Oxford Humanities ranked top in Europe

Oxford’s Humanities subjects ranked top in Europe and second in world

Oxford University has placed second in the world for 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.

Professor Dan Grimley, Head of the Humanities Division at Oxford University, 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."

Research and teaching at Oxford received a further boost this autumn with the opening of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, which brings together nine academic faculties and institutes in a new building with state-of-the-art research, teaching, exhibition and performances facilities.