Jiangnan University in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]

ShanghaiRanking, a higher education consultancy, released the 2026 edition of its Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) on Sept 15, with universities from East China's Jiangsu province standing out on the list.

Covering 57 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences, this year's ranking evaluated over 3,000 universities worldwide, ultimately showcasing nearly 20,000 academic programs from over 2,000 institutions in 96 countries and regions.

Jiangsu universities demonstrated outstanding performance, with 33 institutions and 478 ranked subjects, securing the top position in China in the number of ranked subjects.

Nanjing University led the province with 41 ranked subjects, followed closely by Southeast University with 36.

Other notable institutions include Jiangsu University (29 subjects), Soochow University (25), Nanjing University of Science and Technology (25), Jiangnan University (24), Hohai University (24), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (23), Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (21), Nanjing Forestry University (21), and Nanjing Normal University (21), each boasting over 20 ranked subjects.

Additionally, Yangzhou University and China University of Mining and Technology each had 19 subjects ranked. Nanjing Tech University (17), Nanjing Agricultural University (16), Nanjing Medical University (15), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (15), and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (15) also showcased strong academic prowess.

Remarkably, Jiangsu Agri-Animal Husbandry Vocational College made its debut with one ranked subject, highlighting the growing competitiveness of vocational institutions.

Jiangsu had 23 subjects ranked in the global Top 10, including four champion subjects: communication engineering at Southeast University, water resources engineering at Hohai University, food science and engineering at Jiangnan University, and veterinary science at Yangzhou University.