York University jumped 20 spots in the QS World University Rankings by Subject today (March 25) out of close to 2,000 universities.
The University continues its upward trajectory landing six subjects in the top 100 globally this year - the most ever - which shows its growing academic and employer reputation.
The number of competitors in this year's ranking grew by 165 to 1,912 institutions. They were all ranked across 26 subjects in 55 academic disciplines in five overall faculty categories, including Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences and Life Sciences and Medicine category.
"This remarkable achievement reflects the dedication of our faculty, students, and staff who continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and impact. Reaching our highest-ever number of top 100 subject rankings is a testament to York's growing global reputation and our unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. I am proud of how far we've come and energized by where we are headed," says Lisa Philipps, York University interim president and vice-chancellor.
York ranked in the top 100 for history, performing arts, and English language and literature in the Arts and Humanities category, social policy and administration and sociology in the Social Sciences and Management category, and psychology in the Life Sciences and Medicine category.
In English language and literature, York now ranks 78th in the world, while in sociology and psychology it ranks 99th globally. In history, performing arts, and social policy and administration it ranks between 51 and 100.
"The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) is home to four of the six York subjects ranked in the global top 100 - this is an extraordinary affirmation of the research excellence, scholarly leadership and creative inquiry taking place in our Faculty's arts, humanities and social sciences units," says Kathryn McPherson, LA&PS interim dean. "These results underscore the global impact of our instructors and students, and we are so proud of the work being done across LA&PS."
In addition, the University saw increases in its rankings for computer science and information systems, geography, mathematics, business and management studies, communication and media studies, and law.
Rankings across Canada
This year, 684 programs were ranked across 33 institutions in Canada. York ranked in the top five for 13 subjects and in the top 10 for an additional five subjects. The University also ranked fifth overall in the broad Arts and Humanities category.
York tied for second in social policy and administration, third in performing arts, and fourth in accounting and finance, anthropology, communications and media studies, geography, law, history and sociology. It earned a fifth-place ranking for English language and literature, philosophy, politics and international studies, and psychology. In the top 10, York subjects include business and management studies, education, linguistics, mathematics, modern languages.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject, released by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds, uses a method that ranks each institution using five indicators (the weight given to each indicator varies by subject): academic reputation; employer reputation; research impact based on research citations per paper; international research network, citation productivity and influence measured through an h-index.
In other ranking results, York is also shining. For example, in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings results, York earned a top 40 spot demonstrating continued leadership in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And in the Maclean's 2026 University Rankings, York placed in the top five as one of the best comprehensive universities in Canada, a spot it has held for several consecutive years. It also ranked fourth for reputation, third for student scholarships and bursaries, and fourth for social sciences and humanities grants.
For more than a decade, York has been named as one of Canada's Greenest Employers and for the second consecutive year it also made the list for Canada's Best Diversity Employers.
