Brazilian universities appear in the ranking of the best in the world; look
São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and Paraná are the states with the best placed Brazilian universities in the ranking that evaluates the best institutions in the world.
The list was prepared by CWUR (Center for World University Rankings), which analyzed two thousand institutions around the globe.
In total, there are 52 Brazilian institutions among the top two thousand. However, around 87% of Brazilian universities lost positions in relation to data released in other editions of the survey.
The country with the most universities on the list is China, with 360 institutions among the best in the world. The Chinese surpassed the United States, which has 313 universities in the ranking.
See the best Brazilian universities and their position in the ranking
- 1st University of São Paulo: General position 119;
- 2nd: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro: General position 346;
- 3rd: State University of Campinas: General position 379;
- 4th: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul: General position 476; 6th: Federal University of Minas Gerais: General position 508;
- 7th: Federal University of São Paulo: General position 621;
- 8th: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz: General position 682;
- 9th: Federal University of Santa Catarina: General position 732; 11th: University of Brasília: General position: 837;
- 12th: Fundação Getúlio Vargas: 885;
- 13th: University of the State of Rio de Janeiro: 886; Federal University of São Carlos: 969;
- 17th: Federal University of Ceará: 1002;
- 18th: Federal Fluminense University: 1006;
- 19th: Federal University of Pelotas: 1013; 1024;
- 22nd: Federal University of Santa Maria: 1071;
- 23rd: Federal University of Juiz de Fora: 1102;
- 24th: Federal University of Goiás: 1129;
- 25th: Federal University of ABC: 1183;
- 26th: Brazilian Center for Physical Research: 1214;
- 27th: Federal University of Espírito Santo: 1275;
- 28th: Federal University of Uberlândia: 1283;
- 29th: Federal University of Paraíba: 1284;
- 30th: Federal University of Pará: 1295;
- 31st: Federal University of Lavras: 1302; 32nd: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul: 1347;
- 33rd: National Institute for Space Research (INPE): 1382;
- 34th: State University of Maringá: 1422;
- 35th: Federal University of São João del-Rei: 1479;
- 36th: Federal Technological University of Paraná: 1482;
- 37th: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul: 1539;
- 38th: Federal University of Sergipe: 1595;
- 39th: State University of Londrina: 1601;
- 40th: Federal University of Rio Grande: 1629;
- 41st: National Amazon Research Institute (INPA): 1632;
- 42nd: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco: 1715;
- 43rd: Federal University of Mato Grosso: 1778;
- 44th: Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná: 1827; of Alagoas: 1931;
- 47th: Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro: 1944;
- 48th: Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA): 1952;
- 49th: Federal University of Campina Grande: 1962; Federal University of Ouro Preto: 1974;
- 52nd: Technological Institute of Aeronautics: 2000.
However, nine of the top ten ranked universities fell in position compared to the 2025 compilation. USP dropped one position, URFJ, 15, Unicamp, ten, Unesp, 22, UFMG, 11, Unifesp, four, Fiocruz, 14, UFSC, five, and, finally, UFPR, with 16 positions.
The only one that did not have a drop was UFGRS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), which maintained 476th position in both 2025 and 2026.
According to CWUR, the main factor in the decline of Brazilian universities is research performance, amid intensifying global competition from well-funded institutions.
"Brazilian universities are struggling to offer high-quality education, attract and retain talent and produce quality research at scale", says CWUR president, Nadim Mahassen.
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Source: CNN