Vilnius University (VU) dropped seven spots to 446th place in the QS World University Rankings 2026, but maintained its position as the highest-ranked university in Lithuania.
Last year, VU ranked 439th globally, and 473rd the year before.
Meanwhile, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) moved up slightly and now shares the second spot among Lithuanian universities with Vytautas Magnus University (VDU).
A total of five Lithuanian higher education institutions were included in the latest rankings.
KTU, which ranked between 751st and 760th last year, improved to the 741–750 range this year. VDU received the same ranking range, consistent with its position last year.
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Vilnius Tech) and Mykolas Romeris University also maintained their previous standings. Vilnius Tech ranked between 851–900, while Mykolas Romeris University was placed in the 1001–1200 range.
According to a statement from Vilnius University, the institution stood out particularly for graduate employability, ranking 93rd globally in that category – its highest-ever result. Last year, VU held the 105th spot in the same metric.
The employability ranking reflects a university’s ability to ensure high job placement rates for graduates and their influence in professional fields.
The QS World University Rankings evaluate institutions based on eight criteria: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, research citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, international research network, and sustainability.
This year, QS assessed 8,467 higher education institutions worldwide, but only 1,501 were included in the final rankings. Among them, 112 universities were ranked for the first time.
The top positions in the 2026 edition were held by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Stanford University, the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge.
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