Foto: Silver Tõnisson
The Estonian Academy of Arts ranks 92nd among the world’s best art and design universities in the QS World University Rankings released today. Having previously ranked among the top 150, EKA has now moved up by an order of magnitude.
“There is no better way to celebrate my first year as EKA’s rector,” says EKA’s Rector Hilkka Hiiop, who will mark her first year in office on April 4th. “Our inclusion in the QS list of the world’s top 100 art and design universities confirms what I have observed over the past year—EKA is full of extraordinary people. From students to faculty, from craftsmen to doctoral candidates, world-class work is being done at EKA,” said Hiiop.
On April 25th, the education research firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the “QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026”, which ranks universities worldwide across 55 academic disciplines. Among EKA’s closest partner universities, Aalto University in Finland, the Rhode Island School of Design in the U.S., the Royal College of Art in London, and The Glasgow School of Art in the U.K. have secured high positions in the rankings.
The QS rankings assess universities’ academic standards and international influence, based this year on a reputation survey and research analysis of 6273 institutions. EKA’s high ranking is based on international researchers’ recognition of the quality of its teaching and research collaboration, feedback from industry partners, and the citation impact of its research.
EKA’s admissions are open for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. The application period for doctoral programs closes first, on March 31st. There are two important deadlines for undergraduate admissions. Applications for bachelor’s programs in the Faculties of Fine Arts and Design are accepted until June 4th. Three weeks later, on June 25th, the application period for programs in the Faculties of Architecture and Art Culture closes.
More information on EKA’s admissions artun.ee/admissions-2026.
The latest QS university rankings and additional information about the indicators can be found on the page QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026: Art & Design.