Loughborough has been named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the QS global rankings for an extraordinary ten years in a row. This sustained global recognition is a testament to our outstanding reputation across academia and industry, the far-reaching impact of our research, and the strength of our worldclass sporting ecosystem.
Loughborough University’s decade at number one in Sports-related Subjects is the academic equivalent of a dominant title run in elite sport. To lead globally for ten consecutive years requires not just peak performance, but consistency, depth and the ability to stay ahead of the competition season after season. As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, ‘At the top level, consistency is everything’ - and Loughborough’s results reflect exactly that, underpinned by sustained strength in reputation, employability and research impact.
Why we’re number one
100/100 score for Academic Reputation
from a survey of 151,000 academics worldwide*
100/100 score for Employer Reputation
from a survey of 100,000 graduate employers worldwide*
85/100 score for H-Index Citations
highlighting the stability of impact and quality of the work we publish*
76.2/100 score for Citations per Paper
highlighting the impact and quality of our scientific work*
Sport University of the Year
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
100% of research impact within the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences is rated 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'
Research Excellence Framework 2021
*QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
Our research
Our partnerships
From multinational sports brands like adidas and national federations like the FA, Paralympics GB, the ECB and Team England to local businesses, our partnerships focus on applying our expertise in pursuit of better.
Our sporting ecosystem
Our alumni
From world-famous sport stars to leading policymakers at national and international level, our alumni include Lord Seb Coe KBE, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, Paula Radcliffe OBE, Mary Earps MBE, Ama Agbeze MBE, and Kieran McKenna, just to name a few.
