The 2027 edition of the QS World University Rankings, published on June 18, 2026, places Sapienza in first place amongst Italian generalist universities, 111th in the world and second overall in Italy. This is Sapienza best-ever result in this prestigious international ranking.
Sapienza has climbed 17 places compared with the previous edition of the rankings, confirming its upward trend: since 2017, it has climbed no fewer than 112 places, rising from 223rd to 111th place – a 50.2 per cent increase – thereby halving the gap to the world’s top-ranked institutions Sapienza achieved an overall score of 66.7, calculated on the basis of various indicators. In particular, Sapienza has retained its position as number one in Italy (65th in the world) for academic reputation, based on a survey of more than 120,000 international academics, for the internationalisation of its research (61st in the world) and for the career prospects of its graduates (122nd in the world). Sapienza has also seen a marked improvement in its ranking for the employer reputation indicator: having climbed 37 places compared with last year, Sapienza is now 124th in the world and second in Italy. 

“The result achieved in the QS World University Rankings 2027 represents a historic milestone for Sapienza and confirms the solidity of the growth trajectory Sapienza has embarked upon in recent years,” said Rector Antonella Polimeni. “Ranking 111th in the world today, having climbed no fewer than 17 places in just one year, demonstrates our university’s growing international competitiveness and brings us closer to an increasingly tangible goal: entering the world’s Top 100. Sapienza remains Italy’s leading generalist university thanks to the quality of its research, the strengthening of international scientific collaborations and the focus on graduates’ education and employability. This achievement reflects the value of an academic community capable of combining excellence, inclusion and strategic vision. "During my current term as Rector," - concludes Polimeni - "Sapienza has climbed 60 places in the QS rankings: progress achieved through targeted investment, quality-focused planning and, above all, thanks to the daily commitment of every member of our great Sapienza community, to whom I extend my most sincere thanks for helping to strengthen our university’s prestige and international standing over recent years."

The QS World University Rankings, compiled by the British agency Quacquarelli Symonds, are among the most prestigious international rankings. This year’s edition assessed over 8,800 universities to compile a list of the top 1,500, spread across 106 different countries.
In the subject-specific rankings published by QS last March, Sapienza was ranked number one in the world for Classics & Ancient History for the sixth consecutive year.