Imperial College London: Rankings

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Imperial College London ranked 5th in the United Kingdom, 45th in the global 2023 rating, and scored in the TOP 10 across 11 research topics. Imperial College London ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 225,700 academic publications and 8,026,549 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 246 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#45 of 14,131 In the World
#5 of 2,785 In Europe
#5 of 163 In the United Kingdom
#4 of 131 In England
#2 of 35 In London
#4 of 1,017 For Biochemical Engineering
#5 of 3,062 For Geotechnical Engineering
#5 of 1,886 For Renewable Energy Engineering
#226 of 7,446 For Alumni Impact
#77 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top10 For 8 other topics

Jump to topical rankings below

Acceptance rate and other statistics

Biology rankings

Imperial College London ranked 4th for Biology in the United Kingdom and 40th in the World with 132,130 publications made and 5,350,160 citations received. Main research topics: Genetics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Paleontology, Neuroscience.

Biology ranking Location
#4 of 147 In the United Kingdom
#5 of 1,428 In Europe
#40 of 6,663 In the World

Imperial College London
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1990 553 9333
1991 617 10104
1992 622 11133
1993 717 11463
1994 704 11706
1995 830 12751
1996 1046 13915
1997 1038 15167
1998 1267 17640
1999 1291 21192
2000 1539 24976
2001 1552 28743
2002 1832 33611
2003 2139 40795
2004 2456 49974
2005 2541 62052
2006 2890 74238
2007 3066 87786
2008 3414 103360
2009 3764 120826
2010 4092 139601
2011 4473 162327
2012 4656 188695
2013 5121 213514
2014 5415 235815
2015 5819 257022
2016 6212 279482
2017 6922 317241
2018 6856 328349
2019 7706 384162
2020 8904 467118
2021 10861 628101
2022 8637 602956

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Biology.

Biology subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Entomology 2 4 18
Virology 2 3 20
Toxicology 1 4 23
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 4 4 25
Astrobiology 4 5 25
Immunology 2 3 25
Paleontology 3 3 26
Zoology 3 5 27
Microbiology 2 5 32
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 7 7 33
Evolutionary Biology 5 5 37
Biochemistry 4 5 43
Nanotechnology 3 5 43
Genetics 4 5 43
Biotechnology 3 7 43
Biophysics 4 5 49
Pharmacology 5 8 50
Botany 3 9 51
Agricultural Science 4 12 62
Oncology and Cancer research 4 7 63
Molecular Biology 5 15 75
Neuroscience 7 17 83
Forestry 5 23 90
Horticulture 6 15 90
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 8 23 104
Nutrition and Food Science 8 64 186
Animal Science 18 62 189

Chemistry rankings

Imperial College London ranked 3rd for Chemistry in the United Kingdom and 27th in the World with 120,727 publications made and 4,794,943 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Materials Science, Organic Chemistry, Physical chemistry, Chemical Engineering.

Chemistry ranking Location
#3 of 138 In the United Kingdom
#3 of 1,389 In Europe
#27 of 6,327 In the World

Imperial College London
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1990 716 11134
1991 787 11846
1992 844 13013
1993 909 13471
1994 924 13794
1995 1030 14709
1996 1264 16247
1997 1213 17133
1998 1451 19738
1999 1418 22842
2000 1734 26151
2001 1678 30070
2002 1900 33860
2003 2129 40327
2004 2358 48951
2005 2556 61350
2006 2766 71702
2007 2856 83017
2008 3051 96149
2009 3213 110327
2010 3548 126052
2011 3855 147418
2012 4036 168944
2013 4278 189231
2014 4718 206718
2015 4980 226106
2016 5285 245505
2017 5716 274412
2018 5752 285705
2019 6334 329723
2020 7041 387161
2021 8239 507848
2022 6584 487979

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Chemistry.

Engineering rankings

Imperial College London ranked 2nd for Engineering in the United Kingdom and 18th in the World with 114,793 publications made and 3,897,335 citations received. Main research topics: Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering ranking Location
#2 of 146 In the United Kingdom
#2 of 1,442 In Europe
#18 of 6,555 In the World

Imperial College London
Engineering Publications & Citations

Year Engineering publications Engineering citations
1990 728 10201
1991 826 10793
1992 854 11744
1993 938 12510
1994 948 12746
1995 1069 13731
1996 1289 15476
1997 1270 15871
1998 1335 17689
1999 1348 19632
2000 1532 21762
2001 1501 24683
2002 1737 27716
2003 1890 32366
2004 2068 38529
2005 2304 48346
2006 2465 56689
2007 2628 64906
2008 2804 76276
2009 3034 87166
2010 3289 97902
2011 3608 116238
2012 3681 131614
2013 4101 151837
2014 4401 166009
2015 4675 181423
2016 4985 198845
2017 5548 223716
2018 5467 234893
2019 5852 272792
2020 6638 323825
2021 7869 419380
2022 6100 388869

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Engineering.

