Wroclaw Medical University has been ranked as the highest-placed medical university in Poland in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026. In the Medical & Health category, the university was placed in the 401–500 band globally, achieving the top result in Poland for research quality.
In a ranking that evaluates universities using 18 indicators grouped into five pillars—teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook—Wroclaw Medical University stood out particularly in research quality. This pillar covers, among others, citation impact, research strength and excellence, as well as the scholarly significance of research outputs. The university also received strong scores for industry collaboration and international research partnerships.
The Rector of Wroclaw Medical University emphasises that the result is the outcome of consistently implemented, system-level measures.
“This result confirms that the development path we have chosen—focused on strengthening research quality, supporting interdisciplinarity and building international partnerships—is delivering tangible outcomes. Striving for scientific excellence requires long-term, well-designed changes, and this is precisely the process we are consistently pursuing,” says Piotr Ponikowski, Rector of Wroclaw Medical University.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject are among the most widely recognised global comparisons of universities by academic discipline. The methodology accounts for the specific characteristics of different fields, adjusting indicator weightings to reflect disciplinary research cultures and publication practices.
In the global THE World University Rankings by Subject 2026, the top positions were occupied by institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Imperial College London and Stanford University, which for years have set global standards in medical research and education.