ShanghaiRanking, a higher education consultancy, released the 2026 Best Chinese Universities list on Tuesday. Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Zhejiang University secured the top three positions in the comprehensive universities category.

高等教育咨询机构软科于4月14日发布了"2026软科中国大学排名"。在综合性大学排名中，清华大学、北京大学和浙江大学位列前三。

This annual ranking, initiated in 2015, evaluates over 1,000 institutions that offer undergraduate courses across China. The institutions are assessed across categories, including comprehensive universities, eight specialized universities, and four private universities.

该项年度排名始于2015年，评估范围覆盖全国1000余所开设本科教育的高校，涵盖综合性大学、8类单科性大学及4类非公办大学。

The main list for comprehensive universities features 590 institutions. Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Zhejiang University have retained the top three spots for the 12th consecutive year, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University are tied for fifth place.

综合性大学主榜共有590所院校上榜。清华大学、北京大学和浙江大学已连续12年蝉联前三甲，上海交通大学与复旦大学则并列第五。

Notably, 91 of the top 100 universities are classified as "Double First-Class" universities. Taiyuan University of Technology is a new addition to this group, having climbed six places from last year to 97th this year.

值得关注的是，排名前100的高校中有91所为"双一流"建设高校。太原理工大学较去年提升6个位次，位列第97名，首次跻身百强。

The ranking uses a detailed evaluation system with 10 modules, 35 dimensions, 104 indicators, and 398 variables.

该排名采用精细化评价体系，包含10个评价模块、35个评价维度、104项评价指标及398个评价变量。

"The ranking aims to reflect the core mission of Chinese universities today and meet the external expectations of their value. The two most important features of our ranking system are its emphasis on talent cultivation and focus on serving the nation," said Cheng Ying, founder of ShanghaiRanking.

软科创始人程莹表示："软科中国大学排名的导向是反映当前中国高校的核心使命,回应外部群体对大学的价值期待,重视人才培养、强调服务国家是软科排名指标体系的两个最重要特点。"

To better meet the higher education evaluation expectations, ShanghaiRanking has refined the indicators used in this year's ranking.

为更好满足高等教育评价需求，今年排名在指标体系上进一步优化完善。

This includes adding the newly introduced agricultural discipline certification to the national and certified program statistics. The research platform indicators have also been expanded to include various national and ministerial research platforms, such as the National Belt and Road Joint Laboratories, Ministry of Education regional and country research bases, and key laboratories from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

包括将首次公布的农学门类专业认证纳入国家级与认证专业的统计范围；扩充科研平台的指标内涵，增加国家“一带一路”联合实验室、教育部区域和国别研究培育基地、自然资源部重点实验室、交通运输行业重点实验室、文化和旅游部重点实验室、住房城乡建设部重点实验室等一批国家和部委科研平台。

Other top universities in different specialized categories include Peking Union Medical College, which has maintained its top position among medical universities, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, which claims the top spot in Chinese medicine universities, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, which is ranked first among finance universities, Beijing Foreign Studies University, which leads the language university rankings, and China University of Political Science and Law, which secured the top position in the political science and law category.

在单科性大学排名中，北京协和医学院蝉联医药类大学榜首，北京中医药大学位居中医药类大学首位，上海财经大学领跑财经类大学榜单，北京外国语大学摘得语言类大学桂冠，中国政法大学则稳居政法类大学第一。

consecutive /kənˈsekjətɪv/连续的

"Double First-Class" universities /ˈdʌbl fɜːrst klæs ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsətiz/ "双一流"建设高校

talent cultivation /ˈtælənt ˌkʌltɪˈveɪʃən/人才培养

ministerial research platforms /ˌmɪnɪˈstɪəriəl rɪˈsɜːrtʃ ˈplætfɔːrmz/ 部委科研平台

claim the top spot /kleɪm ðə tɑːp spɑːt/占据榜首