Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti enters global Top 50 in Art & Design rankings

The world university rankings published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), an educational research and consulting firm specializing in higher education analysis, were released this morning. Several Italian institutions appear in the top 100 positions in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for the art and design sector. These include the Politecnico di Milano in seventh place, NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) in 41st, Istituto Marangoni in 45th, Domus Academy in 62nd, Politecnico di Torino in 69th, and IED in 78th.

On the podium, in first place, the Royal College of Art in London, in second place the University of the Arts London, in third place The New School, New York City and Paris.

For the 2026 edition, QS analyzed 6,277 institutions in 166 countries worldwide; of these, 1,906, from 100 higher education systems, were classified across 55 academic disciplines divided into 5 thematic areas.

Naba, New Academy of Fine Arts, won 41st place

For the art and design sector, the criteria used in the independent benchmarking analysis include academic reputation, which measures an institution's academic standing globally, and employer reputation, which measures the institution's recognition in the workforce: they evaluate which schools are considered by hiring managers around the world to be the places where the most competent and talented graduates and diploma holders are trained.

"The result highlights the high level of NABA's educational offering and distinctive approach, which integrates the excellence of Italian know-how with an international dimension that, starting from the 2026/27 academic year, will also extend to the new London campus ," emphasized the management of NABA, which ranked 41st in the ranking.

"We are thrilled and deeply proud of this significant advancement. Being reconfirmed as the leading Italian fine arts academy in the world and included for the first time among the top 50 universities in the QS World University Rankings for the art and design sector fills us with satisfaction and confirms our role as a benchmark for artistic and cultural innovation at the international level," said Daniele Bisello Ragno, NABA managing director, in a statement.

"The opening of the new London campus in October also fits into this direction, further expanding student opportunities in a cosmopolitan city experiencing a constant creative buzz. This result is also reflected in the professional opportunities, as demonstrated by the high employment rates: 90% of graduates are employed within a year (94% for two-year and master's programs) and 87% express a high level of satisfaction with their chosen path," added the manager.

Naba, with its campuses in Milan, Rome and soon also in London, offers undergraduate and graduate courses in the fields of design, fashion design, graphics and communication, multimedia arts, new technologies, scenography and visual arts.

"This result confirms the validity of the NABA method, founded on the ability to cultivate and nurture artistic intelligence with an approach that integrates research, experimentation, and design, and which finds artistic practice as one of its central elements," said Guido Tattoni, NABA director, commenting on the 41st place in the prestigious ranking.