The University of Gothenburg ranks this year at 201–250 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, which lists the world's leading universities. The exact position for GU is 208.
Since 2004, the British magazine Times Higher Education has published its ranking of the world’s best universities. In this year’s edition, 2,191 universities from 115 countries took part. According to analyst Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson, the fact that the University of Gothenburg has climbed a few steps – from 212 to 208 – falls entirely within what is known as “normal variation.”
“Journalists tend to make a big deal out of these things, but it’s not unusual for some universities to move up or down a few places. Among the major rankings, THE is the one that has changed its methodology the most over the years, and shifts in ranking are more often due to methodological changes or volatility in the indicators rather than actual changes in quality.”
The highest-ranked Swedish institution is Karolinska Institutet, in 53rd place, followed by Lund University (95), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (98), and Uppsala University (128). Stockholm University drops out of the top 200, landing at 203, while the University of Gothenburg and Linköping University remain within the 201–250 range.
According to Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson, the universities of Gothenburg and Stockholm are equally strong in research – with Gothenburg even performing slightly better on the Research Quality indicator – while Stockholm University scores higher in the more heavily weighted category International Outlook.
“The differences are small, and competition is fierce within this range. But for the University of Gothenburg, it’s unfortunate to be outside the top 200, since its visibility in THE’s ranking then decreases,” says Magnus MacHale-Gunnarsson.
By: Allan Eriksson