University of Milan, a public research university founded in 1924 in central Milan, Italy, is the only Italian institution inside the League of European Research Universities, the 23-member club of Europe’s research-intensive universities. The University of Milan ranking sits at #276 in QS World University Rankings 2026 and #188 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad, with Veterinary Sciences as its strongest subject at #9 worldwide on ARWU 2025.
- QS World University Rankings 2026: #276 globally, #113 in QS Europe 2025
- Collegedunia Study Abroad: #188 out of 824 universities
- Times Higher Education 2026: band #301-350 globally
- U.S. News Best Global 2026-2027: #160 globally, #4 in Italy
Reading the rank pattern: The University of Milan world ranking holds inside the #150 to #300 band on every major body, yet Veterinary Sciences alone climbs to #9 worldwide on ARWU 2025, a gap of more than 140 places between its single best subject and its overall position. Inside Italy the university stands fourth on U.S. News, behind the larger Rome, Bologna and Padua research clusters. For an Indian applicant comparing pharmacy, agriculture or veterinary tracks against AIIMS or IIT routes, this is one of the few European universities where subject strength meaningfully outruns the overall world rank.
Read More: University of Milan Admissions 2026
Table of Contents
- University of Milan Overall Rankings 2026
- University of Milan Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
- University of Milan QS World University Rankings 2026
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of University of Milan
- University of Milan Times Higher Education Rankings
- University of Milan ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
- University of Milan U.S. News Best Global University Rankings
- University of Milan Subject Rankings
- University of Milan Regional Rankings
- University of Milan Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
- FAQs
University of Milan Overall Rankings 2026
Four major global ranking bodies place the University of Milan world ranking inside the global top 350, with U.S. News giving it the friendliest read at #160 and QS placing it lowest at #276. The spread across bodies tells Indian applicants where to weigh the rank, since methodology shifts move the headline number more than the campus changes year to year.
| Ranking Body (Edition) | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad | #188 of 824 |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 | #160 globally, #4 in Italy |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 | #151-200 band |
| QS World University Rankings 2026 | #276 globally |
| QS Europe University Rankings 2025 | #113 in Europe |
| Times Higher Education 2026 | #301-350 band |
What it signals: The 141-rank gap between U.S. News #160 and THE #301-350 mid-point of #325 is wider than the year-on-year movement at any single body, so for an Indian student the U.S. News number reflects research citations while THE reflects teaching reputation and the truth sits between them. Indian families reading a Milan offer should weigh the U.S. News read first, since its weight on research output mirrors what an Indian MS or PhD applicant actually uses.
University of Milan Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian applicant the University of Milan ranking matters most at the subject level, not the overall headline. Pharmacy, Veterinary Science, Medicine and Agriculture all land inside the global top 100, while the overall rank sits in the #160 to #325 band depending on body.
| Signal | University of Milan Rank | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Strongest single subject | #9 Veterinary Sciences (ARWU 2025) | Top 10 globally, ahead of any Indian veterinary school by a wide margin |
| Best Indian peer for veterinary | IVRI Bareilly (NIRF Agriculture #5 in India, not globally ranked) | Choose Milan if the goal is European licensing or EU research labs |
| QS Pharmacy 2025 | #49 globally | Stronger than any single Indian pharmacy school, on par with Manipal MAHE Pharmacy |
| QS Medicine 2025 | #80 globally | Outside the AIIMS Delhi reputation tier, but inside the global top 100 |
| Best Indian peer for medicine | AIIMS Delhi (not in QS Medicine list) | Milan wins on European research access; AIIMS wins on Indian residency pathway |
| Overall QS movement 2022 to 2026 | #316 to #276, gain of 40 places | Brand value is rising, useful for a 2026 or 2027 application cycle |
Key insight for Indian students
- Subject-first decision: Pick the University of Milan ranking for pharmacy, veterinary or agriculture, where it ranks inside the global top 100, not for computer science where THE places it at 601-800.
