The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) has secured a major international distinction, ranking among the top 100 universities worldwide for research activity in the AD Scientific Index World Top Universities Ranking 2026.
The Athens-based university ranked 61st globally among 19,592 universities, research institutions and organizations from 221 countries included in the ranking, based on the overall Total H-index of their researchers.
The result represents a significant improvement, with NKUA moving up 22 places over the past five years. It also ranked 15th among European universities and first among universities in Greece and Cyprus for 2026.
The ranking places other Greek universities and research institutions further behind, including the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 173rd place worldwide, the University of Patras in 299th place, and the University of Crete in 384th place.
Among Cypriot institutions included in the ranking, the University of Cyprus was the highest-ranked, placing 607th globally.
Ranking based on research performance indicators
The AD Scientific Index ranking is based exclusively on objective indicators of scientific output and influence, including researchers’ Total H-index, Total i10-index and Total Citations, using publicly available profiles from Google Scholar.
Unlike rankings that rely on reputation surveys, employer opinions or other subjective measures, the index evaluates the measurable research performance and impact of each institution.
NKUA recorded particularly strong results in several scientific fields. The university ranked 4th worldwide in Medical and Health Sciences, while also achieving notable positions in History, Philosophy and Theology (110th), Natural Sciences (132nd), Education (212th), Engineering and Technology (342nd), and Economics and Econometrics (453rd).
University leadership highlights research achievement
NKUA Rector Professor Gerasimos Siasos said the ranking confirms the university’s continued progress as one of the leading research institutions in Europe and globally.
He emphasized that the distinction reflects the quality, consistency and international reach of the research produced by the university’s professors, researchers and young scientists.
