On 9 October 2025, Times Higher Education (THE) announced the results of the World University Rankings 2026 at the THE World Academic Summit 2025 held in Saudi Arabia.
Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) has achieved outstanding results this year, moving up to No.1 in Thailand for Research Quality and successfully maintaining its No.1 position in International Outlook.
Globally, MFU was ranked in the 1001–1200 range, a significant improvement from last year’s 1201–1500 range, with an overall score of 32.1−35.4. MFU was also placed joint 4th nationally among 21 Thai universities included in the rankings—reflecting continuous progress in academic quality, research excellence, and international collaboration.
In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, a total of 2,191 institutions from 115 countries and territories were ranked, reflecting an increasingly competitive global higher education landscape.
This year, MFU demonstrated remarkable performance in Research Quality, ranking 1st in Thailand with a score of 61.4 (up from 49.3). The university also continued its six-year streak as No.1 in International Outlook, improving its score to 64.1 (up from 58.2). These results highlight MFU’s success in expanding international academic partnerships, increasing joint publications, and attracting international students and staff—key factors driving the university’s impressive growth in the 2026 rankings.
THE evaluates universities across five core pillars: Teaching (the learning environment), Research Environment (volume, income, and reputation), Research Quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence, and research influence), International Outlook (staff, students, and research), and Industry (income and patents). These comprehensive indicators underscore MFU’s significant achievement in being ranked 1st in Thailand for Research Quality, with a major score increase from 49.3 to 61.4.
Moving forward, MFU remains committed to enhancing the quality of education and research by integrating academic knowledge with local development, strengthening industry-linked research, and embedding sustainability and climate change into its curricula—striving toward its vision of becoming “The University for Well-being and Sustainable Future.”