- Trend signal: A 40-place gain on QS in five years, from #316 in 2022 to #276 in 2026, suggests the brand value of the degree will keep rising during a standard four-year career window.
- Italy positioning: Fourth in Italy on U.S. News and inside QS Europe top 120 means a Milan offer carries genuine weight inside any EU job market.
University of Milan QS World University Rankings 2026
The University of Milan QS ranking has gained 40 positions in five years, climbing from #316 in 2022 to #276 in 2026. QS, which ranks universities mainly on academic reputation, employer opinion, faculty-student ratio and research citations, has rewarded the university’s growing international student share and stronger employer scores from Italian and European recruiters.
| Year | University of Milan QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #=276 |
| 2025 | #=285 |
| 2024 | #=276 |
| 2023 | #324 |
| 2022 | #316 |
The five-year average sits near #295, and the sharpest single-year jump came between 2023 and 2024, a climb of 48 positions in one cycle. Indian applicants reading this trend should note that the university is now consistently inside QS global top 300, which is the cut-off most Indian employers use to recognise a foreign master’s degree as comparable to an IIM or IIT.
Trend signal: The QS gain of 40 positions across the five-year window is faster than the Italian higher-education average, where the national mean for top-300 universities has been flat over the same period. For an Indian student starting a course in 2026, the rank trajectory is the most decision-relevant data point in this section.
Read More: University of Milan Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
University of Milan Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings
The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of University of Milan places the institution at #188 out of 824 universities tracked for Indian outbound students, a friendlier read than the QS #276 because the Collegedunia methodology weighs Indian student outcomes, English-taught programme depth and Italian-Indian employer demand.
| Category | Collegedunia Study Abroad Rank |
|---|---|
| Global Universities for Indian Students | #188 of 824 |
The Collegedunia rank sits 88 places higher than QS and 137 places higher than the THE band mid-point, the largest favourable spread for an Italian non-Polytechnic in the Indian outbound list. The signal for an Indian family weighing application costs is that the university converts well into the metrics Indian recruiters actually screen on: research citations, English instruction and EU work-visa access.
India-relevance: A Collegedunia rank at the top quartile, #188 of 824, plus a U.S. News #160, together place the University of Milan ranking for Indian students in the same outcome tier as Trinity College Dublin or KU Leuven, two European peers Indian families more often default to.
University of Milan Times Higher Education Rankings
The University of Milan THE ranking sits in the #301-350 band on Times Higher Education 2026, an improvement of nine places over the prior cycle, with Medical and Health subject scores the strongest contributor. THE, which ranks universities mainly on teaching reputation, research influence and citations, gives the university its lowest overall global read among the major bodies because publication volume per faculty is below the THE top-200 median.
| Year | University of Milan THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #301-350 |
| 2025 | #301-350 |
The flat band reading across two THE cycles, sitting at #301-350, points to stability rather than slippage, so an Indian student starting a programme in 2026 is taking on no near-term degradation in degree value from this body. The five THE subject rankings the university appears inside the global top 300 for, namely Medical and Health at #126-150, Arts and Humanities at #251-300, Law at #201-250, Life Sciences at #251-300 and Physical Sciences at #401-500, decide whether the THE number is a fair read of programme quality.
Key insight: The 175-place gap between THE Medical and Health at #126-150 and THE overall at #301-350 mid-point of #325 is the largest subject-vs-overall spread in this article. Indian medicine and pharmacy applicants should weigh the subject rank, not the headline THE number.
University of Milan ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
The University of Milan ARWU ranking has held the #151-200 band on Shanghai Ranking from 2021 to 2025, the longest stable five-year run among the four bodies covered here. ARWU, which ranks universities mainly on Nobel and Fields Medal counts, highly cited researchers and Nature and Science papers, rewards research output more sharply than QS or THE, and the University of Milan’s flat band signals consistent research throughput from its medical and life-science faculties.
| Year | University of Milan ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #151-200 |
| 2024 | #151-200 |
| 2023 | #151-200 |
| 2022 | #151-200 |
| 2021 | #151-200 |
The mid-band placement near #175 over five straight years is stronger than the Italian national median, where most ARWU-ranked Italian universities sit outside the top 300. For an Indian PhD applicant weighing a Milan supervisor, the ARWU stability is the single best signal that publication output and citation flow in the lab are not slipping.
