Royal Holloway, University of London, is a public university located in England. The university has shown a mixed performance across major global and national rankings in recent years.

  • As per QS World University Rankings 2026, the university improved slightly to #461 from #477 in 2025, although it remains below its 2024 position.
  • As per Times Higher Education rankings, it maintained a stable position in the #401–500 band in 2025 and 2026.
  • In U.S. News & World Report, the university declined to #913 in 2026 from #851 in 2024.

At the subject level, the university shows varied performance across disciplines, with strengths in arts and humanities, geography, and psychology. Some subjects have improved over time.

  • Physics, Astronomy, and English Language and Literature have shown progress,
  • Accounting and Finance has also improved in recent rankings.
  • Geography, Psychology, and Business and Management Studies have remained stable.

Few subject areas of the university have declined. Subjects like Mathematics, Business, and Computer Science have seen noticeable drops in The Guardian rankings, while Law and Social Sciences have declined slightly in global rankings.

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Royal Holloway University of London World Rankings 2026

The ranking trend from 2024 to 26 shows a mixed performance for Royal Holloway, University of London.

  • As per QS rankings, it slightly improved from #477 (2025) to #461 (2026).
  • As per THE (Times Higher Education University rankings), it remained stagnant in 2025-26.
  • As per US News, it declined from #831 in 2025 to #913 in 2026.
Ranking Type 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
QS World University Rankings #461 #477 #413
THE World University Rankings #401-500 #401-500 #301-350
U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities #913 - #861

Summary: Royal Holloway, University of London, shows a mixed trend from 2024–2026, with a slight improvement in QS rankings, stable performance in THE, and a decline in U.S. News rankings.

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Royal Holloway University of London National Rankings 2026

Royal Holloway, University of London, shows a visible decline in The Guardian rankings (from #52 in 2025 to #79 in 2026). The university remained stable, with a slight improvement in its ranking in The Complete University Guide (from #38 to #35). Here are the ranking trends of the university in the UK:

Ranking Type 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
The Guardian Best UK Universities #79 #52 #47
The Complete University Guide #35 #38 #37

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Royal Holloway University of London Computer Science Rankings

In 2026 and 2025, Royal Holloway University of London showed mixed rankings in Computer Science.

  • As per QS, it declined from #451–500 (2025) to #501–550 (2026).
  • As per THE, it dropped from #301–400 to #401–500.
  • According to The Guardian University Guide, it fell from #50 to #76.
Ranking Agency Subject 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
QS World University Rankings by Subject Computer Science and Information Systems #501-550 #451-500 #501-550
THE World University Rankings Computer Science #401-500 #301-400 #301-400
The Guardian University Guide Computer science and information systems #76 #50 #81

Note: The Computer Science of Royal Holloway University of London was not ranked by the US News 2025-26.

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Royal Holloway University of London Business Rankings

Royal Holloway, University of London, shows mixed performance in key business-related subjects in 2026 compared to 2025.

  • In QS rankings, Business and Management Studies remained stable at #401–450, while Accounting and Finance improved to #251–300 (from #301–375). Economics stayed unchanged at #451–500.
  • THE Business and Economics also remained stable at #301–400.
  • The Guardian rankings show declines, with Business and Management dropping from #37 to #68 and Accounting and Finance from #49 to #71, while Economics saw a slight improvement from #50 to #48.
Ranking Agency Subject 2026Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
QS World University Rankings by Subject Business and Management Studies #401-450 #401-450 #451-500
Accounting and Finance #251-300 #301-375 -
Economics and Econometrics #451-500 #451-500 #451-500
THE World University Rankings Business and Economics #301-400 #301-400 #301-400
The Guardian University Guide Economics #48 #50 #38
Business and management #68 #37 #48
Accounting and Finance #71 #49 #45

Overall, QS and THE show stability or improvement, whereas Guardian reflects notable declines in 2026.

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Royal Holloway University of London Science Rankings

Between 2025 and 2026, performance across key subjects was mixed.

  • In QS rankings, most subjects like Geography, Psychology, and Geology remained stable, while Physics and Astronomy improved from #551–600 to #451–500.
  • In THE rankings, Psychology showed a strong improvement to #126–150, while Physical Sciences stayed stable and Social Sciences declined.
  • In The Guardian rankings, core subjects such as Mathematics, Geography, and Physics dropped in rank, whereas Psychology improved notably.
Ranking Agency Subject 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
QS World University Rankings by Subject Geography #51-100 #51-100 -
Psychology #201-250 #201-250 #201-250
Geology #201-250 #201-250 #151-200
Physics and Astronomy #451-500 #551-600 #551-600
THE World University Rankings Physical Sciences #251-300 #251-300 #201-250
Psychology #126-150 #151-175 #151-175
Social Sciences #301-400 #251-300 #251-300
The Guardian University Guide Biology #63 #49 #44
Mathematics #51 #29 #28
Geography #20 #8 #15
Physics #23 #16 #27
Psychology #33 #50 #40
Zoology #79 #52 -

Also check: Students’ Reviews on Royal Holloway, University of London


Royal Holloway University of London Arts and Humanities Rankings

Between 2025 and 2026, trends across arts and humanities subjects were mixed.

  • In QS rankings, Performing Arts declined from #30 to #37, while English Language and Literature improved to #101–150 from #151–200.
  • History and Politics remained stable, and Arts and Humanities improved to #185 from #224.
  • In THE rankings, Arts and Humanities stayed unchanged, but Law declined to #251–300 from #201–250.
  • In The Guardian rankings, History improved to #14 from #21, whereas English, International Relations, and Classics saw declines, indicating uneven performance across key subjects.
Ranking Agency Subject 2026 Rank 2025 Rank 2024 Rank
QS World University Rankings by Subject Performing Arts #37 #30 #14
History #151-200 #151-200 #151-200
English Language and Literature #101-150 #151-200 #151-200
Arts and Humanities #185 #224 #214
Politics #251-300 #251-300 #151-200
THE World University Rankings Arts and Humanities #201-250 #201-250 #201-250
Law #251-300 #201-250 #176-200
The Guardian University Guide History #14 #21 #28
Classic and Ancient History #22 #8 #6
English #61 #44 #38
International Relations #40 #31 #36

Royal Holloway University of London Miscellaneous Rankings 2026

The table below highlights the university’s performance across major global and regional rankings in 2026, reflecting its standing in sustainability, subject excellence, and overall position in Europe and the UK.

Ranking Type 2026
QS Sustainability Ranking #179
QS Europe University Rankings - Northern Europe #77
QS WUR Rankings by Subject #37
Best Global Universities in Europe (US News 2025) #319
Best Global Universities in the UK (US News 2025) #63

Royal Holloway, University of London, shows a steady but uneven ranking pattern. While global rankings like QS and THE indicate stability or slight improvement, national rankings highlight some clear declines. At the subject level, the university performs well in areas like arts, humanities, and psychology, but faces challenges in fields such as computer science and business, reflecting a mixed overall academic standing.