KIT Leads Atmospheric Sciences in Germany

New rankings from U.S. News and ShanghaiRanking reaffirm KIT’s long-standing leadership in atmospheric sciences at the national level

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), through its Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK), holds a leading position in atmospheric sciences both nationally and internationally. In the prestigious 2025–2026 Best Global Universities ranking by U.S. News & World Report and the 2024 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, KIT ranks first in Germany in this field.

In the latest Shanghai subject ranking, KIT is placed in the global band of 51–75 for atmospheric sciences - making it the highest-ranked German university in this discipline. The U.S. News ranking further confirms this outstanding position: KIT’s atmospheric sciences rank 36th worldwide, underscoring the international visibility and impact of research conducted in Karlsruhe.

Both rankings are based on comprehensive and transparent criteria:

The Best Global Universities ranking by U.S. News evaluates institutions using 13 indicators, including global and regional research reputation, publication output, citation impact, international collaboration, and the number of highly cited papers. The data is based on bibliometric analyses via Web of Science and surveys of over 27,000 researchers worldwide. Key indicators include global research reputation (12.5%), regional research reputation (12.5%), and the number of highly cited publications (12.5%).

The ShanghaiRanking assesses universities across 55 academic subjects using objective indicators such as:

  • Researcher excellence (e.g., awards)
  • Research quality (e.g., publications in top journals)
  • Research impact (e.g., normalized citation scores)
  • International collaboration

Data sources include Web of Science and the Academic Excellence Survey. Based on these metrics, the top 1,000 universities worldwide are identified. Only the top 100 receive fixed ranks; the remaining 900 are grouped into ranking bands.

These top placements confirm the international excellence of atmospheric research at KIT. With cutting-edge infrastructure, interdisciplinary research approaches, and strong integration within the Helmholtz Association, KIT makes significant contributions to addressing global challenges in meteorology and climate science.

These achievements reflect not only scientific excellence but also send a strong signal to students, researchers, and partner institutions worldwide: KIT is a leading hub for atmospheric sciences - within Germany and beyond.