What it signals: ARWU rewards Nobel laureates, highly cited researchers and top-journal output. A flat #151-200 across five years means the University of Milan keeps producing this kind of work at a stable rate, which is the data point Indian PhD applicants should read closest.
University of Milan U.S. News Best Global University Rankings
The University of Milan U.S. News ranking comes in at #160 globally on Best Global Universities 2026-2027, #4 in Italy and #53 in Europe, the friendliest overall read among the four global bodies covered in this article. U.S. News, which ranks universities mainly on publication and citation metrics, rewards the medical and life-science research output that the University of Milan produces in volume.
| U.S. News 2026-2027 Category | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| Best Global Universities | #160 globally |
| Best Global Universities in Italy | #4 |
| Best Global Universities in Europe | #53 |
A #4 inside Italy puts the university behind only the larger Rome, Bologna and Pisa research clusters, and the gap of 116 positions between the U.S. News #160 read and the QS #276 read is the widest cross-body divergence in this article. For Indian applicants the U.S. News rank is the better proxy for research-degree value, since its weight on citations is closer to what an MS or PhD applicant will use post-graduation.
India-relevance: The Europe rank of #53 places the University of Milan above many UK and German universities that Indian applicants default to. The cross-body gap of 116 places between U.S. News and QS means choosing the right rank to quote on a CV depends on whether the recruiter is research-heavy or reputation-heavy.
University of Milan Subject Rankings
The University of Milan subject rankings cover 38 subjects on QS 2025, with six entering the global top 100, plus a stack of ARWU 2025 subject ranks where Veterinary Sciences hits #9 worldwide. The subject view is the single most decision-relevant data block for an Indian applicant, because the headline university rank smooths out faculty-level strength.
Subject ranking highlights for Indian applicants
- Veterinary Sciences: #9 worldwide on ARWU 2025, the single best subject rank at the university and a global top-10 placement.
- Pharmacy and Pharmacology: #49 on QS 2025, #31 on ARWU 2025, a tight pair of high reads for Indian Pharm.D and MSc Pharmacy applicants.
- Medicine: #80 on QS 2025, with U.S. News Clinical Medicine at #56, the only Italian medical faculty inside both global top-100 lists.
- Agricultural Sciences: #96 on QS 2025, ARWU band #76-100, U.S. News Agricultural Sciences at #39, the best three-body alignment in the dataset.
- Subject-vs-overall gap: Veterinary Sciences sits 267 places ahead of the QS overall rank, the largest single gap in this article.
University of Milan QS Subject Rankings 2025
QS Subject 2025 places six University of Milan disciplines inside the global top 100, with health, life-science and law tracks dominating the list. The pattern is what Indian families reading a Milan offer should compare against, since Indian subject rankings rarely break inside the QS global top 100 except at AIIMS and a handful of IITs.
| QS Subject 2025 | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Science | #46 |
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | #49 |
| Medicine | #80 |
| Law and Legal Studies | #83 |
| Life Sciences and Medicine (broad) | #89 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | #96 |
| Biological Sciences | #149 |
Six subjects inside the QS top 100 is a stronger subject base than any Italian university outside Bologna and Sapienza. The average subject rank across these top six lands near #74, a figure 202 places ahead of the QS overall, which is the size of the subject-vs-overall gap an Indian applicant should weigh.
Key insight: The QS subject mean of #74 across the six top-100 subjects is the cleanest single number for an Indian applicant choosing between Milan and a Russell Group UK alternative. Read this, not the overall #276.