Physics rankings

Imperial College London ranked 3rd for Physics in the United Kingdom and 20th in the World with 109,478 publications made and 3,736,458 citations received. Main research topics: Quantum and Particle physics, Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Nuclear Physics.

Physics ranking Location
#3 of 148 In the United Kingdom
#3 of 1,434 In Europe
#20 of 6,484 In the World

Imperial College London
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1990 757 11170
1991 809 11606
1992 898 12493
1993 945 13172
1994 954 13501
1995 1092 14489
1996 1269 16172
1997 1265 16768
1998 1381 18701
1999 1350 20887
2000 1554 23072
2001 1570 26275
2002 1700 28945
2003 1857 33860
2004 2054 39914
2005 2202 50083
2006 2391 57626
2007 2529 66066
2008 2696 76859
2009 2875 86464
2010 3138 96667
2011 3380 114270
2012 3479 128682
2013 3823 147208
2014 4120 159762
2015 4369 175407
2016 4597 191011
2017 5073 211870
2018 4954 222984
2019 5314 254412
2020 5915 299433
2021 7014 383702
2022 5401 351923

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Physics.

Medicine rankings

Imperial College London ranked 4th for Medicine in the United Kingdom and 40th in the World with 105,014 publications made and 4,111,123 citations received. Main research topics: Pathology, Immunology, Surgery, Psychiatry, Public Health.

Medicine ranking Location
#4 of 148 In the United Kingdom
#5 of 1,401 In Europe
#40 of 6,552 In the World

Imperial College London
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1990 271 4293
1991 279 4547
1992 298 5101
1993 318 5068
1994 299 5445
1995 384 6258
1996 524 6853
1997 582 7751
1998 759 9508
1999 821 11841
2000 993 14721
2001 1038 17430
2002 1236 21087
2003 1517 26247
2004 1829 33126
2005 1927 41701
2006 2112 50978
2007 2349 60845
2008 2701 73764
2009 2932 87778
2010 3346 102184
2011 3700 119037
2012 3994 140144
2013 4441 158843
2014 4746 177854
2015 5017 196647
2016 5274 212500
2017 5902 245891
2018 6070 252021
2019 6822 296750
2020 8072 374014
2021 10112 514287
2022 8108 507588

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Medicine.

Computer Science rankings

Imperial College London ranked 4th for Computer Science in the United Kingdom and 34th in the World with 85,081 publications made and 2,922,946 citations received. Main research topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Telecommunications, Neuroscience, Machine Learning, Computer Vision.

Computer Science ranking Location
#4 of 149 In the United Kingdom
#4 of 1,444 In Europe
#34 of 6,597 In the World

Imperial College London
Computer Science Publications & Citations

Year Computer Science publications Computer Science citations
1990 387 4839
1991 426 5171
1992 415 5781
1993 450 6038
1994 494 6324
1995 575 6963
1996 716 7719
1997 712 8360
1998 741 9073
1999 831 10779
2000 880 11882
2001 913 14107
2002 1112 16858
2003 1280 20120
2004 1473 24560
2005 1656 30690
2006 1765 37105
2007 2001 43824
2008 2144 52441
2009 2344 62441
2010 2645 71972
2011 2842 84126
2012 2897 97746
2013 3318 112286
2014 3491 125220
2015 3794 137528
2016 4023 151760
2017 4453 171033
2018 4606 183167
2019 5164 218510
2020 5824 267617
2021 7392 357444
2022 5712 333405

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Computer Science.

Environmental Science rankings

Imperial College London ranked 3rd for Environmental Science in the United Kingdom and 22nd in the World with 81,779 publications made and 2,995,036 citations received. Main research topics: Geology, Geography and Cartography, Ecology, Paleontology, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#3 of 147 In the United Kingdom
#3 of 1,449 In Europe
#22 of 6,683 In the World

Imperial College London
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1990 483 7905
1991 524 8021
1992 525 8685
1993 624 9060
1994 634 9209
1995 752 10220
1996 857 11215
1997 839 11294
1998 871 13160
1999 886 14878
2000 1042 16849
2001 1057 19147
2002 1256 21702
2003 1351 25695
2004 1499 30215
2005 1606 37050
2006 1753 43129
2007 1836 50077
2008 2000 57462
2009 2246 67552
2010 2292 75714
2011 2490 88793
2012 2506 101744
2013 2901 117595
2014 3097 128491
2015 3357 140595
2016 3494 153111
2017 3976 172239
2018 3883 182816
2019 4203 214072
2020 4953 259289
2021 5889 343788
2022 4665 315912

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Environmental Science.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings

