Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUSS) has been ranked between 101st and 150th in the latest Shanghai Ranking by subject, which evaluates the world’s institutions in sports science.

In the 100th year of its existence, HUSS achieved a significant leap of more than 100 positions, in line with the university’s goals. We spoke with Denissza Blanár, HUSS’s Director of the International Relations Centre (IRC), about this advancement and the significance of HUSS being the only Hungarian university featured on the global list of sports science institutions.

The Shanghai Ranking (officially ShanghaiRanking Consultancy) is the most recognized international higher education ranking, assessing universities by discipline and more broadly under the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), based on objective indicators such as publications and citations.

Since 2003, the Shanghai Ranking has published its rankings, helping researchers and students select high-quality institutions. Last year, HUSS was ranked between 201st and 300th – exact positions are only announced for the top 50 – but this year, due to significantly increased academic activity, prestigious research work, and a substantial rise in scientific publications, the traditional Hungarian sports university has achieved a much higher position.

As Tamás Sterbenz, Rector of HUSS, also highlighted that the advancement of more than 100 positions in the Shanghai Ranking’s sports science list provides clear feedback that HUSS is on the right path. It demonstrates that a Hungarian university of physical education and sports can compete with the world’s top sports science institutions. This is a source of pride and a strong motivation for further academic, educational, and international development.

All of this was also confirmed by Denissza Blanár, HUSS’s Director of IRC in an interview conducted with her.

What does it mean for a university to appear in the Shanghai Ranking, and why is it important?

The Shanghai Ranking is one of the world’s best-known and most prestigious university ranking systems. HUSS achieved an outstanding position in its subject-specific ranking, which evaluates the scientific performance of the world’s sports science institutions. For a university, this means that its work in sports science has become visible and comparable on an international level. For HUSS, this is particularly significant: as a specialized Hungarian sports university competing mostly against multidisciplinary universities, many of which have substantial medical faculties, we have been able to establish ourselves in this elite field.

What exactly does it take to be included in this ranking?

It is not possible to apply for inclusion in the Shanghai Ranking’s sports science list; entry is based solely on indicators derived from objective databases. The ranking primarily evaluates publication performance, citation data, appearances in leading journals, and the proportion of international scientific collaborations. HUSS’s advancement of more than 100 positions is therefore the result of the long-term professional work of our faculty and researchers. However, this also required significant effort over the past year to standardize the publications, citations, and related data reporting.

HUSS is ranked between 101st and 150th, the only Hungarian university in this field! Among the world’s sports universities, what is HUSS’s position?

Of the 300 institutions listed in the ranking, only 16 are standalone sports universities; the rest are typically large, multidisciplinary universities with sports science departments, which often have far greater resources to conduct high-quality research, building on the activities and networks of other faculties and research groups. Considering only the standalone sports universities, HUSS is the 6th best sports university in the world.

Does practical activity count in the ranking? If not, why not, considering that HUSS also has excellent practitioners teaching, which is a long-standing tradition at the university? We could also highlight that among 500 European universities, HUSS ranked first in 2025 in the European University Sports Association (EUSA) medal table, based on medals won at the European University Championships.

Yes, that is an important observation, but the methodology is based solely on scientific and research performance, so practical coaching work or sports achievements are not reflected in it. One of HUSS’s strengths, however, is precisely that practical experience and scientific work are closely linked, which, in the long term, is also reflected in the quality of education.

Who looks at this list, and for what purpose?

The ranking is followed worldwide by university leaders, sports science research groups, PhD and postdoctoral students, and it is also one of the most important factors for international self-funded students when choosing an institution. Our experience is that the ranking position also has a concrete impact on our partnerships, as highly prestigious universities are more likely to seek collaboration with us.

What kind of work was needed for HUSS to advance by more than 100 positions?

The scientific performance of our faculty and researchers, the strengthening of doctoral programmes, the development of international projects and partnerships, as well as the institution-wide internationalization strategy all contributed to this achievement. It is important to note that our partners also recognize these efforts, which opens up new opportunities.

What is a realistic goal on the list?

A realistic goal is to enter the top 100 institutions within one to two years, and in the longer term, reaching the top 50 is also possible. Achieving this requires the consistent continuation of the scientific and internationalization work already underway.

How is HUSS’s internationalization process progressing? What have you focused on over the past year?

Over the past year, internationalization has clearly become a strategic focus. We expanded our English-language programme offerings: starting in September 2025, two new English-language bachelor’s programmes and one new master’s programme were launched, and for the first time, we successfully held a summer university for master’s and doctoral students. In addition, we initiated targeted international recruitment activities, strengthened foreign partnerships, increased student and faculty mobility opportunities, and enhanced HUSS’s presence in the global higher education arena.

What results has HUSS achieved?

Perhaps the most important feedback on the quality of education comes from the decisions of international students. While their overall number has risen above 200, the increase in self-funded international students is particularly telling. In the 2024/2025 academic year, only a dozen new self-funded international students enrolled at HUSS, whereas for the 2025/2026 academic year, nearly one hundred new students from six continents chose HUSS’s programmes with their own funding. This clearly demonstrates that HUSS’s educational offerings are competitive on an international scale. We have also made significant progress in student mobility. In 2025, the number of outgoing mobility experiences nearly doubled, with a total of 110 students gaining international experience. In addition, faculty mobility has also doubled. The expansion of our network is proceeding in a targeted manner. Over the past year, we established partnerships with one new top-50 university and four new top-500 universities, and for the first time, we successfully involved Anglo-Saxon universities in our collaborations. In these partnerships, we focus specifically on institutions that can provide real added value for our students and faculty. The increased interest is the result of deliberate efforts: we have made international communication more transparent, introduced new channels, built an international recruitment partner network, and strengthened HUSS’s presence on higher education platforms. As a result, we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries for joint projects.