Rankings and key facts

The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine consistently ranks highly in all the major ranking frameworks, a testament to the quality of our teaching and research.

QS rankings

The QS World University Rankings cover more than 1,400 universities around the world, analysed through the lens of research impact, academic standing, internationalisation, student/staff ratio, graduate employability and teaching capacity.

The subject-level rankings from QS cover five subject areas that are further divided into 54 disciplines.

• We’re ranked 20th in the world for the overall subject area of life sciences and medicine.
• We’re also ranked:
  • Joint 6th in the world for veterinary science.
  • 22nd in the world for medicine.
  • Joint 21st in the world for anatomy and physiology.

QS top universities website

Times Higher Education rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings include more than 1,600 universities across 99 countries and territories.

In the latest THE World University Rankings by subject (2026), the University of Edinburgh is ranked in the top 50 across 9 of the 11 subject areas covered. In the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, we're ranked:

• Joint 20th in the world for medical and health subjects
• 32nd in the world for life sciences subjects.

Times Higher Education rankings website

ShanghaiRanking

The ShanghaiRanking is published annually by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Their Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, ranks institutions in 55 subjects across Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences. In the 2026 edition, the University of Edinburgh is ranked in the top 50 universities in the world for 13 subjects, including public health, clinical medicine, human biological sciences and veterinary sciences.

ShanghaiRanking website

The Guardian University Guide

The Guardian's league tables rank institutions by subject, looking at student satisfaction, staff numbers, spending and career prospects.

In the 2027 guide, the University of Edinburgh is ranked 11th overall, and is ranked in the top 10 institutions for 19 subjects, including:

• 1st for anatomy and physiology.
• 3rd for veterinary science.
• 4th for medicine.
• 6th for biomedical science.

The Guardian University Guide 2027

See also

The University of Edinburgh's rankings and reputation