Imperial College London ranked 7th for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in the United Kingdom and 56th in the World with 73,534 publications made and 2,629,491 citations received. Main research topics: Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Law, History.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#7 of 153 In the United Kingdom
#9 of 1,488 In Europe
#56 of 6,939 In the World

Imperial College London
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Publications & Citations

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1990 305 3937
1991 355 4151
1992 290 4326
1993 357 4791
1994 399 5140
1995 433 5670
1996 567 6166
1997 580 6641
1998 590 7380
1999 640 8751
2000 752 10486
2001 706 11767
2002 905 14176
2003 1067 16900
2004 1163 20379
2005 1284 25052
2006 1405 30519
2007 1594 36087
2008 1730 43219
2009 1967 51760
2010 2079 58611
2011 2372 69066
2012 2503 80551
2013 2861 93602
2014 3013 104161
2015 3167 116318
2016 3478 125410
2017 3862 143778
2018 3863 152761
2019 4457 182274
2020 5502 231566
2021 6991 318693
2022 5346 297422

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Demography 4 5 30
Library and Information science 5 5 35
Linguistics 6 7 48
Archaeology 6 7 55
History 12 13 64
Sociology 11 15 65
Law 14 16 69
Philosophy 6 13 69
Political Science 14 18 74
Art History 21 24 81
Publishing 18 22 93
Aesthetics 25 35 108
Classics and Ancient History 29 39 112
Intellectual Property and Patent Law 12 29 114
Anthropology 25 37 118
Education Majors 17 25 121
Urban and Regional planning 25 65 137
Journalism and Digital Media 16 26 141
Law Enforcement 22 35 148
Communications and Public Relations 29 42 152
Occupational Safety and Health 16 34 159
Forensic Science 24 70 161
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 32 60 175
Military science 23 37 176
Public Policy / Administration 39 72 197
Gender Studies 38 53 205
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies 37 84 225
Special Education 39 77 256
Genealogy 43 83 256
Sports / Exercise science 29 88 260
Criminology and Criminal Justice 55 77 290
Human Rights Law 67 159 385
Media Studies 95 182 500
Social Work 101 190 608
Political Economy 91 281 759
Early Childhood Education 81 258 801
Broadcast Journalism 78 278 811
Radio and Television broadcasting 71 307 946

Mathematics rankings

Imperial College London ranked 4th for Mathematics in the United Kingdom and 32nd in the World with 46,610 publications made and 1,551,854 citations received. Main research topics: Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Applied Mathematics, Blockchain and Cryptography, Operations Research.

Mathematics ranking Location
#4 of 139 In the United Kingdom
#4 of 1,363 In Europe
#32 of 6,132 In the World

Imperial College London
Mathematics Publications & Citations

Year Mathematics publications Mathematics citations
1990 172 2219
1991 186 2390
1992 182 2597
1993 219 2869
1994 213 2920
1995 263 3071
1996 353 3621
1997 367 3880
1998 338 4235
1999 360 4480
2000 378 5365
2001 377 6143
2002 450 7298
2003 579 8489
2004 688 10502
2005 797 12895
2006 822 15128
2007 1051 18292
2008 1041 22096
2009 1234 25953
2010 1335 30180
2011 1549 36045
2012 1632 41588
2013 1879 49184
2014 2065 56297
2015 2198 63514
2016 2372 69285
2017 2529 78459
2018 2584 83528
2019 3083 101966
2020 3466 126254
2021 4538 180024
2022 3541 171339

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Mathematics.

Mathematics subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Applied Mathematics 1 1 13
Statistics 4 4 28
Operations Research 2 7 33
Blockchain and Cryptography 2 6 40
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 5 9 50
Actuarial Science 7 16 67
Math Teachers 28 48 249

Psychology rankings

Imperial College London ranked 6th for Psychology in the United Kingdom and 67th in the World with 44,862 publications made and 1,678,701 citations received. Main research topics: Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Cognitive Science, Clinical Psychology.

Psychology ranking Location
#6 of 150 In the United Kingdom
#9 of 1,390 In Europe
#67 of 6,353 In the World

Imperial College London
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1990 109 1859
1991 107 2011
1992 112 2251
1993 120 2251
1994 118 2267
1995 133 2622
1996 197 2692
1997 194 3158
1998 296 3643
1999 319 4480
2000 373 5376
2001 401 6269
2002 475 7638
2003 598 9780
2004 681 11726
2005 702 15121
2006 823 18479
2007 978 22653
2008 1086 27556
2009 1131 32631
2010 1393 38386
2011 1597 45436
2012 1629 54363
2013 1922 62911
2014 2009 72039
2015 2179 80663
2016 2339 88169
2017 2634 103518
2018 2684 108313
2019 3159 130791
2020 3481 163293
2021 4577 226454
2022 3763 221728

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Psychology.

