QS Rankings by Subject 2025: Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne among the world's best in 24 disciplines
In its 2025 edition of the World University Rankings by Subject, published on 12th March, QS has analysed and ranked nearly 1,800 institutions across 55 subjects, grouped into five broad subject areas. This year, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne stands out once again by ranking among the world’s best universities in 24 disciplines.
Continued progress and new subject entries
Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University continues to gain ground in its two key broad subject areas: Arts & Humanities (up 4 spots) and Social Sciences & Management (up 1 spot). The university ranks among the global top 100 in 15 out of the 24 disciplines in which it is listed. Notably, for the first time, it appears in the global top 50 in as many as 11 disciplines.
The university excels particularly in Archaeology (15th), History (19th), Law (20th), Art History (21st-50th), Classics and Ancient History (joint 22nd). Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne has improved its ranking in six disciplines, especially in Development Studies, where it climbed 24 places from 49th to 25th.
Additionally, the university enters the rankings for the first time in four new disciplines: Hospitality and Leisure Management (44th), Sociology (79th), Performing Arts (101st-150th) and Environmental Sciences (401st-500th).
Top French institution in 11 subjects
At the national level, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne reclaims its first place in Arts & Humanities while maintaining its third position in Social Sciences & Management.
The university remains the top-ranked French institution in the following nine disciplines: Archaeology, Architecture, Law, Development Studies, Geography, History, Classics & Ancient History, Art History, and Philosophy. This year, it also rises to the top domestic rank in Anthropology and Communication and Media Studies, bringing the total number of disciplines in which it is the best-ranked university in France to 11, two more than last year.
The methodology of these QS rankings is based on five key indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, the H-index (which measures research productivity and impact) and the international research network.
With these strong academic performances, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University continues to stand out as a major global player in higher education and research, in the fields of humanities and social sciences.
University's global ranking by discipline
Arts & Humanities: #15 (+4)
- Archaeology: #15 (-1)
- History: #19 (-3)
- Classics and Ancient History: joint #22 (-7)
- Philosophy: #32 (-7)
- Art History: #21-50 (#21-40 in 2024)
- Modern Languages: joint #50 (+7)
- Performing Arts: #101-150 (new)
- Architecture and Built Environment: #151-200 (=)
- Art and design: #151-200 (#201-240 in 2024)
Social Sciences & Management: #53 (+1)
- Law and Legal Studies: #20 (-3)
- Development Studies: #25 (+24)
- Hospitality and Leaisure Management: #44 (new)
- Anthropology: #46 (#-1)
- Economics and Econometrics: #60 (-5)
- Politics: joint #66 (#51-100 in 2024)
- Business and Management Studies: #145 (=)
- Sociology: #79 (new)
- Accounting and Finance: joint #93 (-14)
- Communication and Media Studies: #101-150 (#151-200 in 2024)
- Social Policy and Administration: #101-150 (#51-100 in 2024)
Natural Sciences
- Geography: joint #34 (-1)
- Mathematics: #351-400 (=)
- Environmental Sciences: #401-500 (new)
Engineering and Technology
- Computer Science and Information Systems: #301-350 (=)