Israel has lost three academic departments from the top of the global Shanghai Ranking since 2024

The 2026 Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects shows a decline in the number of Israeli departments among the world's top 50, from 11 in 2024 to 8 this year. The Hebrew University's communications department leads at 17th place, followed by the Technion's aerospace engineering (19th). The University of Haifa surprised with its public administration department rising to 28th place.

The 2026 Shanghai Ranking of Academic Subjects, published this month, indicates a decline in Israeli presence at the global top. Eight Israeli academic departments were ranked among the world's top 50, compared to 11 in 2024, which was a record year. The Hebrew University's communications department leads the Israeli list at 17th globally, a slight drop from 14th in 2024. The Technion's aerospace engineering department is ranked 19th. The University of Haifa surprised with its public administration department climbing from the 76-100 range in 2002 to 28th globally. The Hebrew University has four departments among the top 50, the Technion has two (compared to three in 2024), and the Weizmann Institute and University of Haifa have one each. In mathematics, the Hebrew University dropped from 14th to 24th, while the Weizmann Institute advanced to 38th. In computer science, only Tel Aviv University entered the top 100 (76-100). The Technion dropped out of the top 50 in electrical engineering. In civil engineering, no Israeli institution was ranked, raising concern. In artificial intelligence, the Technion is ranked 101-150 and Tel Aviv 201-300. The gap between fields with large budgets and those without is evident: in business administration, Tel Aviv is ranked in the low 301-400 range, while in public administration, two Israeli universities are among the top 50. This year's ranking examined about 2,000 universities from 96 countries across 57 subjects.