Psychology subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Psychiatry 6 9 58
Cognitive Science 6 9 71
Neuroscience 7 17 83
Social Psychology 11 21 110
Education Majors 17 25 121
Occupational Therapy 11 32 125
Clinical Psychology 17 41 161
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 32 60 175
Child Psychology 24 53 228
Special Education 39 77 256
Sexology 40 62 268
Organizational / Business / IO Psychology 35 88 387
Social Work 101 190 608

Business rankings

Imperial College London ranked 4th for Business in the United Kingdom and 44th in the World with 26,566 publications made and 738,264 citations received. Main research topics: Management, Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Operations Research.

Business ranking Location
#4 of 142 In the United Kingdom
#4 of 1,390 In Europe
#44 of 6,002 In the World

Imperial College London
Business Publications & Citations

Year Business publications Business citations
1990 111 1344
1991 131 1341
1992 131 1386
1993 118 1651
1994 144 1593
1995 189 1875
1996 227 2092
1997 210 2202
1998 230 2363
1999 248 2750
2000 276 3170
2001 270 3641
2002 338 4505
2003 392 5384
2004 429 6379
2005 477 7668
2006 534 9249
2007 603 11128
2008 619 13384
2009 773 15522
2010 805 18089
2011 898 21199
2012 948 24408
2013 1060 28801
2014 1153 32582
2015 1173 35584
2016 1218 37092
2017 1420 42093
2018 1399 44960
2019 1619 53917
2020 1836 66624
2021 2411 93350
2022 1751 80264

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Business.

Economics rankings

Imperial College London ranked 7th for Economics in the United Kingdom and 55th in the World with 19,311 publications made and 592,252 citations received. Main research topics: Development Studies, Finance, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Environmental Economics, Investment Banking and Stock trading.

Economics ranking Location
#7 of 140 In the United Kingdom
#9 of 1,322 In Europe
#55 of 5,789 In the World

Imperial College London
Economics Publications & Citations

Year Economics publications Economics citations
1990 65 814
1991 63 943
1992 77 883
1993 83 1092
1994 81 1075
1995 94 1117
1996 127 1387
1997 149 1501
1998 145 1601
1999 134 1809
2000 174 2040
2001 155 2441
2002 212 2729
2003 255 3377
2004 270 4038
2005 322 4878
2006 343 6054
2007 422 7433
2008 414 8721
2009 537 10721
2010 588 12356
2011 648 14891
2012 736 17801
2013 789 20839
2014 809 24130
2015 859 26502
2016 901 28188
2017 1058 31887
2018 1079 33690
2019 1252 40877
2020 1526 53335
2021 1903 76120
2022 1434 68769

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Economics.

Economics subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Environmental Economics 1 1 4
Finance 6 8 49
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 5 9 50
Investment Banking and Stock trading 8 14 50
Development Studies 10 10 60
Actuarial Science 7 16 67
Agricultural Economics 9 19 79
International Trade 22 48 82
International Economics 25 64 99
Political Economy 91 281 759

Art & Design rankings

Imperial College London ranked 14th for Art & Design in the United Kingdom and 73rd in the World with 10,222 publications made and 273,059 citations received. Main research topics: Fashion Design, Literature, Computer Graphics, Aesthetics, Art History.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

Art & Design ranking Location
#14 of 149 In the United Kingdom
#16 of 1,295 In Europe
#73 of 5,426 In the World

Imperial College London
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1990 68 620
1991 59 671
1992 53 699
1993 60 798
1994 71 704
1995 73 834
1996 114 1019
1997 112 1105
1998 95 1209
1999 131 1345
2000 101 1482
2001 112 1813
2002 149 2030
2003 200 2306
2004 180 2666
2005 210 3368
2006 218 3956
2007 244 4599
2008 245 5354
2009 314 6484
2010 302 7066
2011 351 8476
2012 363 9673
2013 385 10914
2014 420 12218
2015 452 13438
2016 447 14391
2017 524 15700
2018 527 17237
2019 536 19989
2020 682 25446
2021 680 32360
2022 600 29159

The following table provides academic rankings for Imperial College London in various areas of Art & Design.

Art & Design subfield United Kingdom ranking Europe ranking World rank
Computer Graphics 3 5 29
Architecture 3 9 30
Game Design and Development 3 7 33
Animation 3 6 44
Graphic Design 4 8 49
Fashion Design 6 7 52
Painting and Drawing 9 28 52
Sculpture 9 28 52
Illustration and Concept Art 9 29 54
Literature 17 20 76
Art History 21 24 81
UX/UI Desgin 9 30 87
Aesthetics 25 35 108
Performing arts 32 53 132
Singing and Vocal Performance 22 47 140
Multimedia 13 42 142
Photography 33 58 165
Music 31 62 167
Landscape Architecture 29 111 242
Interior Design 30 100 243
Creative Writing 75 156 418
Entertainment Industry Business 71 183 476
Cinematography 110 342 877