2026 university subject rankings in China

File: China.org

Accoridng to China Daily, Peking University ranked first in China's 2026 University Subject Rankings, released on Monday by higher education consultancy ShanghaiRanking. The university led the national list with 93 A+ subjects, followed by Tsinghua University with 57 and Harbin Institute of Technology with 51.

The rankings evaluated subjects offered by at least four universities and covered 838 undergraduate subjects across 92 categories and 13 academic disciplines. More than 30,700 subjects from 1,132 universities were included in the assessment.

A subject receives an A+ rating if it ranks among the top 2 percent nationwide or is one of the top two subjects in its field.

China's "Double First-Class" universities continued to dominate the rankings. The country's 129 Double First-Class institutions accounted for more than 80 percent of all A+ subjects.

After Peking University, Tsinghua University and Harbin Institute of Technology, the universities with the highest number of A+ subjects were Renmin University of China (47), Zhejiang University (43), Fudan University (42), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (38), Beihang University (34), Nanjing University (33), and Beijing Foreign Studies University (32).

Among universities that are not part of the Double First-Class initiative, Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute shared first place with 10 A+ subjects each. Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts followed with nine A+ subjects each.

In terms of the number of ranked subjects, Peking University led all Chinese universities with 120 subjects. Jilin University ranked second with 119, while Wuhan University placed third with 116.

Among non-Double First-Class institutions, Yangzhou University stood out with 105 ranked subjects. Jiangsu University and Kunming University of Science and Technology shared second place with 88 subjects each.

At the regional level, Beijing had the highest number of A+ and A-rated subjects in China, while Shanghai ranked second in the number of A+ subjects. By total number of ranked subjects, Jiangsu Province led the country, followed by Beijing, Hubei, Shandong, and Guangdong.