Top 10 world universities for art history, there is only one Italian


According to the new edition of the QS World University Ranking, an international ranking of universities, there is only one Italian university in the world's top 10 in art history teaching: it is the Iuav University of Venice.

There is only one Italian university among the top 10 in the world for teaching art history according to the new edition of the QS World University Ranking, the international ranking of universities, published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds. The ranking is considered a benchmark for students and academics in choosing the best higher education institutions globally, along with other rankings such as the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. And the only Italian university in the top 10 for art history isIuav University of Venice.

This year, Iuav climbed six positions from 2024, moving to ninth place in this discipline, which in the Anglo-Saxon system also includes History of Architecture. The result is a recognition of the excellence of arts historical-theoretical studies conducted within the Venetian university, with an academic reputation score of 93.7 out of 100. The ranking has the Royal College of Art in London in first place, the National University of Singapore in second, and Tsinghua University in Beijing in third. They are followed, off the podium, by the New School in New York, the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Harvard University, Tongji University in Shanghai, Iuav and the Pratt Institute. However, there are other Italians in the rankings: in 11th place is the Polytechnic University of Turin, which leaves behind Cambridge (13th), Yale (14th), Oxford (15th), and Columbia University (17th), and in 18th place is theUniversity of Rome La Sapienza, which is ahead of Berkeley (19th) and Cornell (20th). No other Italians in the rankings.

The entrance to Iuav in Venice. Photo: Iuav/Umberto Ferro
The entrance of Iuav in Venice. Photo: Iuav/Umberto Ferro

In addition to its primacy in Art History, Iuav University confirms its position among the top 100 institutions in the world in Architecture and Planning (range 51-100) and among the top 150 in Design and the Arts (range 101-150). The QS rankings analyzed a total of 1,700 universities, including 56 Italian universities, spread across 100 countries and territories, covering a total of 55 academic disciplines. Unlike the large generalist universities, Iuav, due to its size and specialized vocation, is not included in the global ranking, but is evaluated according to subject areas. The universities’ placement in the ranking is based on four key indicators: Academic Reputation, which measures the quality of teaching and research through evaluations by academics from around the world; Employer Reputation, which assesses the level of appreciation of graduates by companies and international recruiters; Research Citation per Paper, which takes into account how often a university’s studies and publications are cited academically; and H-Index, an indicator that measures the impact of research through the productivity and relevance of publications.

“This achievement,” says Rector Benno Albrecht, “rewards Iuav, a university that specializes in design disciplines and has a strong tradition of excellence in historical studies, but it also brings Venice to the forefront of the international academic scene. Just this year, together with the new Polo dell’acqua for education and research on the themes of water and the sea, we are inaugurating the Polo delle Arti in Venice. Our project horizon is Venice City Campus, in partnership with the city’s institutions, and a recognition of our University is also a recognition of Venice as a city of study, knowledge and research.”

Top 10 world universities for art history, there is only one Italian
Top 10 world universities for art history, there is only one Italian


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