Physics & Astronomy 2017

The rankings are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology).

Use the interactive table below to filter the rankings by location, and click on individual universities for more information. Registered users will also be able to use the site’s Compare function to see facts and statistics about multiple universities side-by-side.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remains top of the rankings for Physics & Astronomy for the fifth year running, a feat that was arguably so predictable you could see it written in the stars.

In fact, the vast majority of the top 20 universities are the same institutions that made the top 20 last year. The only exception is Peking University in China, which climbs 12 places to 18th.

Interested in other courses besides Physics & Astronomy? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 covers 46 different subjects. Click here to see the full list.