News

LSE remains the number one university for social sciences in Europe

Retaining our position as the number one university for social sciences in Europe is a tremendous recognition of the hard work of everyone at LSE.
- LSE Director Minouche Shafik
grad 2018_3 747x560

LSE has been ranked top in Europe — and second in the world — in social sciences and management subjects for the ninth consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021.

Overall, 12 LSE disciplines were placed in the global top ten. The School achieved the following global rankings in individual subjects:

  • Second in Geography
  • Third in Sociology; Social Policy and Administration; Communication and Media Studies; and Development Studies
  • Fourth in Accounting and Finance
  • Fifth in History and Politics and International Studies
  • Sixth in Law; Philosophy; and Economics and Econometrics
  • Eighth in Anthropology

Accounting and Finance; Communication and Media Studies; and Economics and Econometrics were also ranked first in the UK.

The School ranked 16th in the world for Arts and Humanities, up four spots from last year.

Commenting on this year’s ranking, LSE Director Minouche Shafik said: “Retaining our position as the number one university for social sciences in Europe is a tremendous recognition of the hard work of everyone at LSE, especially in these unusual circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of social sciences in policy-making and the School remains dedicated to producing world class research that helps transform our world for the better.”

Published annually since 2011, the QS World University Rankings by Subject are based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. The rankings use data from 1,453 institutions and nearly 14 million unique papers.