University of Milan ARWU Subject Rankings 2025
ARWU 2025 subject ranks reward Nobel and citation weight, and the University of Milan’s strongest readings sit in Veterinary, Pharmacy and Biotechnology, exactly the faculties that publish in high-impact medical journals.
| ARWU Subject 2025 | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Sciences | #9 |
| Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | #31 |
| Biotechnology | #47 |
| Clinical Medicine | #51-75 |
| Physics | #76-100 |
| Earth Sciences | #76-100 |
| Food Science and Technology | #76-100 |
| Agricultural Sciences | #76-100 |
Veterinary Sciences at #9 is the only top-10 single-subject placement at any Italian university on ARWU 2025. Eight different subjects inside the global top 100 on ARWU mark out a research depth that an Indian PhD or MS Research applicant should use as the deciding signal.
What it signals: ARWU’s citation weight rewards labs that publish in Nature, Science and Lancet. Eight University of Milan subjects inside the ARWU top 100 means a Milan supervisor is, on average, publishing at a higher rate than most European labs an Indian PhD candidate would consider.
University of Milan U.S. News Subject Rankings 2026-2027
U.S. News subject rankings push the picture further at the faculty level, with Gastroenterology, Agricultural Sciences and Oncology entering the global top 50. The pattern lines up with QS and ARWU, so the three bodies agree on where the university’s research strength sits.
| U.S. News Subject 2026-2027 | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| Gastroenterology and Hepatology | #18 |
| Agricultural Sciences | #39 |
| Oncology | #39 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | #45 |
| Clinical Medicine | #56 |
Three U.S. News subjects inside the global top 50 plus Clinical Medicine at #56 together make the University of Milan one of the few European universities below the global top 150 overall that still ranks inside the medical top 60. For Indian medicine, pharmacy and oncology applicants the signal is unambiguous.
University of Milan Regional Rankings
The University of Milan regional rankings cover QS Europe 2025 at #113 and U.S. News Europe 2026-2027 at #53, both of which place the university inside the European top 120. QS Europe, which compares 685 European universities from 42 countries, ranks the university ahead of 83.5 percent of the regional field.
| Regional Ranking | University of Milan Rank |
|---|---|
| QS Europe University Rankings 2025 | #113 in Europe |
| QS Europe 2025: Academic Reputation indicator | #52 in Europe |
| QS Europe 2025: Sustainability indicator | #88 in Europe |
| U.S. News Best Global Europe 2026-2027 | #53 in Europe |
The 60-place gap between U.S. News Europe at #53 and QS Europe at #113 mirrors the overall body-by-body spread, so an Indian applicant should read the European positioning as a confirmed top-150 European university rather than a top-50 European one. The Academic Reputation indicator at #52 on QS Europe 2025 is the strongest single regional metric, and is the figure Italian and European employers most often quote.
India-relevance: A QS Europe Academic Reputation of #52 carries more weight in a Milan or Frankfurt job interview than the overall QS world #276, since regional employer surveys are the input that drives the Academic Reputation metric.
University of Milan Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
For an Indian applicant the University of Milan ranking for Indian students reads strongest at the subject and regional level, not the global overall. The university’s three best-fit programmes for Indians, namely MSc Pharmacy and Pharmacology, MSc Medical Biotechnology and MS Data Science and Economics, all sit inside faculties ranked in the global top 100.
The most popular University of Milan programmes for Indian students cluster in health sciences, data science and agriculture. The shortlist below maps each programme to the rank that decides its degree value at recruitment.
- MS Data Science and Economics: sits under QS Statistics and Operational Research, where the wider Life Sciences and Medicine band is at QS #89, and the U.S. News Mathematics tier underwrites the analytical rigour.
- MSc Pharmacy and Pharmacology: mapped to QS Pharmacy #49 and ARWU Pharmacy #31, two of the strongest reads in this article.
- MSc Medical Biotechnology: sits inside the ARWU Biotechnology #47 faculty, the cleanest research-led read for an Indian biotech applicant.
- MBA Innovation and Entrepreneurship: uses the THE Business and Economics band of #501-600, the weakest subject read among the popular programmes for Indians.
