The ranking of the University of Helsinki is on the rise after years of decline following the major cuts in university funding in the 2010s. "Now that we have managed to get the trend back on the right track, it must not be jeopardised by further cuts," says Vice-Rector Anne Portaankorva.
The University of Helsinki improved its ranking in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) . In the 2025 ranking, the University was placed 94th, whereas last year it was ranked 99th.
ARWU annually lists the top 1,000 research universities in the world. The University of Helsinki is ranked number one in Finland and continues as the only Finnish university ranked among the top 100. Among Nordic universities, the University of Helsinki is ranked 6th.
The ranking has moved upwards for two consecutive years. At its best, the University of Helsinki has been ranked 56th in 2016 and 2017, after which its ranking declined.
"We are happy that the course has been corrected after years of decline following the major cuts to university funding in the 2010s. We have managed to cultivate our own top-level researchers as well as attract them from both Finland and abroad, and this shows particularly in the increase in the number of top-level publications. Now that we have managed to get the trend back on the right track, it must not be jeopardised by further cuts," says Vice-Rector Anne Portaankorva.
"In proportion to student numbers, Finnish universities receive 20-35% less funding than universities in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The cuts of hundreds of millions of euros to universities and research proposed by the Ministry of Finance would significantly undermine our chances of continuing to have a Finnish university among the top 100 globally. In these circumstances, further cuts in research and education would be extremely short-sighted," Portaankorva adds.
The Shanghai ranking is among the most esteemed international university rankings. It scores universities based on, for example, Nobel laureates and Fields Medal winners among researchers and alumni, scholarly articles published in respected international publications and citations received by researchers.
See the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2025 list.
