The University of Tartu remains Estonia’s highest-ranked university, while Tallinn University of Technology, known as TalTech, rises 35 places to 600th globally.
Four Estonian universities have been included in the QS World University Rankings 2027, with the University of Tartu remaining the country’s highest-ranked institution.
The University of Tartu is ranked 367th in the world, followed by Tallinn University of Technology, also known as TalTech, which is ranked 600th. Tallinn University is placed in the 901–950 band, while the Estonian University of Life Sciences is ranked in the 1201–1400 band.
TalTech rose 35 places compared with the previous ranking, when it was ranked 635th. The university has improved its position steadily in recent years. In 2022, it was placed in the 751–800 band.
According to TalTech, one of its strongest indicators in the latest ranking was citations per faculty, where the university ranked first among Estonian institutions.
“We can be proud that in one of QS’s key indicators – citations per faculty – we are first in Estonia. This indicator reflects our researchers’ publications in high-level scientific journals, strong international cooperation and the broad readership of our research,” TalTech’s rector, Tiit Land, said.
“We have taken decisive steps for almost a decade to strengthen our research potential and it is now clear that this work has borne fruit,” Land added.
The QS World University Rankings 2027 assessed more than 1,500 universities across 106 countries and territories. The ranking is based on several indicators, with academic reputation carrying the largest weight, at 30% of the overall score, followed by citations per faculty at 20%. Other factors include employer reputation, the faculty-student ratio, international staff and student ratios, international research networks, employment outcomes and sustainability.
The global top three in the 2027 ranking are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Imperial College London.
The University of Tartu, founded in 1632, is Estonia’s oldest university. It has around 14,000 students, including more than 1,800 international students from 100 countries. The university has four faculties: arts and humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and medicine.
TalTech was established in 1918 and is Estonia’s main university for engineering and technology education. It has around 1,700 international degree students from 100 countries. The university offers higher education in engineering, technology, natural sciences, business and social sciences.
Tallinn University has around 7,000 students, of whom 11% are international students. Its research is organised around five focus fields: educational innovation, digital and media culture, cultural competences, healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and society and open governance.
The Estonian University of Life Sciences, based in Tartu, specialises in fields related to agriculture, forestry, veterinary medicine, environmental sciences, biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources.
