The University of Debrecen achieved an impressive 563rd place in the international ranking

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As the highest-ranked Hungarian higher education institution, the University of Debrecen secured the 563rd position on the latest ranking list published by the British ranking organization Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Among the more than 8,467 universities evaluated, the University of Debrecen ranks in the top 7%.

In compiling the QS World University Rankings 2026, published Thursday, QS experts from London examined a record number of 8,467 institutions. The final list includes 1,501 universities from 106 countries, including 10 from Hungary.

Compared to last year, the University of Debrecen climbed nine places in the world’s most influential higher education ranking, making it the best-performing university in Hungary. The institution significantly improved its results in the areas of institutional sustainability (ranked 311th), quality of education (426th), and academic reputation (458th). This year again, Debrecen performed best in the proportion of international students, ranking 248th.

The most significant improvement came in academic reputation, where the university advanced by 47 positions. The greatest leap overall was in the sustainability segment (up 60 places), followed by student-to-staff ratio, where it improved by 38 places.

Zoltán Szilvássy, Rector of the University of Debrecen, recalled the long journey to achieve this ranking in the QS list:

“Years ago, we recognized that a proper strategy was needed to perform well in international rankings. We optimized data reporting, restructured our publication system and journals, and launched talent development and incentive programs that boost the university’s scientific output—greatly supported by international collaborations initiated by the institution,”
he said.

Chancellor Zoltán Bács noted that the shift to a performance-based operational model and the growing focus on sustainability indicators also contributed to the university’s improved results:

“These rankings not only enhance the university’s international visibility and bring economic benefits through foreign popularity, but also provide accurate feedback on the university’s performance, as they are based on comprehensive indicators evaluating education, research, publication, and management data, along with the opinions of academic and industry partners,”
he explained.

Attila Jenei, Director of the International Education Coordination Center at the University of Debrecen, pointed out that international rankings play a major role for the majority of international students when choosing a higher education institution. This makes strong ranking results a key issue for the University of Debrecen, which teaches the highest number of international students in Hungary.

“The recent progress was significantly influenced by improved academic reputation; however, continued attention must be paid to this and to the citation rates of scientific publications, as these factors are most decisive in determining a university’s success and prestige,”
Jenei emphasized.

Since 2004, the QS World University Rankings have evaluated institutions based on a variety of indicators:

  • Academic reputation (30%)

  • Citation frequency of scientific work (20%)

  • Employer reputation (15%)

  • Quality of education (10%)

  • Proportion of international faculty and students (5% each)

  • Participation in international research networks (5%)

  • Graduate employability (5%)

  • Institutional commitment to sustainability (5%)

This year, the top of the ranking is led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), followed by Imperial College London (UK) in second place and Stanford University (USA) in third.

Ten Hungarian universities were included on the list:

  • University of Debrecen (563rd)

  • Eötvös Loránd University (584th)

  • University of Szeged (597th)

  • Budapest University of Technology and Economics (711–720)

  • University of Pécs (741–750)

  • Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (1001–1200)

  • Széchenyi István University (1001–1200)

  • Óbuda University (1001–1200)

  • University of Miskolc (1201–1400)

  • University of Pannonia (1201–1400)

The full QS World University Rankings 2026 list is available at the following [link].

University of Debrecen Press Center

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