Those subjects, aerospace engineering (space engineering), which came in 26th in the world and number one in Canada, business administration, finance, geography, psychology, and sociology, are also listed in the top five in Canada.
This builds on York's strong performance from the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, where accounting and finance, communication and media studies, psychology and sociology were placed in the top 150 worldwide, along with anthropology, history, performing arts, and developmental studies. An additional three subject areas - education, English language and literature, and philosophy - placed in the top 100 globally in the QS rankings.
The Shanghai Ranking, also known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, bills its GRAS as "one of the most comprehensive and objective rankings of world universities by subjects" with a focus on high-impact research. Out of 5,000 universities worldwide, the GRAS ranked subjects from more than 1,900 universities in 96 countries and regions.
Many of York's subject areas increased significantly in the Shanghai Ranking nationally and globally in the last four years, including mathematics, physics, sociology, psychology, and finance. The GRAS ranks universities worldwide across 55 subjects, from natural sciences, engineering and life sciences to medical sciences and social sciences.
Rounding out the top 10 subjects across Canada for York are nursing, computer science and engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, economics, management, mathematics, and physics. Globally, seven subjects also made it into the top 200, including economics, electric and electronic engineering, management and mathematics, along with communications which also made the top five nationally.
These results come after a robust ranking season where York jumped five spots in the 2024 THE Impact Rankings to 35th in the world and was once again ranked as a top five university in Canada by Maclean's 2025 University Rankings.
