26 Fields of Study Enter World Rankings, UGM Receives Award from Higher Education Ministry

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) received an award from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology in recognition of the achievement of 26 fields of study that made it into the Top 500 QS WUR by Subject 2025. 

The award was personally presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto in Jakarta on Thursday (Mar. 20). 

This recognition was given as part of the ministry’s appreciation for the efforts made by Indonesian public universities to improve their quality of education and their reputation on the global stage.

“This extraordinary achievement results from the collective hard work of lecturers, researchers, students, and staff at Indonesia’s best universities. Even though not all universities are included in this ranking, I believe that this achievement reflects a shared effort to build a globally competitive education and research ecosystem,” said Minister Yuliarto, quoted on the ministry’s website.

As noted, in the QS WUR by Subject 2025, Indonesia saw an increase in the number of entries, rising from 132 in 2024 to 156 in 2025, with seven entries making it into the world’s Top 100. 

Universitas Gadjah Mada was recognized for 26 fields that were ranked in the Top 500 QS WUR by Subject 2025.

UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia stated that 27 fields and 5 clusters from UGM were ranked in the QS WUR by Subject overall. 

This number has increased from the previous year, when UGM had 25 fields and 4 clusters ranked. 

“This achievement shows that UGM’s leading fields continue to strive to maintain their achievements and improve their performance to make it into the world rankings,” Professor Emilia said on Friday (Mar. 21).

She appreciated the faculty’s ongoing efforts to continuously improve their performance in the three pillars of higher education (tri-dharma), enabling these fields of study to enter global rankings. 

“We will continue working to maintain this achievement, and for those who have not yet succeeded in entering the rankings, we encourage more diligent efforts to succeed in the future,” she explained.

For information, of the 27 fields of study that made it into the Top 500 QS WUR by Subject 2025, UGM’s Social Sciences and Management cluster ranked 199th globally, while the Arts and Humanities cluster ranked 223rd. 

UGM’s Theology, Divinity, and Religious Studies also maintained its position in the world’s Top 100.

UGM’s Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, praised the faculties for their achievement in the social sciences and humanities cluster, which demonstrated its global quality. 

“We are grateful that this cluster has maintained its ranking,” she said.

Ten other fields, all from the Arts and Humanities cluster, made it into the world’s Top 200, including Archeology, English Literature, and Modern Languages. 

Accounting and Finance, Anthropology, Development Studies, Politics, and International Studies also ranked in the Top 200 in the Social Sciences and Management cluster. 

Furthermore, Geography, Agriculture, and Forestry were also ranked in the Top 200 globally.

Head of UGM’s University Quality and Reputation Assurance Unit (SPRMU), Professor Indra Wijaya Kusuma, noted that three fields of study were ranked in the QS WUR by Subject for the first time: Architecture, which ranked 201-260; English Language and Literature, which ranked 151-200; and Linguistics, which ranked 301-350 globally. 

Professor Kusuma hoped that the inclusion of new fields in the rankings would further enrich UGM’s portfolio of high-performing and globally recognized academic fields.

The Engineering and Technology cluster was ranked 345th overall. The Life Sciences and Medicine cluster ranked between 451 and 500, and the Natural Sciences cluster was ranked between 501 and 550. Linguistics fell within the 301-350 range.

In the Social Sciences and Management cluster, Business and Management, Law and Economics, Econometrics, and Sociology all ranked between 201 and 250. Education ranked between 351 and 400.

Within Engineering and Technology, Computer Science and Information Systems, as well as Electrical Engineering, ranked between 351 and 400, while Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, along with Mechanical Engineering, fell between 451 and 500.

Life Sciences and Medicine ranked 401-450, and Biological Sciences were between 551 and 600. In the Natural Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Mathematics ranked 501-550, while Physics and Astronomy were ranked 601-675.

Author: Gusti Grehenson

Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya