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University Rankings 2026 for IB Students
QS World University Rankings 2026, filtered for IB students — with verified IB score benchmarks for each university. Updated May 2026.
IB score guide
43–45
Exceptional
Oxford/Cambridge, NUS Medicine, MIT — top 2% globally
40–42
Very strong
Russell Group medicine, NUS most programs, Ivy League competitive
37–39
Strong
Most Russell Group programs, NTU, Melbourne, Sydney
34–36
Competitive
Mid-tier UK universities, UQ, Monash, SMU, Canadian top programs
30–33
Meets minimum
Broad access across Australian, Canadian, and some UK universities
Singapore
Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 · IB benchmarks from verified admissions data
| # | University | QS 2026 | IB typical | IB min | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇸🇬 National University of Singapore (NUS) | 8 | 40–45 | 38 | Medicine requires 42+, UCAT/BMAT |
| 2 | 🇸🇬 Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | 26 | 36–42 | 33 | Medicine requires 42+; strong engineering |
| 3 | 🇸🇬 Singapore Management University (SMU) | 511 | 34–40 | 30 | Business, law, computing specialist |
United Kingdom
Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 · IB benchmarks from verified admissions data
| # | University | QS 2026 | IB typical | IB min | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇬🇧 University of Oxford | 3 | 39–45 | 38 | Most courses 40+; Oct 15 deadline |
| 2 | 🇬🇧 University of Cambridge | 5 | 40–45 | 38 | Oct 15 deadline; super-curricula required |
| 3 | 🇬🇧 Imperial College London | 8 | 38–44 | 37 | Science/engineering focused |
| 4 | 🇬🇧 UCL (University College London) | 9 | 36–42 | 34 | Broad subject range |
| 5 | 🇬🇧 University of Edinburgh | 27 | 36–42 | 34 | Medicine 37+ with UCAT |
| 6 | 🇬🇧 King's College London | 40 | 35–40 | 33 | Strong medicine and law |
| 7 | 🇬🇧 University of Manchester | 34 | 35–40 | 33 | Medicine requires UCAT; research-intensive |
| 8 | 🇬🇧 University of Bristol | 55 | 34–38 | 32 | Strong law and CS |
| 9 | 🇬🇧 University of Warwick | 67 | 36–40 | 35 | Warwick Business School highly ranked |
| 10 | 🇬🇧 Durham University | 78 | 35–38 | 34 | Popular with Singapore students |
United States
Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 · IB benchmarks from verified admissions data
| # | University | QS 2026 | IB typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | 40–45 | Holistic; strong STEM ECs needed |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 Harvard University | 4 | 40–45 | Holistic; acceptance ~3% |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 Stanford University | 6 | 40–45 | Holistic; high ECs bar |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 University of Pennsylvania | 12 | 39–45 | Wharton for business; strong pre-med |
| 5 | 🇺🇸 Columbia University | 13 | 39–44 | Core curriculum; NYC location |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 University of Chicago | 21 | 38–44 | Strong economics; unusual essay prompts |
| 7 | 🇺🇸 Johns Hopkins University | 30 | 38–44 | Pre-med and biomedical engineering top-tier |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 New York University (NYU) | 38 | 36–42 | Strong business (Stern) and arts |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 University of California, Berkeley | 16 | 37–43 | Public; international applicants competitive |
| 10 | 🇺🇸 Carnegie Mellon University | 53 | 38–44 | CS and engineering top-ranked |
Australia
Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 · IB benchmarks from verified admissions data
| # | University | QS 2026 | IB typical | IB min | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇺 University of Melbourne | 13 | 36–43 | 33 | Medicine via GAMSAT; strong law |
| 2 | 🇦🇺 University of Sydney | 18 | 36–42 | 33 | Medicine requires UCAT; top law school |
| 3 | 🇦🇺 Australian National University (ANU) | 30 | 35–41 | 32 | Strong STEM and social sciences |
| 4 | 🇦🇺 University of Queensland (UQ) | 40 | 34–40 | 30 | Medicine requires UCAT; engineering |
| 5 | 🇦🇺 University of New South Wales (UNSW) | 19 | 35–41 | 31 | Strong engineering and business |
| 6 | 🇦🇺 Monash University | 37 | 33–39 | 30 | Medicine, pharmacy, engineering |
Canada
Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 · IB benchmarks from verified admissions data
| # | University | QS 2026 | IB typical | IB min | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇦 University of Toronto | 25 | 36–42 | 33 | Medicine graduate entry only (MCAT) |
| 2 | 🇨🇦 University of British Columbia (UBC) | 38 | 35–41 | 32 | Strong engineering and science |
| 3 | 🇨🇦 McGill University | 44 | 35–41 | 32 | Medicine direct entry; French bilingual |
| 4 | 🇨🇦 University of Waterloo | 112 | 35–40 | 32 | Best CS co-op program in Canada |
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