The latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject places the agricultural and medicine offerings of the North-West University (NWU) among those of the leading universities in the world.
Both the subject groups for agriculture and medicine retained their positions from last year’s ranking edition. According to QS, agriculture remains in the 301 to 350 category and medicine in the 701 to 850 ranking category. QS published this latest ranking on 25 March.
Prof. Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor, says new initiatives and those that are currently in development or expanding, such as the NWU Agri-Hub (a collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) at Molelwane Farm in Mahikeng and the NWU Living Lab for Sustainable Agriculture at Pienaarskamp in Potchefstroom, as well as the Desmond Tutu School of Medicine, underscore the strategy of the NWU of Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond.
“We are committed to quality higher education, and the latest rankings, particularly in these subject areas, are a good indication that we are heading in the right direction. These and other cross-sectoral projects reinforce the emphasis of the university on internationalisation, partnerships and societal impact.”
More about the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject
This year’s ranking provides a comparative analysis of more than 18 300 individual university programmes offered at over 1 700 universities across 100 locations worldwide. The rankings cover 55 academic disciplines, and five broad faculty areas are assessed: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and Management.
Subject rankings are determined using five metrics that comprise academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, the h-index (measuring the impact and productivity of research output), and the International Research Network (IRN), which assesses the effectiveness of cross-border research collaboration.
According to Ben Sowter, senior vice-president of QS, this year’s rankings highlight a global higher-education landscape that is becoming more competitive and specialised. “We are especially seeing a significant momentum from systems across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.”
He says strategic investment in specific disciplines is becoming a defining feature of how universities gain international recognition.
To learn more about the QS World University Rankings by Subject, visit: https://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings.
