Bath is in the top 100 for Development Studies, Psychology, Social Policy & Administration, and Sports-Related subjects, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026.
Sports-Related subjects ranked 13th, maintaining a top 15 place, while Development Studies moved into the top 50 at joint 31st, and Psychology jumped to joint 57th from joint 74th in 2025. Social Policy & Administration also maintained its top 100 status.
There were wider successes for the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, with Education and Training placing in the top 150; Modern Languages, Politics, and Sociology in the top 200; and Economics and Econometrics in the top 250.
Professor Deborah Wilson, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, said:
It’s fantastic to see so many of our subjects gain this international recognition. These rankings are a demonstration of the high-quality research and education we provide and the hard work of all our colleagues.
The positive momentum we, and the whole University, are able to show is important as we strive to attract more talent, deliver even more globally impactful research, and enhance student experience across our courses.
These QS rankings are based on the analysis of the research output and reputation of over 6,000 worldwide institutions, providing a comparative analysis of university programmes within subject areas.
The uplift in rankings is achieved against a backdrop of stronger competition, with a 9% increase in the number of institutions ranked in 2026 compared to 2025.
These subject-specific rankings build on QS’s overall global university rankings, which placed the University of Bath in the top 150.