Top Performing Arts Schools in 2019

The most recent QS World University Rankings by Subject includes a ranking of the world’s top 101 performing arts schools, one of the 48 subjects covered. The ranking features a mixture of comprehensive universities and dedicated institutions in this field.

The subject rankings are compiled using four indicators; academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper and the H-index (a way of measuring the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar). You can find out more about the methodology used here.

Read on to discover the top universities for performing arts in each world region, starting with a look at the top 10.

Top performing arts schools in the US and Canada

The US is home to an impressive 26 of the 101 featured performing arts schools featured in this year’s ranking. Maintaining its top spot in 2019 is Julliard School, which earns a perfect score for its employer reputation and is joined in the top 10 by four other US performing arts schools, two of which are part of the prestigious Ivy League group. Other mentionable universities in the US include fellow Ivy League Group universities; Yale University (joint 17^th) and Stanford University (joint 19^th).

Heading north to Canada, which is home to four top performing arts schools, with McGill University and the University of Toronto ranking within the top 50, placing 34^th and joint 47^th respectively.

Top performing arts schools in Europe

Europe contains 45 of the top performing arts schools in 2019, including the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in joint top place, the only university to earn a perfect score in the academic reputation indicator. The other top performing arts school in Austria featuring in this year’s ranking is the University Mozarteum Salzburg, which places 32^nd in the world.

Similarly to the US, the UK claims 26 of the 101 featured top performing arts schools, with four in the top 10, including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (which rises an impressive 29 places this year to reach seventh place). Other top UK universities for performing arts include the University of Cambridge (11^th), Royal Holloway University of London (17^th) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Formerly Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, in joint 19^th).

France has three universities featuring in the ranking this year with Sorbonne University and Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 both placing 51-100, and Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP) which ranks 14^th this year, up seven places from last year and currently the highest scoring performing arts school in France.

Germany also performs well with five universities featuring in the rankings, with the top being Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, which rises 14 places this year to steal 36^th place and the second top, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin ranking joint 47^th.

To the Nordic countries now, where Finland’s sole entrant, Sibelius Academy comes in at 12^th place and Sweden’s Royal College of Music in Stockholm ranks 51-100. Denmark also boasts two ranked universities; Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus and The Royal Danish Academy of Music, which both place 51-100 for performing arts in 2019. Norway’s Norwegian Academy of Music also performs well, ranking 33^rd in the world in 2019.

Russia’s sole entrant, the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (The Bolshoi Ballet Academy) comes 51-100 in the ranking, earning its highest score in the academic reputation indicator.

Top performing arts schools in Asia

Over to Asia now, where Hong Kong (SAR) scores well with three performing arts schools featured in the ranking. Hong Kong’s top entrant is the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, which rises more than 38 places this year to steal 13^th place – making it the highest ranked performing arts school in Asia.

South Korea and Malaysia also both perform well, with two representatives each. Korea National University of Arts earns the highest ranking in South Korea, placing 37^th and Malaysia’s UCSI University and Universiti Malaya (UM) both rank 51-100^th.

Mainland China’s sole entrant, Central Academy of Drama, China, ranks 35^th. Japan also scores well, featuring three schools in the ranking this year; the top being the University of Tokyo in joint 42^nd place.

Top performing arts schools in Australia and New Zealand

Australia boasts no fewer than 10 top performing arts schools in the rankings this year, with five of these in the top 50 in the world and three of these improving their position from last year; the University of Melbourne (15^th), Monash University (16^th), and the University of Sydney (joint 28^th). Other notable Australian universities include Australian National University (ANU, joint 45^th) and Griffith University (joint 50^th).

New Zealand’s three entrants, the University of Auckland, University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington all place 51-100^th.

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.