Oxford comes second for arts and humanities in global university rankings

Oxford University has placed second the arts and humanities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.

Harvard came top, and Cambridge came third.

The rankings assess global universities against two main metrics: their research output and citations, and their reputation among employers.

When the rankings were broken down by individual subjects, Oxford came top for English Language and Literature; second for History and for Modern Languages; and third for theology.

The full rankings can be found here.

Professor Dan Grimley, Head of Humanities, said: “I am delighted with the QS Ranking's recognition of the quality of our research and the impactful career destinations of our graduates. We know that research and teaching in the humanities have a tough future as many universities face funding pressures, but this ranking should remind us just how highly employers value degrees in these critical subjects. In the coming year, we intend to build on this success by articulating why studying and teaching the humanities brings so many benefits both to students and to the global economy and society as a whole."

QS’ announcement also referred to the closure of humanities departments in some countries, and pointed to "institutions in the “knowledge powers of tomorrow improving their Arts and Humanities rank as a cautionary tale for institutions looking to cut these departments. Flagship universities in China, Singapore and Japan have all improved arts and humanities performance, indicating that these countries still, and perhaps increasingly, value this area".