CBS tops glob­al rank­ing: num­ber one in the world in busi­ness ad­min­is­tra­tion

If the university landscape is compared to elite sport, ShanghaiRanking is a bit like the Champions League: Everyone knows it, and it serves as one of the most recognised benchmarks for who actually belongs to the world elite.

The ranking assesses more than 2,500 universities on six parameters – from the number of highly cited researchers to publications in Nature and Science, and even whether the institution has Nobel or Fields medal winners. Only the top 1,000 make the cut and are published. 

In this highly competitive field, CBS continues its strong international trajectory. The latest edition of ShanghaiRanking, published on 18 November 2025, shows that CBS once again takes first place within the field of business administration. CBS also stands out with strong positions across other subject areas, including sixth place in management and nineteenth place in finance.

“CBS being number one in the world within business administration is an important achievement and a clear result of many years of dedicated work with high-quality research, strong international partnerships and a firm commitment to societal relevance. These impressive rankings reflect the dedication of our researchers, lecturers, students and employees,” says Søren Hvidkjær, Dean of Research at CBS.

Impact on students, research and society

The results are based on an assessment of more than 2,500 universities worldwide and are updated once a year.

“For students the rankings are a strong quality stamp that can open international doors.
For researchers and partners the results show that CBS is a platform for research with global reach. And for Denmark the ranking demonstrates that the country’s knowledge institutions can compete at the very highest level in economics, management and data-related fields,” says Søren Hvidkjær.