If you are reading about best universities for international relations and diplomacy for the first time, it may seem overwhelming to those who have not previously done so, but you will probably find it fascinating. 

Learn more about best universities for masters in international relations uk, best international relations schools in europe, best universities for international relations and diplomacy. You’ll also find more resources related to best universities for politics and international relations uk on collegelearners.

QS’s Top Universities for International Relations: 2021

Before we jump into the best countries for International Relations, here is a list of popular universities for IR!

University	Country	QS Subject Rank 2021
Harvard University	USA	1
Sciences Po	France	2
University of Oxford	UK	3
Princeton University	USA	4
London School of Economics & Political Science	UK	5
University of Cambridge	UK	6
Stanford University	USA	7
Yale University	USA	8
The Australian National University	Australia	9
National University of Singapore	Singapore	10

Why Pursue International Relations?

International Relations is a great way to start a career in politics, government, transnational non-profit organisations, or diplomats. As a IR student, students study a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects like economics, business, global affairs, management, history, politics, sociology, comparative governments, etc. Let’s look at some reasons why you should study the subject in some of the best countries for International Relations.

• Studying International Relations will teach you how to work with numerous cultures, people and entities, and with this kind of learning experience, you can find yourself opening up a range of exciting career possibilities in a variety of areas.
• An IR major provides students with the essential knowledge, confidence and core analytical skills that can help one to make sense of the international system and have an impact on government, business, and society well into the future. 
• The degree gives an option for students to leverage their core knowledge from a number of social science fields in order to become more informed citizens and, in many cases, pursue careers in related fields.
• Studying International Relations takes place in the perfect environment to learn from and not only in a classroom with a teacher. International Relations is more of a practical approach where the students experience the knowledge rather than learn about it in books. You need to choose the right location to align it with your academic or career ambitions in order to get the most out of International Relations programs.

Best international relations schools in the UK – 2021 QS Rankings by TopUniversities

• University of Oxford
• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• University of Cambridge
• King’s College London
• SOAS University of London
• University College London (UCL)
• University of Essex
• Queen Mary University of London
• University of Manchester
• University of Sheffield

Best international relations schools in the UK – 2021 World University Rankings by THE

• University of Oxford
• University of Cambridge
• The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• University College London (UCL)
• University of Manchester
• University of Sussex
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Essex
• King’s College London
• University of Sheffield

Here are other UK international relations schools we recommend:

• Keele University
• Leeds Beckett University
• The University of Law
• University of Leeds

Top 10 UK Universities for International Relations

Rank	University	Location
1	University of Oxford	Oxford, England
2	London School of Economics	London, England
3	University of Cambridge	Cambridge, England
4	SOAS University of London	London, England
5	King’s College London	London, England
6	University College London	London, England
7	University of Essex	Essex, South East England
8	University of Edinburgh	Edinburgh, Scotland
9	University of Warwick	Coventry, England
10	University of Manchester	Manchester, England

UK universities ranked by subject area: Politics

2021	Institution	Guardian score/100	Satisfied with course	Satisfied with teaching	Satisfied with feedback	Student to staff ratio	Spend per student/10	Average entry tariff	Value added score/10	Career after 15 months	Contin-uation
1	St Andrews	100	95	96	83.3	13.3	8	219	8	86	98.9
2	Oxford	95.6	n/a	n/a	n/a	10	10	209	7	90	99.5
3	Cambridge	93.5	n/a	n/a	n/a	10.4	10	198	8	89	98.3
4	London School of Economics	84.5	81.4	86.8	68.1	11.3	10	175	8	96	96.7
5	King’s College London	83.1	82.7	89.4	68	11.6	8	185	8	93	96.2
6	Warwick	78.5	89.6	90.2	80	16.6	6	182	7	85	96
7	Bath	76.2	85.4	88.1	62.3	15.4	6	163	8	96	98.6
8	Durham	75.5	81.1	87.2	67.3	17	6	188	7	93	99.4
9	Canterbury Christ Church	74.1	94.6	94.5	87.5	12.6	3	92	7	n/a	96.1
10	Aberystwyth	72.8	92.2	94.4	83.6	17	4	108	7	78	95.3
11	Bristol	72.1	83.7	91.4	75.4	18.4	5	165	8	84	96.9
12	Exeter	67.4	87.3	89.5	67.8	16.1	4	165	6	82	97.8
12	Swansea	67.4	90.4	92.6	81.6	17.5	9	116	7	73	93.9
14	UCL	67.3	75.5	82.8	55.5	14.1	8	187	8	n/a	98.1
15	Glasgow	66.9	85	88.3	68.7	13.8	6	190	6	80	92.7
16	Strathclyde	66.8	87.1	91.9	65.4	15.4	10	195	8	70	90.5
17	Manchester	66.2	79.3	87.7	67.4	14.4	9	161	5	81	97.4
18	Sheffield	66.1	82.6	91.7	73.5	16.1	4	151	6	76	98.2
19	UWE Bristol	65	88.1	94.9	78.2	21.3	3	106	8	81	91.8
20	Leeds	63.9	83.9	91.6	68.5	19.5	6	161	7	81	96
21	Loughborough	62.8	91.7	89.1	78	19	4	138	5	74	97
22	UEA	62.3	84.1	88.7	70.3	16.1	4	128	7	76	96.2
22	York	62.3	84.5	90.2	74.2	19	4	146	4	80	98
24	Newcastle	61.8	87.9	90.4	69.2	16.5	6	148	4	79	97.8
25	Essex	61.3	87.7	89.3	73.9	17.5	8	106	8	80	92.2