QS Rankings by Subject 2026: USI on the rise across multiple subject areas

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, published on 25 March by Quacquarelli Symonds, Università della Svizzera italiana has seen an improvement in its standing across three subject areas, consolidating its presence within the international academic landscape.

Specifically, USI ranks in the 251-300 bracket for Computer Science & Information Systems, in the 451-500 bracket for Economics & Econometrics, and in the 551-600 bracket for Medicine. These results confirm the university's steady growth in strategic sectors for research and education.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject analyse over 1,700 universities globally, taking into account more than 18,300 academic programmes across 55 disciplines. The results are based on various indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact.

As Gabriele Balbi, Rector ad interim of USI, points out: "While reiterating that rankings should be treated with caution, given their extreme volatility and the fact that they reflect only certain aspects of a university's quality, the QS by Subject 2026 ranking shows a growth in the reputation and visibility of the Italian-speaking region of Switzerlandin some of our university's key disciplines". Balbi also highlights the significance of the university's trajectory: "Only 30 years since its foundation, USI is now a solid national and international academic reality that competes on equal terms with various universities around the world and which, if I may say so with a certain pride, is in some cases even becoming a benchmark." The ranking, the Rector concludes, reflects the work of the academic community as a whole: "This small achievement in the subject rankings is the result of the collective effort of the community, from our professors to our students. Our thanks, therefore, go above all to them."