Historical success in Hungarian education: Semmelweis University ranked among the world's top 50

Science Semmelweis University Shanghai Ranking World Ranking Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Medicine Medical Sciences The historical success in Hungarian education: Semmelweis University ranked among the world's 50 best Further Science articles Semmelweis University has also advanced in more areas in the latest ShanghaiRanking, 2026 occupational world ranking (ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2026): in pharmaceutical sciences it is already among the world's 50 best, while in clinical medicine, it has also entered the top 200 in medical sciences and medical technology. In most relevant fields, Semmelweis is the leading or the sole Hungarian university on the list, says Semmelweis News. ShanghaiRanking is the oldest global university world ranking, and it determined its place among the most reliable and most authoritative directions in global higher education through its objective indicators and transparent methodology. It ranks approximately two thousand institutions worldwide in 57 additional areas within five main fields (Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, Social Sciences) – they wrote. Semmelweis leads among domestic universities in seven areas Semmelweis University ranked first among domestic universities in seven relevant occupational lists. At the regional level, it achieved the best positions in two categories (pharmaceutical sciences, medical sciences), was in the best position in medicine in a head-to-head competition, and second best in medical technology, and also second best in biology in a head-to-head competition – this appeared in the ranking. Similar to last year's ranking, Semmelweis University also achieved the best position in pharmaceutical sciences: significantly advancing from last year's result (51-70th place) to now being in the 44th position. With this, it has surpassed such large, international prestigious institutions as the University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London, or the Catholic University ofLeuven. Among Hungarian universities, Debrecen University, Pécs University, and Szeged University are also ranked in the 301-400 range. In the top three places are the University College London, Peking Union Medical College, and China Pharmaceutical University. The goal is for the institution to perform at the highest level in all three activities "The systematic work, the already 4-year cooperation between Harvard and Semmelweis University, and the continuously high-level teaching and research activities have borne fruit," assessed Merkely Béla. According to the Rector of Semmelweis University, the institution remains committed to ensuring that its triple activity – education, healing, and research-innovation – performs at the highest level, as a flag-bearer in both domestic and regional levels, and wants to provide the best care for patients. "This is the focus of all our activities!" emphasized the rector, whose goal is for the institution to advance even further in all areas for the benefit of patients. The rector highlighted the university's scientific excellence: Semmelweis has achieved growth in the number of publications in almost all categories in the highest level scientific journals compared to its competitors. Merkely Béla emphasized the outstanding results achieved in pharmaceutical sciences: thanks to the Research and Development Center for Pharmacology established in 2023, research institutions and research groups work together at the university on a year-round basis. This accelerates international cooperation and stimulates publishing and innovation activities. In medical sciences, the Faculty of Pedagogy pointed to the importance of the world-class skills laboratories and teaching facilities provided in 2025, and to the fact that the institution is also among the best in medical education in terms of digital innovation. Semmelweis University has also advanced in more areas In the most relevant categories for it, Semmelweis University has significantly advanced in the ShanghaiRanking occupational ranking over the last 8 years. The greatest development was in pharmaceutical sciences: by improving its position between 300-400 in 2018 year by year, it managed to enter the world's top 50 this year. In medical sciences, it was not in the top 300 in 2018, but this year Semmelweis University is the first in Central and Eastern Europe with its position among the top 200. In clinical medicine, the position between 201-300 in the region was the second best in a head-to-head competition, but with the current position between 151-200, Semmelweis was the first in the region in a head-to-head competition with the University of Prague. Similar development can be observed in medical technology (from 201-300 to 151-200) and biology (from 401-500 to 201-300). The university also improved its results in the rankings for medical sciences and medical technology: this year it is in the 187th position after last year's 224th place; in the latter, it rose from the 211th place to the 197th in the latest list. In medical sciences, Semmelweis is the highest-ranked university in Central and Eastern Europe; among Hungarian institutions, Pécs University and Szeged University also reached the 201-300 range, while the first position is held by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, followed by King's College London and the University of Bern. In medical technology, Semmelweis is the only Hungarian university on the ranking, led by Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Stanford University.