Overview

• Harvard tops the 2025 ARWU list for the 23rd year and U.S. institutions dominate the top 100 while Chinese campuses expand across the broader top 1,000.
• Spain sustains 36 universities in ARWU’s global top 1,000 and holds ten institutions within the top 500, matching last year’s figures.
• Beyond Barcelona and Valencia, campuses including UAB, UAM, Complutense, UPF, Granada, País Vasco, UPV and Sevilla occupy positions spanning the 301-500 bands.
• Top-ranked Spanish institutions cluster in Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and the Basque Country, with polytechnics and regional universities showing only modest band movements.
• ARWU’s emphasis on Nobel and Fields laureates, highly cited researchers and Nature/Science publications underscores the advantage of well-funded peers and fuels calls for greater Spanish research investment.