In international university rankings, CZU in Prague has been doing well recently. The Shanghai Ranking situated the university's three majors in the top 100 this year, one of which is in 24th place. Its most recent success was in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026. While Czech schools stagnate at best, CZU has jumped 200 places and shares second place with Masaryk University nationally.
This year's edition of The World University Rankings includes 2,191 universities from 115 countries. CZU has been doing well in this prestigious ranking for a long time. In the last eight years alone, the university, under rector Petr Sklenička and his team, has jumped from seventh to second place, which it now shares with Masaryk University in Brno. Charles University remains the Czech leader.
The high international prestige of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague is the result of a strategy that its management has been promoting in recent years. The university ranks among the top educational institutions in national and global contexts. It educates experts who can withstand the tough competition of the academic environment of the best foreign universities. The current rector, Petr Sklenička, whose eight-year term of office is ending, attributes this to the enormous efforts of everyone working at the Czech University of Life Sciences. “I am delighted that our university is confirming its rise in the world rankings. This fact is, of course, primarily the result of the excellent work of people at the faculties. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to create conditions at the university level that will not suffocate people, but, on the contrary, will motivate them to achieve excellent results,” emphasizes Petr Sklenička.
Czech universities traditionally situate themselves in the middle and lower segments of the ranking, specifically from position 401 onwards. The best-rated Czech institutions have long included Charles University, followed by the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (CZU) and Masaryk University, which ranked 601–800.
CZU improved again, ranking 801st–1000th in the 2024 ranking. It even has the highest number of international students from Czech universities (29%). It is also interesting to look at more detailed statistics regarding students. CZU has the highest number of international students of all Czech schools, which exceeds a quarter. For example, it has a balanced number of men and women, compared to Charles University and Masaryk University, where women predominate.
World university leaders
Among world universities, the University of Oxford has ranked first for the tenth consecutive year, maintaining its leading position mainly thanks to its top research environment and high ranking in international cooperation. Second place remains firmly occupied by Harvard University. The best continental European university is traditionally ETH Zurich, which, like last year, ranked 11th. The results of China confirm the growing importance of Asian universities. It has five universities in the top forty this year, compared to three last year.