In this year’s Shanghai Ranking, the University of Zurich improved its standing by four places. With its 56th place, UZH has regained its 2011 ranking. The improvement can be ascribed to three (of six) factors:

a)   Citations (HiCi): This indicator is used to measure the articles written by the most-cited scholars in 21 predefined disciplines, including the natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences – but not the arts and humanities.

b)   Nature and Science (N&S): The number of articles UZH scholars published in the journals “Nature” and “Science” are factored into the ranking. The named journals are dedicated to publishing new findings in medicine and in the natural and social sciences

c)   Publications (PUB): This indicator is used to compile all scholarly publications (articles, proceeding papers, but not books) that were registered in the database Web of Knowledge over the course of the previous year.

UZH also improved its standing in the areas “Life and Agricultural Sciences” and “Clinical Sciences and Pharmacy.” In the latter category, the University moved forward five places and is now ranked 33rd. In “Life and Agricultural Sciences,” UZH is newly ranked among the top 25 universities worldwide (former ranking: 27). In the social sciences, the University of Zurich held its position among institutions ranked 51–75. 

UZH in the Shanghai Ranking: A comparison over Time