28 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Shanghai

Updated: March 15, 2026

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 5.66M citations received by 361K 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

#19 in China

#31 in Asia

Enrollment: 37,000
Founded: 1907

4. East China Normal University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#38 in China

#83 in Asia

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

5. Shanghai University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#49 in China

#110 in Asia

Enrollment: 36,000
Founded: 1994

6. East China University of Science and Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#81 in China

#218 in Asia

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

7. Donghua University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#94 in China

#247 in Asia

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

8. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#112 in China

#301 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

#325 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1907

10. Shanghai Normal University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#131 in China

#358 in Asia

Founded: 1954

11. Shanghai Maritime University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#142 in China

#386 in Asia

Founded: 1909

12. Shanghai Ocean University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#181 in China

#546 in Asia

Enrollment: 15,800
Founded: 1912

13. Shanghai University of Engineering Science

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#182 in China

#547 in Asia

Founded: 1978

14. Shanghai International Studies University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#216 in China

#670 in Asia

Enrollment: 9,389
Founded: 1949

15. Shanghai Tech University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#266 in China

#833 in Asia

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

16. Shanghai University of Electric Power

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#310 in China

#994 in Asia

Founded: 1951

17. Shanghai University of Sport

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#312 in China

#1003 in Asia

Enrollment: 6,000
Founded: 1952

18. China Europe International Business School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#313 in China

#1008 in Asia

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

19. East China University of Political Science and Law

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#331 in China

#1080 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1952

20. Shanghai Institute of Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#349 in China

#1152 in Asia

Founded: 2000

21. Shanghai University of International Business and Economics

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#361 in China

#1191 in Asia

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1960

22. Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#407 in China

#1377 in Asia

Founded: 1928

23. Shanghai Second Polytechnic University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#454 in China

#1568 in Asia

Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1960

24. Shanghai University of Political Science and Law

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#482 in China

#1755 in Asia

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 1984

25. Shanghai Business School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#490 in China

#1800 in Asia

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 2004

26. Shanghai Finance University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#541 in China

#2608 in Asia

Enrollment: 20,000
Founded: 2003

27. Shanghai Theatre Academy

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#552 in China

#2716 in Asia

Founded: 1945

28. Shanghai Conservatory of Music

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#557 in China

#2778 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	167	Suzhou
81	Soochow University	56	Suzhou
82	Changshu Institute of Technology	364	Suzhou
87	Suzhou University of Science and Technology	260	Suzhou
104	Nantong University	143	Nantong
118	Jiangnan University	80	Wuxi
132	Huzhou University	248	Huzhou
139	Hangzhou Normal University	155	Hangzhou
140	Ningbo University of Technology	306	Ningbo
141	Ningbo University	100	Ningbo

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Shanghai

Broadcast Journalism8

Classics and Ancient History16

Communications and Public Relations21

Criminology and Criminal Justice7

Education Majors24

Forensic Science5

Gender Studies11

Human Rights Law3

Intellectual Property and Patent Law13

International Law7

International Relations and Diplomacy9

Journalism and Digital Media13

Law Enforcement8

Library and Information science16

Military science6

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution10

Political Economy9

Political Science27

Public Policy / Administration12

Radio and Television broadcasting7

Sports / Exercise science7

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies24

Urban and Regional planning15