Best Universities in France – GURI 2026

Top universities in France

According to the GURI 2026 Global University Rankings, the highest-ranked universities in France are Sorbonne University, Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, Université Paris-Saclay and others. France has 62 GURI-eligible universities in this edition, and its highest global position is #53.

1. #1Sorbonne UniversityGURI #53 · Score 93.31
2. #2Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisGURI #115 · Score 90.06
3. #3Université Paris-SaclayGURI #125 · Score 89.68
4. #4Institut Polytechnique de ParisGURI #162 · Score 87.49
5. #5Université Paris CitéGURI #204 · Score 85.18
6. #6Université Grenoble AlpesGURI #228 · Score 83.79
7. #7Montpellier UniversityGURI #266 · Score 82.12
8. #8Ecole Normale Supérieure de LyonGURI #291 · Score 80.85
9. #9University of BordeauxGURI #324 · Score 79.61
10. #10Université de StrasbourgGURI #352 · Score 78.33

How universities in France perform globally

Across the 62 ranked institutions the average GURI Score is 49.30 and the median is 48.89. The GURI Score combines ranking achievement across QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking with ranking coverage, inter-ranking consistency, institutional legacy and momentum.

Understanding the GURI ranking

GURI does not determine which university is objectively best. This ordering reflects the published GURI 2026 methodology only, and a different methodology would produce a different order. Read the methodology.

Compare universities in France

Compare any two institutions side by side · Regional views: Europe · Global Composite Ranking

Edition GURI 2026 · Published by GURI Global LLC · Independent of QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking.