First Place in Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Germany

16 September 2016


Shanghai Ranking: Heidelberg earns top ranking in broad subject fields

In the recently published Academic Ranking of World Universities, known as the Shanghai Ranking, Heidelberg successfully placed 39th internationally in the Broad Subject Fields Ranking for natural sciences and mathematics. Like last year, Heidelberg University placed first in Germany in these disciplines, followed by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (44th) and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (ranking group 51 to 75). In the overall ranking published a few weeks ago, Ruperto Carola was rated Germany's best university. It ranks 47th internationally, and 12th in Europe.

The ranking criteria for the broad subject fields are, with one exception, the same as for the overall ranking, but are weighted differently. Research achievement indicators figure prominently in the score. In the broad subject fields ranking, publications make up 25 percent of the total score along with most frequently cited researchers and Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners. For the first time this year, the number of articles published in the top 20 percent of the journals in the respective research field was also included in the rating.