28 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Shanghai

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Shanghai ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 5M citations received by 344K academic papers made by 28 universities in Shanghai was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#6 in China

#12 in Asia

Enrollment: 47,000
Founded: 1896

2. Fudan University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#11 in China

#18 in Asia

Enrollment: 33,000
Founded: 1905

3. Tongji University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#20 in China

#35 in Asia

Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1907

4. East China Normal University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#38 in China

#85 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 36,026
Founded: 1951

5. Shanghai University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#49 in China

#115 in Asia

Enrollment: 36,000
Founded: 1994

6. East China University of Science and Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#80 in China

#218 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 26,000
Founded: 1952

7. Donghua University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#94 in China

#252 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 30,000
Founded: 1951

8. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#111 in China

#307 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 20,419
Founded: 1917

9. University of Shanghai for Science and Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#122 in China

#335 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1907

10. Shanghai Normal University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#129 in China

#355 in Asia

Founded: 1954

11. Shanghai Maritime University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#141 in China

#398 in Asia

Founded: 1909

12. Shanghai University of Engineering Science

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#183 in China

#559 in Asia

Founded: 1978

13. Shanghai Ocean University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#184 in China

#560 in Asia

Enrollment: 15,800
Founded: 1912

14. Shanghai International Studies University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#214 in China

#677 in Asia

Enrollment: 9,389
Founded: 1949

15. Shanghai Tech University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#267 in China

#850 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 3,221
Founded: 2013

16. China Europe International Business School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#306 in China

#982 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Enrollment: 1,500
Founded: 1994

17. Shanghai University of Electric Power

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#313 in China

#1009 in Asia

Founded: 1951

18. Shanghai University of Sport

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#317 in China

#1039 in Asia

Enrollment: 6,000
Founded: 1952

19. East China University of Political Science and Law

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#331 in China

#1093 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1952

20. Shanghai Institute of Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#354 in China

#1177 in Asia

Founded: 2000

21. Shanghai University of International Business and Economics

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#364 in China

#1222 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1960

22. Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#418 in China

#1415 in Asia

Founded: 1928

23. Shanghai Second Polytechnic University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#451 in China

#1577 in Asia

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1960

24. Shanghai University of Political Science and Law

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#484 in China

#1777 in Asia

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 1984

25. Shanghai Business School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#493 in China

#1841 in Asia

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 2004

26. Shanghai Finance University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#541 in China

#2594 in Asia

Enrollment: 20,000
Founded: 2003

27. Shanghai Theatre Academy

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#551 in China

#2717 in Asia

Founded: 1945

28. Shanghai Conservatory of Music

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#557 in China

#2775 in Asia

Founded: 1927

Universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences near Shanghai

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
70	Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University	172	Suzhou
81	Soochow University	56	Suzhou
82	Changshu Institute of Technology	357	Suzhou
87	Suzhou University of Science and Technology	262	Suzhou
104	Nantong University	142	Nantong
118	Jiangnan University	82	Wuxi
132	Huzhou University	248	Huzhou
139	Hangzhou Normal University	157	Hangzhou
140	Ningbo University of Technology	308	Ningbo
141	Ningbo University	101	Ningbo

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Shanghai

Broadcast Journalism7

Classics and Ancient History16

Communications and Public Relations21

Criminology and Criminal Justice7

Education Majors24

Forensic Science5

Gender Studies10

Human Rights Law3

Intellectual Property and Patent Law13

International Law6

International Relations and Diplomacy9

Journalism and Digital Media12

Law Enforcement8

Library and Information science17

Military science6

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution10

Political Economy8

Political Science27

Public Policy / Administration12

Radio and Television broadcasting7

Sports / Exercise science7

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies24

Urban and Regional planning13