Oxford tops QS World University Rankings in English, anatomy and geography

The Faculty of English has topped the ranking for the ninth consecutive year. This year’s English Language and Literature ranking includes 350 universities with University of Cambridge joining Oxford in the number one position.

Professor Simon Horobin, Chair of the English Faculty Board, commented: ‘I’m delighted that Oxford’s English Faculty has topped the QS University rankings for the ninth consecutive year. It’s wonderful to see the exceptional research, teaching, learning and support carried out by our faculty, staff and students being recognised in this way.’

The Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics is placed number one for six consecutive years, top of over 170 universities included in this year’s rankings.

Professor David Paterson, Head of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, said: ‘Congratulations again to all the academics, post-doctoral fellows, researchers, graduate students and professional support staff for defying academic gravity and maintaining our top spot for six years in a row. I am very proud of your performance.’

Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) ranked number one for the 15th consecutive year. This year’s QS World University Rankings: Geography features over 1,500 institutions and is the only ranking of its kind to emphasise employability and sustainability.

Professor Giles Wiggs, Head of the School of Geography and the Environment, said: ‘I am delighted that the School of Geography and the Environment has once again topped the QS World University rankings for Geography. This accolade, achieved for the 15th successive year, is an enduring testament to the commitment and talent of all academic, research and professional services staff across the entire School. It is a fitting recognition of the SoGE community of which I am proud to be a part.’

The 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject features 55 individual subjects across five broad subject areas. This 2025 rankings are the biggest with further 171 institutions this year that were not present in the 2024 edition.

Earlier this year, the University of Oxford ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Subject Rankings for Medicine and Computer Science. Oxford leads in Medicine for the 14th consecutive year and in Computer Science for the seventh.