of Institutions included in the evaluation for each Sustainable Development Goal.
The link below presents the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
It is important to note that each University was expected to present qualitative data and supporting documentation in English—such as reports, policy and procedure documents, links to websites, etc.—to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development. Additionally, it needed to submit data for evaluation on at least four of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, with SDG 17: Partnership for the goals being mandatory.
Each University’s score is calculated as follows:
- SDG 17: Partnership for the goals accounts for 22% of the overall score.
- The three highest-scoring goals for each University are chosen, with each adding 26% to the total.
- SDG 17 and the three highest-scoring goals combine to determine each University’s overall score and ranking.
The overall ranking score is the average of the total scores from the past two years.
This remarkable achievement of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens belongs to the entire academic community, especially to the teaching, research, administrative, and technical staff, who work tirelessly with a strong sense of responsibility and significant effectiveness despite the fact that the Institution is quite underfunded and understaffed. The rise in global University rankings is a direct result of their own dedicated efforts.
At the same time, we should emphasize that this particular ranking does not depend on bibliometric research indicators or citation metrics. This clearly demonstrates that our University implements sound and effective policies that contribute to sustainable and equitable development, constantly striving to reduce inequalities, strengthen women’s roles in leadership and education, improve public health, and provide quality public education at all levels to the Greek population and beyond.
Accordingly, the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, stated the following:
‘We were pleased to learn that the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens ranked 1st among Greek and Cypriot Universities and 216th globally for 2025, continuing its upward trend, according to the highly regarded US News Global Universities Rankings and Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.
These distinctions reflect the ongoing and collective efforts of the University community—including faculty, students, researchers, and administrative staff—to integrate the principles of sustainability, social responsibility, and innovation across all actions and initiatives of our Institution.
The University of Athens, through its Strategic Development Plan and concerted efforts, is strengthening its position as an institutional pillar of advancement for both Greece and the international community as a whole’.
