Queen's University Belfast has recorded its highest-ever percentile position in a prestigious global university league table, climbing into the top 175 institutions worldwide in the newly released QS World University Rankings 2027.

The university is now ranked 174th out of over 1,500 institutions globally and holds the 26th position within the UK. This placement places Queen's in the top 11.6% of all universities evaluated, marking a historic high for the institution. A key driver of this success was its performance in the Employer Reputation category, where the university advanced by 83 places, reflecting the market success and employability of its alumni.

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer said: "These latest rankings represent a significant achievement for Queen's and reflect the dedication of colleagues and students across our university community. Placing our highest ever percentile, at 11.6%, reflects the commitment to excellence in education, research, innovation and civic engagement, supported by teams across the institution and guided by our Senate and University leadership. "We are particularly proud to see our commitment to producing work-ready graduates be recognised having climbed 83 places in employer reputation. As the top university in the Russell Group for employability and further study, with 93% of our graduates in employment or further study with 15 months of graduating, it is clear that our integrated approach including work placements, skills-focused modules and careers support is effective in producing work-ready graduates and places high value on obtaining a degree at Queen's.

"This news follows soon after Queen's was voted University of the Year as well as the number one Students' Union at the WhatUni awards. These are accolades of which we are particularly proud because they are based entirely on student feedback."

Commenting on the economic worth of a Queen's degree, Deloitte Senior Partner NI, Vice Chair of CBI NI and Queen's Alumna, Marie Doyle added: "Queen's University is a vital catalyst for local innovation, job creation and entrepreneurship for the economy not only in Northern Ireland but across the UK and Ireland and beyond. This is evident from the £3.35bn it generates for the UK economy each year and I'm delighted to see it rank so highly in terms of employer reputation. I regularly witness the significant contributions made by Queen's and its graduates, which firmly place the University on the map as a leading institution."

This table performance follows a sequence of strong results for the university. In the recently launched Complete University Guide 2027, Queen's achieved 23rd place in the UK, whilst securing the number one spot for both Agriculture & Forestry and Social Work. A total of 14 subjects were ranked within the UK top 10. The guide also highlighted strong employability outcomes, with Queen's ranking 9th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (On Track) and 11th for Graduate Prospects (Outcomes).