Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, headquartered in Erlangen with campuses in Nuremberg and Fürth in Bavaria, Germany, has climbed 122 positions in QS World University Rankings between 2023 and 2027. The Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ranking sits at #=218 in QS 2027 and #156 on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026, with QS Materials Science 2026 at #96 as the single highest-placed discipline worldwide.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #=218 globally, #11 in Germany
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #156 globally, #16 in Germany
- THE World University Rankings 2026: 201-250 band globally, #17 in Germany
- U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026: #309 globally, #17 in Germany
Reading the rank pattern: FAU’s overall ranks cluster between #=218 and #309 across QS, THE and US News, while subject ranks read differently. In QS Materials Science 2026, FAU sits at #96, more than 120 places ahead of its overall #=218 in QS 2027. For Indian students targeting engineering or materials masters, the subject rank carries more weight than the overall rank when admissions panels review applications.
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Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Overall Rankings 2026-2027
FAU’s strongest positions sit in subject and category ranks; overall ranks cluster between #156 and #309 across five major bodies.
| Ranking Body and Edition | FAU Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 | #156 globally, #16 in Germany |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #=218 globally, #11 in Germany |
| THE World University Rankings 2026 | 201-250 globally, #17 in Germany |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 | 201-300 globally |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 | #309 globally, #17 in Germany |
Across five bodies, FAU’s Germany position spans 11 spots, from #6 on ARWU to #17 on THE and US News. The 153-place spread between CD #156 and US News #309 reflects different weighting on teaching, research and citation volume. The gap is not a sign of change at the university itself.
Key insight: FAU’s #=218 QS rank in 2027 is 122 places higher than its 2023 figure of #=340, averaging a 24-place annual climb across the window.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
Four numbers do most of the work for Indian applicants weighing FAU. They are the QS climb, the materials science pedigree, the ARWU stability and the gap to IIT Bombay.
| Signal | FAU data point | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS 5-year trend | #=340 (2023) to #=218 (2027) | Degree brand value strengthens through the masters cycle |
| QS Materials Science 2026 | #96 globally, #6 in Germany | Best discipline pick for materials and metallurgy masters |
| ARWU 5-year band | Stable 201-300 | Predictable research output for PhD admits and supervisors |
| Collegedunia category strength | Medicine #104, Engineering #107 | India-relevance rank reads better than overall QS placement |
| vs IIT Bombay (QS 2027) | FAU #=218 vs IIT Bombay #=134 | Brand favours IIT Bombay; FAU wins on EU work-visa access and tuition |
The 84-place QS gap to IIT Bombay is the trade-off Indian applicants face most often. Indian recruiters recognise IIT Bombay as a brand, while EU employers read FAU’s subject ranks as the more useful signal. The decision rests on whether the next two years sit in India or Europe.
Bottom line for Indian applicants
- Trend signal: 122-place QS climb in 5 years indicates a university on a clear upward path.
- Pick a subject: Materials science, electrical engineering and medicine all sit in their own subject top 200 or better.
- Indian peer gap: 84 QS places behind IIT Bombay; ahead of most non-IIT engineering options.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg QS World University Rankings 2027
The Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg QS ranking has improved every edition since 2023. The 2027 figure of #=218 marks a 122-place climb in five years.
| Year | FAU QS World Ranking |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #=218 |
| 2026 | #232 |
| 2025 | #=224 |
| 2024 | #229 |
| 2023 | #=340 |
The single biggest move came between 2023 and 2024, when FAU jumped 111 places. Editions since then have moved within a 14-place corridor of #=218 to #232. For Indian masters applicants, the upward five-year pattern means the value of an FAU degree strengthens during the two-year study window.
Key insight: FAU has averaged a 24-place QS gain per year across 2023-2027; this trajectory is uncommon among Bavarian public universities outside Munich.
Read More: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Collegedunia Study Abroad’s category-level data ranks FAU as a top-20 German university and a top-110 global option for medicine and engineering.
| Category | Collegedunia Rank |
|---|---|
| Overall | #156 globally, #16 in Germany |
| Medicine and Health Care | #104 globally, #7 in Germany |
| Engineering | #107 globally, #8 in Germany |
| Computer Science | #130 globally, #14 in Germany |
| Law | #129 globally, #9 in Germany |
| Arts and Humanities | #181 globally, #17 in Germany |
| Social Studies | #233 globally, #19 in Germany |
Medicine and Health Care leads at #104, sitting 52 places ahead of the overall #156, while Engineering follows at #107. Both categories rank inside Germany’s top 10, signalling FAU as a credible alternative to TU Munich and KIT for these disciplines. For Indian students considering health sciences, materials or medical engineering, the Collegedunia category rank reads more useful than the world rank.
