For the first time an Italian university among the world's top 100

If we exclude the boom of the Politecnico di Milano, which recovers 13 positions in a year and for the first time brings an Italian university into the Top 100, the 2026 edition of the QS World University Ranking offers the traditional chiaroscuro picture of our academic system. With its 43 appearances out of more than 1,500 universities surveyed by the global analyst of university education QS Quacquarelli Symonds, Italy is the second most present European force in the ranking after Germany. It is a pity that there are only 17 realities that improve their ranking with respect to the previous edition while just as many worsen it; eight remain unchanged and a new entry pops up: Urbino, which debuts in the 1201-1400 bracket.

In total, the Italian universities in the top 500 become 15 compared to 14 in 2025, thanks to Trento, which rises from 506th place to 485th. The best score, as mentioned, is boasted by PoliMi. Behind it are two mega-universities: Roma Sapienza, which climbs four places to 128th, and Bologna, which loses five places to 138th. Then there are three other institutions in the top 300 (Padua in 233rd place, the Polytechnic of Turin in 246th and Milan Statale in 272nd), three between 301st and 400th place (Pisa, Rome Tor Vergata and Naples Federico II) and six in the 401-500 bracket (Florence, Turin, Cattolica, Pavia, Vita-Salute San Raffaele and Trento). A picture that makes Nunzio Quacquarelli, founder and president of QS, say: for Italy "this excellence remains concentrated. The challenge now is to scale it up to system level. At a time when real salaries remain below Y2K levels, global academic prestige is not enough. Italy must transform its universities into engines of inclusive growth, not just academic outposts'.

In the face of an academic reputation that is recognised globally but limited to a few (and usual) universities - Sapienza, Bologna, Milan Polytechnic and Padua, which are among the world's top 150 - critical issues persist in the areas of teaching, internationalisation and graduate employability. With some peaks of excellence that nonetheless bode well. Take PoliMi, which is 72nd in terms of reputation with employers, or Roma Sapienza, 92nd in terms of employment outcomes.

Turning to the impact on research, the indicator of citations per lecturer sums up the overall scenario. While Vita-Salute San Raffaele reached 28th place and two other institutions (Brescia and Cattolica) gained 99 and 101 positions, respectively, with respect to the 2025 ranking, there are other 'heavy' names (Milano Bicocca, Bologna, Florence and Naples Federico II) that are significantly behind. And this is never a good sign.

Lights and shadows also for the other two parameters used by the QS. On global research collaboration, the results are similar to academic reputation. With four appearances in the top 100 (Sapienza, Bologna, Padua and Naples Federico II), 22 in the top 500 but no less than 28 overall deteriorations compared to 13 improvements and a 'draw' compared to 12 months ago. On sustainability, understood as environmental and social impact, the road is even longer. Apart from Padua (the best with its 110th place) and Bologna in the world's top 150, the rest of the academic system (34 out of 42) is losing ground.