Oxford Politics retains global number two spot in 2026 QS subject rankings
The University of Oxford has once again secured its position as the top institution in the UK for politics and international studies, marking its eleventh consecutive year in first place.
In the 2026 QS World University Rankings by subject, Oxford also achieved second place globally.
While Harvard University retained the top global spot, Oxford continued to outperform strong competition from other UK universities to remain number one nationally in this field.
This achievement highlights the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR)’s long-standing reputation for outstanding teaching and internationally recognised research excellence.
Head of Department David Doyle said: “I am delighted that the Department has been ranked number two in the world for Politics and International Relations by the QS World University Rankings once again.
“It is a testament to the wonderful work of all my colleagues who do their very best to ensure that our research and teaching continues to be delivered at such high standards.”
DPIR is an internationally-renowned centre for teaching and research in the field and one of the largest in the UK, offering two undergraduate courses and eight DPhil (PhD), MPhil and MSc programmes at the postgraduate level.
DPIR has a strong interdisciplinary ethos across the three areas of international relations, comparative politics, and political theory, and harnesses them to achieve a wider understanding of political power and process within political systems and between them.
The Department’s faculty includes some of the world’s leading scholars in comparative politics and government, and political theory and philosophy, supervising outstanding students in the DPhil in Politics programme who use their research and methods training to launch successful academic careers.