India-relevance: FAU’s #16 Germany rank places it among the top 20 public universities Indian masters applicants actually choose, ahead of more than 60 other German public institutions.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings
Times Higher Education places FAU in the 201-250 band in 2026 and at Germany #17, with all 11 THE subject groups represented in the same edition.
| Year | FAU THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 201-250 globally, #17 in Germany |
The 201-250 band aligns with FAU’s QS and US News mid-200s placement, confirming a tight cluster across bodies. THE assesses teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook; FAU scores particularly well on industry income thanks to third-party research funding and patents. For Indian applicants who value research-led teaching, the THE band signals consistent global recognition.
Trend signal: FAU appears in all 11 THE subject groups for 2026, with Computer Science and Engineering at 126-150 as the highest-placed disciplines.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
FAU’s ARWU position has stayed inside the 201-300 band for five consecutive editions, signalling stable research metrics across the half-decade window.
| Year | FAU ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 201-300 |
| 2024 | 201-300 |
| 2023 | 201-300 |
| 2022 | 201-300 |
| 2021 | 201-300 |
Five years inside the same band is itself a useful signal: FAU’s research output has neither weakened nor surged. ARWU measures Nobel and Fields prizes, highly-cited researchers, Nature and Science papers, and citation indices. For Indian PhD applicants, the stability means publication output and faculty quality are predictable when planning research-track admits.
Note: FAU’s ARWU 2025 GRAS rank for Telecommunication Engineering is #39 globally, the single highest subject rank the university holds on any global body.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Other Global Rankings
U.S. News Best Global Universities is the latest global body to publish FAU data; the 2025-2026 edition places FAU at #309 worldwide and #17 in Germany.
| Ranking Body | Edition | FAU Rank |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. News Best Global Universities | 2025-2026 | #309 globally, #17 in Germany |
U.S. News leans heavily on bibliometric indicators such as citation impact, normalised citation impact and global research reputation, which explains the 153-place gap to Collegedunia #156. The Germany #17 placement exactly matches THE’s figure for the same year. For Indian applicants who plan to apply to U.S. PhD programs next, the U.S. News figure carries weight with North American admissions committees.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Subject Rankings
Key insight
- Best subject (QS): Materials Science at #96 in 2026, FAU’s only QS top-100 subject.
- Best subject (ARWU): Telecommunication Engineering at #39 in 2025 GRAS, FAU’s single highest subject rank.
- Best subject (THE): Computer Science and Engineering both at 126-150 in 2026.
- Breadth: 22 QS subjects, 11 THE subject groups and 8 ARWU GRAS subjects in 2025-2026.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg QS Subject Rankings 2026
QS Subject 2026 placed FAU in 22 disciplines across four subject areas, with materials science the clear standout at #96 globally.
| QS Subject | 2026 Global Rank | Germany Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Science | #96 | #6 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | #161 | #7 |
| Chemical Engineering | Top 200 | #5 |
| Electrical Engineering | Top 200 | #6 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Top 200 | #8 |
| Medicine | Top 200 | #9 |
| Chemistry | Top 200 | Not listed |
| Physics and Astronomy | Top 200 | Not listed |
| Archaeology | Top 200 | Not listed |
Materials Science at #96 is FAU’s only QS top-100 subject placement and ranks #6 in Germany. Chemical Engineering at Germany #5 outperforms FAU’s overall Germany rank of #11 by 6 places. Indian applicants targeting materials, chemical or electrical engineering masters will find FAU’s subject pedigree stronger than the overall world rank suggests.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg THE Subject Rankings 2026
THE 2026 placed FAU in all 11 subject groups, with Computer Science and Engineering tied at 126-150 as the strongest disciplines.
| THE Subject Group | 2026 Global Band |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | 126-150 |
| Engineering | 126-150 |
| Medical and Health | 151-175 |
| Law | 176-200 |
| Life Sciences | 176-200 |
| Physical Sciences | 176-200 |
| Psychology | 176-200 |
| Arts and Humanities | 201-250 |
| Business and Economics | 201-250 |
| Education Studies | 251-300 |
| Social Sciences | 251-300 |
Computer Science and Engineering at 126-150 outperform FAU’s overall THE band by about 80 positions. The 175-band spread between Computer Science (126-150) and Education Studies (251-300) shows FAU’s tilt toward technical disciplines. Indian applicants in CS, AI, robotics or engineering will find subject pedigree stronger than the overall band suggests.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ARWU GRAS Subject Rankings 2025
ARWU’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025 placed FAU in eight subjects, led by Telecommunication Engineering at #39 worldwide.
