France makes progress in international rankings

Even though the ranking methodologies used by leading international rankings generally favour English-speaking countries, a quick overview shows that this trend is ending. University pooling and closer ties between research and higher education entities may have accelerated the trend, because France is now ranked in very respectable positions in most rankings.

On closer look on two of these “general” rankings (Shanghai and Times Higher Education, THE) over the last two years available, the presence and progress of French institutions is definitely gaining momentum. Whether in rankings by themes or discipline, the French presence and/or its progress are even more notable. Other less known rankings (but just as interesting), also show France occupying top positions.

Increasing trend in two major general rankings

The French minister of higher education declared in 2019 that even though such rankings are “an important indicator of the scientific influence of French universities”, they include, like any other rankings, “choices and methodological biases which impact is often deep”.

The Shanghai ranking

The Academic Ranking of World Universities, a.k.a. Shanghai ranking is one of the most expected and recognised ranking of the university world. It is essentially based on 13 “academic or research performance” indicators. In 2019, with a total of 35 institutions in the 1000 best, France reached the 6th rank worldwide for the third consecutive year. Three French institutions are in the Top 100 and two are in the top 50: the University of Paris-Sud (37th), Sorbonne University (44th) and the Ecole Normale Supérieure (79th).

When, in 2020, France was ranked 3rd in the world in the Top 20 of the best institutions (after the United States and Great Britain), the French president commented that “the quality of our higher education and research is finally recognised internationally at its true level”.

In 2020, 17 French institutions are in the Top 500 and the University of Paris-Saclay is ranked as the first French university in the ranking, the 3rd in Europe (after Cambridge and Oxford) and the 14th best university in the world. Further down the Top 100, four other universities are also distinguished: University of Paris Sciences et Lettres (36th rank), Sorbonne University (39th), University of Paris (65th) and University of Grenoble Alpes (99th).

The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking

This ranking assures that it provides “the complete list of the best universities worldwide”. For its development, it uses criteria such as the quality of teaching, research, and international development of institutions. There was no French institution in the Top 50 since 2011. 

In 2020, the situation changed so much that the THE thought that the “French programme of university mergers is paying off by increasing the research performance and international visibility”. Indeed, France became this year one of the countries best represented in this ranking that includes more than 1,500 universities in 93 countries. Five French institutions are ranked in the Top 200: Paris Sciences et Lettres (45th rank), Sorbonne University, Ecole Polytechnique, University of Paris and Télécom Paris. 

In 2021, five French institutions entered the Top 200 again. The first three are the same: University of Paris Sciences et Lettres, Sorbonne University and École Polytechnique, closely followed by the University of Paris and the University of Paris-Saclay.

Increased presence in all themed rankings

Themed rankings are more recent that general rankings, and take into account one specific discipline or follow a specific treatment (creation date of the institution for example).

The 2020 ranking of “young universities”

These rankings must allow to “honour institutions that are not part of traditional elites” and managed “to uplift their position in just a few years to the rank of best institutions”.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking focused on “junior” higher education institutions, which are those under 50 years of existence, France has 26 ranked institutions, including 12 in the Top 100. More precisely, Paris Sciences et Lettres reached the Top 5, to 3rd position, followed by 11 additional French institutions in the Top 100: Sorbonne University (9th), University of Paris (11th), University of Paris-Sud, University of Grenoble-Alpes, Aix-Marseille University, IMT Atlantique, University of Montpellier, University of Versailles - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, University of Côte d’Azur and University of Bordeaux.

The same goes for QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), which already published its own ranking of institutions under 50 years old. In this ranking, six French institutions are present in the Top 50: University of Paris Sciences et Lettres (5th rank worldwide and first European university of the ranking), Sorbonne University (6th), Centrale Supélec (10th),Télécom Paristech, University of Paris and University of Grenoble-Alpes.

Thematic rankings by discipline

In the Shanghai 2020 thematic ranking and its Top 50 of the best universities worldwide, there were 18 French institutions and 34 French institutions in the Top 100. In total, 86 French institutions were distinguished in this thematic ranking, including 37 institutions in the top 100 worldwide for at least one subject.

In 2021, in the same ranking, a significant increase was registered: two universities were in the Top 5 (which was not the case in 2020) and six institutions in the Top 50, thus confirming the excellence of French higher education in mathematics training courses, a field in which France is particularly distinguished. Besides mathematics, a total of 41 institutions are included in at least one of the thematic Top 100.

In details, in the case of the University of Paris-Saclay, which performance can be qualified as “historical”, the University managed to enter the circle of the 100 best universities worldwide in 25 subjects. Sorbonne University is ranked 19 times, as are Grenoble Alpes University (18 times), Paris Sciences et Lettres (15 times), the University of Paris and the University of Montpellier (10 times).

In the QS 2020 ranking by discipline, 389 programmes taught in 73 French institutions were examined. Among these programmes, 71 appear for the first time. More precisely, 19 French universities and grandes écoles are mentioned in the Top 50.  In terms of flagship disciplines (those in which at least two French institutions are distinguished), we find: accounting and finance, physics and astronomy, mathematics and statistics, business and management, agriculture, but also modern languages, art and design, law, archaeology and history and sociology. It should be noted that Sorbonne University, which received awards in 39 of the 48 subjects listed, is the big winner of this ranking, with 9 citations in the Top 50.

In the 2020 ranking of US News & World Report (a popular media in the United States for its numerous rankings), two French institutions are in the Top 10 in mathematics: Sorbonne University took the lead, before MIT, Stanford, Princeton and Cambridge.

Leading position in other rankings

Other rankings focusing on a type of institution or training course register France’s dominant position even more clearly.

The Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking (2019) ranks the best business schools. Out of the 100 courses distinguished, with 26 masters selected, France reached the top position, ahead of the UK (19 courses).

In the Financial Times Masters in Finance ranking (2020), five French schools form the “elite group”: the Top 5 Masters in Finance are exclusively French (HEC Paris comes first, followed by ESCP Business School, Skema Business School, ESSEC and EDHEC). France is the second country with most schools included in the ranking. Nine French master programmes manage to enter the ranking, which is one more than the United States and two less than the United Kingdom.

In the 2020 Financial Times ranking of European business schools, out of 90 European institutions ranked, there are 22 French schools, four of which are in the top ten. Such marks led the Financial Times to declare that “French business schools are outperforming their European counterparts”.

The THE’s Global University Employability Ranking 2020 ranks the 250 higher education institutions that have “the most employable graduates”. In this ranking, 18 French institutions are ranked among the top 250, including 9 in the Top 100. This places France in 2nd place worldwide in this ranking, after the United States and ahead of Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and China.