The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE, UK) ranked Sofia University's Social Sciences and the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at 1000+ in the world for 2026. The results of the new edition of THE World University Rankings by Subject  were announced on January 21, 2026. The news this year is the "emerging new world order" on the map of higher education—Asia is in the top 10 for the first time in most subject areas, while Europe has only one elite university left.
 

For yet another year, higher education in Communication and Media Studies in Bulgaria has only one representative in this global ranking. Sofia University itself is ranked 1501+ according to the overall THE World University Rankings for 2026.
FJMC is assessed in the context of social sciences (Social Sciences), which cover four academic disciplines: Communication and Media Studies, Politics and International Studies, Sociology, and Geography and Anthropology (Geography and Anthropology). The global leader in our subject area is MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), which tops most rankings in the 11 subject areas.

The assessment applies 18 strict performance indicators according to Time's sophisticated rating system, but calibrated to the specifics of the social sciences. The final result is based on five main pillars.

THE – Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/by-subject

World University Rankings by Subject 2026: results announced. THE - Times Higher Education, 21.01.2026. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/world-university-rankings-subject-2026-results-announced

World University Rankings by Subject 2026: out now. THE - Times Higher Education, 21.01.2026. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/press-releases/world-university-rankings-subject-2026-out-now