University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University tie for first in Poland's 2026 Perspektywy ranking

The 2026 Perspektywy Higher Education Ranking, published on 23 June by the Educational Foundation Perspektywy, places the University of Warsaw (UW) and Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Kraków jointly at the top of the academic university list. UW scored 100.0 points and UJ 99.7, with the Warsaw University of Technology (PW) third at 92.3. The ranking, now in its 27th year, is built entirely on external data and is widely regarded as the most complete map of Polish higher education.

Top of the academic ranking

The top ten is dominated by technical universities. AGH University of Kraków (86.1) and Gdańsk University of Technology (85) occupy fourth and fifth places, followed by Wrocław University of Technology (79.4), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (77.9), and a tie for eighth between Łódź University of Technology (76.1) and Silesian University of Technology (76). Three institutions share tenth place: Poznań University of Technology (75), Medical University of Białystok (74.9), and the University of Gdańsk (74.6).

Vocational and non-public leaders

Among non-public academic universities, Kozminski University in Warsaw retained its first-place position. In the vocational category, the State Academy of Applied Sciences in Koszalin rose from third to first, with the University of Economy in Bydgoszcz and the Jan Grodek State University in Sanok tied for second.

Fields of study: UW dominates

The ranking assessed 76 fields of study across nine disciplines, with electroradiology added as a new category this year. UW leads with 17 top-rated fields, followed by UJ (15), PW (11), AGH and UAM (7 each), Warsaw University of Life Sciences (4), and three each for the Gdańsk University of Physical Education, Gdańsk University of Technology, and Wrocław University of Technology.

Methodology and purpose

The ranking relies exclusively on external data, including the nationwide ELA system that tracks graduates' earnings and employment speed. The jury, chaired by former Polish Academy of Sciences president Prof. Michał Kleiber, also examines staff qualifications, publication output, journal quality, citation indices, innovation, teaching conditions, and internationalisation. Each institution can score a maximum of 100 points.

Our ranking is aimed mainly at high school graduates. It is a kind of 'compass' to help them choose the best path for further education. But the academic community also waits for the results.

Siwiński, the ranking's creator, added that its cyclical nature and methodological consistency have turned it into a 'mirror' in which Polish universities examine themselves each year.

Regional shifts

Wrocław saw mixed results: Wrocław University of Technology climbed one spot to sixth, while the Medical University fell from 17th to 21st. Poznań institutions mostly declined: Adam Mickiewicz University dropped one place to seventh, Poznań University of Technology fell two spots to tenth, and the Medical University slid from 23rd to 27th. The University of Life Sciences in Poznań was a bright spot, rising from 35th to 31st. In the Tricity area, Gdańsk University of Technology held fifth, the University of Gdańsk shared tenth, and the Medical University of Gdańsk ranked 13th.