- MSc Agricultural and Food Sciences: covered by QS Agriculture #96, ARWU Agricultural Sciences band #76-100 and U.S. News Agricultural Sciences #39.
| India-relevant Signal | University of Milan Read |
|---|---|
| Strongest subject for Indian applicants | Veterinary Sciences #9 ARWU 2025 |
| Closest Indian alternative | IVRI Bareilly, Indian NIRF Agriculture #5 (not on global rank lists) |
| QS five-year movement | +40 places, #316 to #276 |
| U.S. News Italy positioning | #4 in Italy, behind Rome, Bologna, Pisa |
| Collegedunia vs QS gap | 88 places friendlier on Collegedunia |
| Weakest subject for Indian CS applicants | THE Computer Science #601-800 |
Indian Student Outlook key insight
- Subject-led applicants win here: Veterinary, Pharmacy, Medicine and Agriculture all rank inside the global top 100, a read no Indian institution outside AIIMS and a handful of IITs matches.
- Avoid for computer science: THE Computer Science at #601-800 is the weakest single subject signal, so Indian CS applicants should weigh Politecnico di Milano or KTH Stockholm instead.
- Rising five-year QS trend: A 40-place gain on QS since 2022 means the degree value for a 2026 entrant is likely to keep rising during a typical four-year career window.
- Brand recognition inside the EU: QS Europe Academic Reputation at #52 and U.S. News Europe at #53 mean the university is treated as a top-60 European institution by regional employers.
The University of Milan ranking for Indian students reads cleanest at the subject level, with six QS subjects, eight ARWU subjects and four U.S. News subjects inside the global top 100, and the QS overall climbing 40 places to #276 since 2022. The decision call for an Indian family is to weigh the subject rank that matches the chosen programme rather than the headline university number, and to use the U.S. News #160 or Collegedunia #188 read when explaining the degree to an Indian recruiter.
FAQs
Ques. What is the QS World University Ranking of University of Milan in 2026?
Ans. University of Milan is ranked #276 in QS World University Rankings 2026. The position is a gain of 40 places over the 2022 QS rank of #316, and sits inside the global top 300 cut-off that most Indian employers use to recognise a foreign master’s degree.
Ques. What is the THE world ranking of University of Milan?
Ans. University of Milan sits in the #301-350 band on Times Higher Education 2026. THE places the university lower than QS because its weight on teaching reputation and publication-per-faculty leans against the university’s broad medical and life-science profile.
Ques. What is the University of Milan world ranking on U.S. News?
Ans. University of Milan is ranked #160 globally on U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027, #4 in Italy and #53 in Europe. U.S. News gives the friendliest overall read because its methodology rewards research citations, which the medical and life-science faculties produce in volume.
Ques. What are the strongest University of Milan subject rankings for Indian students?
Ans. The strongest subject reads are Veterinary Sciences #9 on ARWU 2025, Pharmacy and Pharmacology #49 on QS 2025, Medicine #80 on QS 2025 and Agriculture #96 on QS 2025. Six QS subjects and eight ARWU subjects sit inside the global top 100, the deciding signal for Indian health, agriculture and biotech applicants.
Ques. Is University of Milan ranked higher than Politecnico di Milano?
Ans. No. Politecnico di Milano ranks #87 on QS World University Rankings 2027, well ahead of University of Milan’s #276 on QS 2026. Politecnico is the right choice for engineering, architecture and design tracks; University of Milan is the right choice for medicine, pharmacy, veterinary and agriculture tracks.
Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of University of Milan?
Ans. The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of University of Milan places it at #188 out of 824 universities tracked for Indian outbound students. The read is 88 places friendlier than the QS world rank, because the Collegedunia methodology weighs Indian student outcomes, English-taught programme depth and Italian-Indian employer demand.
Ques. Has the University of Milan ranking improved over the last five years?
Ans. Yes. On QS the rank has climbed 40 positions, from #316 in 2022 to #276 in 2026. On ARWU the band has stayed steady at #151-200 from 2021 to 2025, signalling stable research output. The combined read points to rising international visibility on top of a steady research base.










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