University of Belgrade sees record applicant surge as QS ranking slips

More than 17,016 high‑school graduates applied to the University of Belgrade for the 2026/27 academic year, exceeding the 15,315 available places by roughly 1,000 applicants compared with the previous year. The Economic Faculty attracted the most candidates (1,924 for 1,320 slots), followed by the Faculty of Organizational Sciences (1,767 for 1,100), Architecture (647 for 304), and Psychology on the Faculty of Philosophy (556 for 116). Strong interest was also recorded for Biology, Construction, Medicine, Dentistry, and Engineering faculties.

Admissions documents have been accepted and entrance exams have begun, although the Ministry of Education has not yet issued detailed enrollment guidelines and the government has not decided on quota allocations. Despite prior student blockades, university officials say there is no sign of an “exodus” to private institutions.

In the QS World University Rankings for 2027 the University of Belgrade fell to the 801‑850 band, down from the 761‑770 band the previous year, while other Serbian universities failed to appear on the list. The ranking methodology emphasizes research output, academic reputation and citations.