Rankings: The 11 best universities in Portugal for 2027
11 universities in Portugal appear in at least one of the three major global university rankings. The table orders them by their combined world position.
Ranking table
| # | University | QS 2027 | THE 2027 | ARWU 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  University of LisbonLisbon | 237 | 376 | 301 |
| 2 |  University of PortoPorto | 255 | 401 | 301 |
| 3 |  University of CoimbraCoimbra | 342 | 401 | 401 |
| 4 |  University of AveiroAveiro | 425 | 701 | 501 |
| 5 |  Iscte - University Institute of LisbonLisbon | 851 | 651 | – |
| 6 |  Catholic University of PortugalLisbon | 791 | 801 | – |
| 7 |  University of the AlgarveFaro | 1,001 | 1,001 | – |
| 8 | UTOUniversity of Trás-os-Montes and Alto DouroVila Real | – | 1,201 | – |
| 9 |  Lusófona UniversityLisbon and Porto | – | 1,401 | – |
| 10 |  Instituto Politécnico de Viana do CasteloViana do Castelo | – | 1,601 | – |
| 11 |  University of Leiria and OesteLeiria | – | 1,801 | – |
About these rankings
Each ranking uses its own method, so a university can sit in quite different positions across them. A dash (–) means the university is not included in that ranking.
- QS World University Rankings combine surveys of academics and employers with measures such as citations per faculty, staff-to-student ratio and the share of international staff and students.
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings assess teaching, the research environment, research quality, international outlook and links with industry.
- Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking) are based on research output: highly cited researchers, papers in leading journals, and Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals won by staff and alumni.
Rankings say little about the quality of a single programme. Compare the programmes in Portugal on content, fees and entry requirements as well.
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