SDU strengthens its position in the world's leading rankings
The University of Southern Denmark strengthens its position in the international university rankings and makes significant progress on several of the world's most recognised evaluations of teaching in 2025. At a time when competition between universities globally is intensifying, the results confirm SDU's strong research profile and strategic focus.
Out of approximately 15,000 universities worldwide, only around 3,000 currently have a level of knowledge production that qualifies them to be included in the international rankings.
The number of universities that are measured and compared is increasing year by year. This increases the importance of progress and stable rankings.
Across the rankings, SDU maintains a solid international position and advances overall in 2025. At the same time, the University ranks at the very top globally in selected areas.
Strong positions on the most recognised rankings
On the international ARWU ranking from Shanghai, which is known for rewarding elite universities with strong research environments, SDU jumps more than 30 places to number 324 in the world in 2025. In the field of Sports Science, SDU is even ranked number five in the world.
In the NTU rankings from Taiwan, which focus exclusively on research quality, SDU maintains a top 200 ranking for the second year in a row. This emphasises the University's consistent and high level of research.
In the US News ranking, SDU is ranked number 255. Here, the University's international reputation is included as an important parameter, which testifies to the strong global recognition of SDU.
The British QS Ranking, which is one of the world's largest and most broad-based rankings, places SDU at number 303 in its latest edition – the best ranking in the University's history.
Finally, Times Higher Education ranks SDU number 280 globally. It is particularly noteworthy that SDU is ranked 107th in the world on the indicator for research collaboration with industry and business. This result supports SDU's strategic ambition to create knowledge that makes a difference to society and business.
Sustainability strengthens SDU's international profile
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in international rankings, and SDU is particularly strong in this area. The University is the best-placed Danish university in the QS Sustainability Ranking, ranking number 57 in Europe and number 107 globally.
This high ranking is driven in particular by SDU's significant environmental and climate research, which is ranked number 25 in the world. Here, the SDU Climate Cluster plays a central role in gathering and visualising the University's research in this area.
Read more
At sdu.dk, you can find a lot more information on SDU's performances at the different rankings: https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/ranking