Three La Trobe University subjects now sit in the world’s top 50, and 12 subjects sit in the world’s top 200, according to the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, cementing the University’s position as a world-leading teaching and research institution.
Sports-related subjects reached their highest-ever rank, climbing 18 places to 29 to enter the world’s top 50, rising from ninth to fifth place in Australia.
Archaeology entered the top 50 for the first time in 11 years, rising to rank 48 worldwide and placing fifth in Australia and second in Victoria.
Nursing at La Trobe maintained its position among the world’s best, ranking 42 and in the global top 50 for the third consecutive year. This achievement reflects the ongoing success of the University’s strategic investment in health innovation.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said nursing’s continued strong position highlights the impact of the University’s $170 million investment in health innovation, making it the first choice for people wanting to study this area.
“We’re already seeing the impact of La Trobe’s sustained investment in health innovation across our Victorian campuses, including new clinical simulation facilities for Nursing and Midwifery and substantial investments in research and teaching,” Professor Farrell said.
“At the same time, our AI‑first approach is transforming what our students, teachers and researchers can achieve — from advanced analytics in sports performance to AI‑powered medical discovery. Our focus on embedding AI into education will ensure our graduates enter the workforce with the skills and responsible AI mindset needed for rapidly evolving workplaces.”
The University’s improved rankings performance saw another three subjects enter the top 150: History, Sociology and Hospitality Leisure Management. This marks 12 subjects that now rank in the world’s top 200, an increase of four subjects from last year.
Overall, La Trobe recorded impressive gains across all three broad subject areas, with Life Sciences and Medicine up 30 places to 223, Arts and Humanities up 68 places to 305 and Social Sciences up 44 places to 312.
“We want La Trobe to be a university of choice for a diverse range of subjects, supporting our graduates to drive innovation particularly in the areas of health, agriculture and food, AI and digital, and biomedicine,” Professor Farrell said.
“I am so proud of our talented and committed staff who have all contributed to what is an exceptional result for La Trobe.”
Other La Trobe highlights include:
Top 50 subjects
- Sports-related subjects (29 in the world, 5 in Australia)
- Nursing (42 in the world, 8 in Australia)
- Archaeology (48 in the world, 5 in Australia)
Top 150
- History (equal 6 in Australia)
- Hospitality and Leisure Management (equal 7 in Australia)
- Sociology (equal 7 in Australia)
Top 200
- Anatomy and Physiology (equal 8 in Australia)
- Anthropology (equal 6 in Australia)
- Linguistics (equal 8 in Australia)
- Education (equal 12 in Australia)
- Psychology (equal 12 in Australia)
- Philosophy (equal 12 in Australia)
View the full QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 results.
About the QS rankings:
The Quacquarelli Symonds, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 were produced by analysis of reputation and research output. 1,912 global institutions were ranked across 55 narrow subjects and five broad subject areas using a set of indicators with variable weights. Those indicators are academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-Index and international research network (IRN).
Media enquiries
Debora McInnes – d.mcinnes@latrobe.edu.au, +61 487 448 734