Top Universities for Psychology in 2017

Discover the top psychology schools based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020.

Fascinated by the study of the human mind? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 includes a ranking of the 300 top universities for psychology around the world.

Read on for an overview of the top psychology schools in each region of the world, as well as the global top 10, or click here to view the full interactive rankings table.  

Top universities for psychology in the US and Canada 

The US dominates the psychology ranking, taking an impressive 90 out of 300 positions, including seven places in the top 10 (above) and a further 17 in the top 50. Just missing out on a spot in the top 10 is the University of Michigan (11^th, up from joint 18^th) while other high-ranking US institutions include the University of Pennsylvania (14^th), Columbia University (15^th), Princeton University (16^th) and the University of Chicago (20^th).

A further 21 top psychology schools are found in Canada, 10 of which are in the top 100. The University of Toronto, the University of British Colombia, McGill University and Western University are all ranked in the top 50.

Top universities for psychology in Europe

The UK is also home to a large number of top psychology schools, with 44 featured in this year’s rankings (17 of which are in the top 100). Outside the top 10, the other UK universities with top 50 positions for psychology are King’s College London, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the University of Edinburgh,  the University of Manchester,  Cardiff University and the University of Exeter.

Germany boasts the next highest number of representatives in Europe, with 23 entrants in the psychology ranking, led by Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München at 51-100.

Next is the Netherlands with 10 top universities for psychology, including the University of Amsterdam at 17^th and the University of Groningen at joint 50^th.

Meanwhile Spain, Italy, Belgium and Sweden each claim seven representatives in the psychology ranking. Among these countries, institutions ranked in the top 150 include Belgium’s University of Ghent and KU Leuven (both top 50), Sweden’s Karolinska Institute (top 100), Spain’s Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Italy’s Università degli Studi di Padova (UNIPD).

Elsewhere, six more of the world’s top psychology schools are found in Switzerland, including the University of Geneva at 101-150, while Ireland has four entrants, led by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in the top 200.

Beyond Sweden, fellow Nordic countries Norway and Finland have three entries in the psychology ranking each, while Denmark has two – from these three countries, Denmark’s Aarhus University is the highest ranked for psychology at 51-100.

Lastly, France and Portugal have two top universities for psychology each, while Russia, Poland and Austria all enter the ranking for the first time this year with one entrant each.

Top universities for psychology in Asia

Asia is home to 21 of the world’s top psychology schools, with China, South Korea and Japan each represented by four universities in this year’s ranking, including China’s Peking University and Japan’s University of Tokyo, which both rank within the top 100 worldwide.

Hong Kong and Singapore each have three representatives in the psychology ranking, with all but one of Singapore’s entries placing in the top 100, including National University of Singapore (NUS), while Hong Kong’s highest ranked institution is the University of Hong Kong (HKU) (=44^th).

Finally, Taiwan has two top psychology schools, including National Taiwan University at 101-150, while Malaysia is represented once.

Top universities for psychology in Australia and New Zealand 

Down under, Australia has 20 representatives in the psychology ranking, seven of which are in the top 50, including the University of New South Wales (18^th), the University of Melbourne (19^th) and the University of Sydney (23^rd).

New Zealand is home to five more of the world’s top universities in this field, led by the University of Auckland at 33^rd, with two other institutions also featuring in the top 100.

Top universities for psychology in Latin America

Six Latin American universities are featured in this year’s psychology ranking, with Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Brazil’s Universidade de São Paulo (USP) all ranked 101-150. Argentina’s sole entrant Universidad de Buenos Aires is ranked 151-200.

Top universities for psychology in Africa & the Middle East

Finally, South Africa has three entrants in the psychology ranking, led by the University of Cape Town at 151-200, while Israel has four entrants, including Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University at 101-150.

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