2026 Shanghai Thematic Ranking: The Université Grenoble Alpes Confirms Its Research Excellence in 31 Disciplines

© Marion Papanian


Among the French universities most heavily represented in the 2026 Shanghai Subject Ranking, which was just released on Tuesday, September 15, theUniversité Grenoble Alpes confirms the breadth of its scientific excellence. Ranked in 31 disciplines in the Shanghai Subject Ranking, including 11 in the global top 100, the UGA once again ranks among the French universities with the strongest presence in this international ranking. This recognition illustrates the strength of its scientific ecosystem and its research policy, which is based in particular on interdisciplinarity. It ranks 20th among the world’s top universities in remote sensing (1st in France) and 33th (4th in France) in Earth Sciences, two themes covered by the OSUG laboratories.

This year’s ranking covers 57 disciplines in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences, including two new disciplines added in 2025: artificial intelligence and robotics. In total, the Shanghai Ranking features 20,000 academic units from approximately 2,000 universities in about 100 countries and regions.

The Shanghai Subject Ranking (Global Ranking of Academic Subjects – GRAS) evaluates the performance of universities in various scientific disciplines. The indicators considered include the number of scientific publications, their impact and number of citations, publications in top scientific journals, the international scope of collaborations, and scientific awards received.

UGA in the world top 50 in 2 disciplines covered by OSUG

  • Remote Sensing: 20 (-6), 1re en France
  • Earth Sciences: 33 (-12), 4e en France

UGA ranking by theme on the other disciplines covered in our laboratories

  • Physics: 76-100 (-), 7th-ranked university in France
  • Atmospheric Science: 76-100 (=), ranked 5th–7th among French universities
  • Geography: 76-100 (++), No.1 university in France
  • Ecology: 76-100 (=), ranked 6th–7th among French universities
  • Oceanography: 101-150 (-), ranked 8th–10th among French universities
  • Water Resources: 151-200 (-), ranked 2nd–6th among French universities
  • Environmental Science & Engineering : 301-400 (-), ranked 5th–10th among French universities

Legend: = rank equal to 2024; +: up one bracket; -: down one bracket

Consult the ranking:

► This article was initially published by Université Grenoble Alpes

Updated on 17 September 2026