The Shanghai Ranking evaluates the research strength of universities worldwide. In the latest edition, the University of Würzburg once again achieved very good rankings.
Based on an internal analysis, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) ranks among the 220 best universities worldwide in the 2025 Shanghai Ranking. JMU ranks third in Bavaria and is among the top 15 in Germany.
'The ranking confirms that we are among the best universities worldwide. Ranked 15th in Germany and third in Bavaria, this gives us momentum on our way to becoming the third University of Excellence in Bavaria,' says University President Paul Pauli. Once again, the ranking highlights JMU's research strength and the outstanding work of its scientists.
How the Ranking Evaluates Universities
First published in 2003, the Shanghai Ranking is one of the oldest and most prestigious research rankings. Initially compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it has been conducted since 2009 by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, an independent organisation for higher education information. Today the ranking compares more than 2,500 universities, with the results of the top 1,000 being published each year.
The performance of the universities compared is measured using six indicators. These include the number of alumni (1) and current university employees (2) who have received high-ranking awards, such as the Nobel Prize. They also include the number of articles published in the Nature and Science journals (3), the total number of scientific publications (4) and the number of highly cited researchers (5). The indicators mentioned are then compared to the university's scientific staff (6).