| ARWU GRAS Subject | 2025 Global Rank |
|---|---|
| Telecommunication Engineering | #39 |
| Human Biological Sciences | 51-75 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 76-100 |
| Energy Science and Engineering | 76-100 |
| Dentistry and Oral Sciences | 76-100 |
| Mathematics | 101-150 |
| Physics | 101-150 |
| Earth Sciences | 101-150 |
Telecommunication Engineering at #39 sits more than 160 places ahead of FAU’s overall ARWU 201-300 band. Electrical Engineering, Energy Science and Dentistry all cluster in the 76-100 band, indicating broad strength in engineering and applied health sciences. Indian applicants targeting telecom, electrical, energy or biomedical research will find FAU one of the highest-ranked German destinations in these niches.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Regional Rankings
QS Europe Rankings 2026 place FAU at #50 in Western Europe, broadly in line with its world rank of #=218.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in QS Europe Rankings 2026
| Region | FAU 2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | #50 |
A #50 slot in Western Europe places FAU inside the region’s top 10% of ranked universities. The regional position tracks with QS World #=218 and sits ahead of the US News #309 figure. For Indian students valuing European recognition, regional #50 carries weight when applying to EU work-visa schemes and intra-EU PhD admits.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
Indian students at FAU cluster in engineering, AI, computational engineering and medical technology masters. In these disciplines, subject ranks sit 100+ places ahead of the overall #=218 in QS 2027.
Popular programs Indian students choose at FAU include:
- MSc Artificial Intelligence
- MSc Computational Engineering
- MSc Communications and Multimedia Engineering
- MSc Advanced Signal Processing and Communications Engineering
- MSc International Information Systems
All five align with FAU’s top-150 THE Engineering, top-150 THE Computer Science and top-100 ARWU Telecommunication Engineering placements.
| Signal | FAU position | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS 5-year delta | +122 places (#=340 to #=218) | Brand value strengthens through the masters cycle |
| QS Materials Science 2026 | #96 globally, #6 in Germany | Best subject pick for Indian materials masters applicants |
| ARWU Telecom Engineering 2025 | #39 globally | Top European destination for Indian telecom and electronics PhD applicants |
| CD vs QS placement | CD #156 vs QS #=218 (62-place delta) | India-relevance rank reads better than the overall QS figure |
| vs IIT Bombay (QS 2027) | FAU #=218 vs IIT Bombay #=134 | IIT Bombay leads on brand; FAU wins on EU work-visa access and lower tuition |
FAU’s subject ranks (Materials Science #96, Telecom Engineering #39) plus tuition under €1,500 per year make it a frequent shortlist option alongside TU Munich and KIT. The QS climb pattern means the FAU degree is more valuable on graduation day than on application day.
Key insight for Indian applicants
- Subject ranks ahead of overall: Materials Science #96 and Telecom Engineering #39 sit 120-180 places ahead of FAU’s overall rank.
- Stability for PhD admits: ARWU 201-300 across 5 editions signals predictable research output.
- Indian-relevance reads better: Collegedunia places FAU at #156, 62 spots ahead of QS #=218.
- Peer position: 84 QS places behind IIT Bombay; ahead of most non-IIT public engineering options.
FAU’s rankings story across 2023-2027 is one of measured movement. The 122-place QS climb, stable ARWU 201-300 band and 22 QS subject placements all point upward. Materials science (#96) and telecommunication engineering (#39 on ARWU GRAS) are the breakout disciplines that read strongest for Indian applicants reading multiple bodies together.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2027?
Ans. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ranks #=218 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #11 in Germany. The university has climbed 122 places since QS 2023.
Ques. How is FAU ranked on Collegedunia Study Abroad in 2026?
Ans. FAU ranks #156 globally and #16 in Germany on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026. Its strongest category is Medicine and Health Care at #104 globally and #7 in Germany.
Ques. What is FAU’s best subject ranking?
Ans. FAU’s best QS subject rank is Materials Science at #96 in 2026, the only QS top-100 subject for the university. Its single highest rank on any global body is ARWU GRAS Telecommunication Engineering at #39 in 2025.
Ques. How does FAU compare with IIT Bombay on QS World University Rankings?
Ans. IIT Bombay sits at #=134 in QS World 2027, an 84-place lead over FAU’s #=218. FAU’s relative strength lies in QS Materials Science, ARWU Telecommunication Engineering and EU work-visa access after graduation.
Ques. Is FAU good for engineering and computer science rankings?
Ans. Yes. THE 2026 places both Computer Science and Engineering at 126-150 globally, while QS 2026 puts Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering inside the world’s top 200. ARWU GRAS Telecommunication Engineering ranks #39 globally.
Ques. What is the THE ranking of FAU in 2026?
Ans. FAU is placed in the 201-250 band in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and ranks #17 in Germany. The university appears in all 11 THE subject groups.
Ques. Is the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ranking improving each year?
Ans. Yes. The FAU QS World rank has improved every edition from #=340 (2023) to #=218 (2027), averaging a 24-place annual gain. ARWU has remained stable at 201-300 across five editions (2021-2025).










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