A significant distinction lay in store for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and its Department of Pharmacy. According to the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings by Subject 2023, NKUA ranked among the top 150 globally in Pharmacy & Pharmacology, having risen 50 places from the previous year. Additionally, our University ranked 51st in Europe in the subject in question and 1st nationwide among the three Greek Universities included in the above ranking (See Table 1).
QS rankings use peer review data from many researchers, academics, and employers. They also consider the number of citations and the impact of the published work of each School’s or Department’s members of faculty and researchers. More specifically, QS scores five indicators, each having a different weighting applied. These indicators, as well as the weighting used for Pharmacy & Pharmacology for 2023, are as follows:
Table 1: The rank of Greek Universities for Pharmacy & Pharmacology according to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023
| University | Global Rank | Country Rank | Academic Reputation | Employer Reputation | Citations per Paper | IRN Index | H-index |
| National and Kapodistrian University of Athens | 101-150 | 1st | 58.7 | 63.4 | 85.4 | 68.8 | 84.5 |
| Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | 201-250 | 2nd | 49.5 | 60.4 | 89.7 | 55.1 | 84.8 |
| University of Crete | 251-300 | 3rd | 53 | 53.4 | 77.3 | 42.5 | 78.4 |
- Academic Reputation (40%). This indicator draws from the survey responses of academics from various specialties. Respondents name 30 Universities in their area of expertise, their affiliated Institutions excluded. Between 2018 and 2022, QS collected votes from over 151,000 academics worldwide.
- Employer Reputation (20%). This indicator, like the preceding one, is based on survey responses, but the respondents, in this case, are the employers of University graduates. Over 99,000 global employers’ responses were collected between 2018 and 2022, giving QS access to rich hiring levels data. Employers from every sector of the economy have participated in the poll, including Facebook, Google, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and others.
- Citations per Paper (15%). The total number of citations received by papers on the subject in question over the past five years divided by the total number of faculty members and researchers who published those papers yields the score for this indicator. Elsevier’s Scopus database is the source of all citation data.
- H-index (15%). The H-index measures both the productivity and impact of the work published by a scientist or scholar. The set of the academic’s most cited papers and the number of citations they have received in others’ publications form the basis of this indicator.
- International Research Network (10%). This indicator reflects the ability of the Institutions to establish sustainable research partnerships in each of the five broad subject areas.
Table 2: The rank and score of NKUA over five indicators for Pharmacy & Pharmacology according to QS World University Rankings by Subject (2019-2023)
| Year | Global Rank | Academic Reputation | Employer Reputation | Citations per Paper | H-index | IRN Index | Overall Score |
| 2023 | 101-150 | 58.7 | 63.4 | 85.4 | 84.5 | 68.8 | 70.7 |
| 2022 | 151-200 | 58.9 | 59.5 | 81.6 | 83.1 | – | 70.7 |
| 2021 | 151-200 | 57.7 | 60.1 | 80.7 | 82.8 | – | 68 |
| 2020 | 101-150 | 56.5 | 62.8 | 84.2 | 84.3 | – | 71 |
| 2019 | 101-150 | 50.9 | 57.1 | 84.2 | 77.5 | – | 66.5 |
Source: QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Website and Reports
Table 2 shows the rank and score of NKUA’s Department of Pharmacy for 2019-2023 over the indicators presented above. NB that a University can achieve a maximum overall score of 100. The rise in individual indicators has been significant, bringing the Department to the top 150 globally.
It is particularly striking that the Department of Pharmacy ranks 28th globally in the International Research Network index. Its academic reputation for 2023 has remained very strong, earning the Department a ranking of 101+ in this criterion. The Department’s score in the ‘Citations per Paper’ research output index is impressively high (85.4/100). Similarly, its H-index score is 84.5/100, proof of the international academic community’s trust in the Department and the importance of its research activity.
In this year’s ranking, QS, out of the 28,000 Universities active globally, singled out the top 1594 based on the criteria mentioned earlier in the text. It then published a table of the top 362 Universities in the world for Pharmacy & Pharmacology.
At the top of QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 for Pharmacy & Pharmacology is Harvard University with Monash University, Melbourne (2nd place), and the University of Oxford (3rd place) following. UCL (4th place) and Johns Hopkins University (5th place) round out the top 5.
The results of the QS ranking confirm once again the high academic level and contribution in research of the Department of Pharmacy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. We warmly congratulate all members of the Department’s community on this significant achievement.
Thanos Dimopoulos
Rector of NKUA
