U-Ranking 2026

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) is the best university in Spain in the field of Sciences.

This is confirmed by the 14th edition of the U-Ranking, the prestigious ranking produced by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE) to analyse, using one of the most rigorous and highly regarded methodologies in the field, teaching, research, innovation and graduate employment across 95% of the Spanish university system (this edition assesses 71 universities: all public and 23 private).

The only outstanding university outside the Madrid-Barcelona axis

In its performance ranking, the U-Ranking places the UPV as the fourth-best university in Spain and the only alternative to the Madrid-Barcelona axis featured in the top 7 – the group of universities awarded an 'outstanding' rating, with a score of 90 or above out of 100.

Four Catalan universities – Pompeu Fabra, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Autonomous University of Barcelona and University of Barcelona – and two from Madrid – Autonomous University of Madrid and Carlos III – complete the list of outstanding institutions.

Leader in Sciences, with the UAB and the UB completing the national podium

In the specific rankings, the UPV stands out particularly in the aforementioned field of Sciences, where it is number 1 in Spain, ahead of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Barcelona, which complete the national top three.

Furthermore, the UPV is the third-best university in Spain for teaching and the eighth for research and innovation. It features in the national top 10 for indicators based on the volume of results in teaching (7th), research and innovation (8th), and graduate employability (9th).

The UPV, endorsed by all top-tier international rankings

Once again, these results confirm the high standing of the UPV, an institution recognised not only nationally, but also by all leading international rankings.

Not surprisingly, in its most recent edition, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, commonly known as the Shanghai Ranking) ranked the UPV as the best technical university in and included it, for the 21st consecutive year, amongst the world's top 500 universities.

Similarly, the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings placed the UPV in the global top 500 for the 14th consecutive year, whilst also highlighting it in its subject-specific rankings as the best university in Spain for studying Agricultural Sciences, Art and Design, Chemical Engineering, and Statistics and Operational Research.

In addition, Times Higher Education (THE) recognised the UPV as the Spanish university with the greatest social and economic impact in the world in its seventh edition of the THE Impact Rankings.