Top universities in the world

03.09.202203.09.2022 admin 0 Comments

Top universities in the world

World University Rankings

International rankings are one of the factors to consider when choosing a university and study program. We will tell you what ratings exist in the world, how they are formed, and how to work with them in order to get the most objective information.

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Best universities in the world

Why is it important to understand rankings?

Through rankings, an applicant can assess the quality of teaching, percentage of deductions, number of English speakers, conditions of laboratory equipment, and so on. Do not fall for the stereotype that the goal of any brilliant student is to get into Oxford or Cambridge. Everyone has their own ideal university, and it may well turn out that the most popular and «prestigious» ones do not suit you personally.

There are several authoritative rankings, each of which can place universities in a completely different order. At the same time, the composition of the top 50 in various ranking systems coincides by 60-70%. It must be understood that all rankings are statistics and survey results, which are not always confirmed in practice. Ivy League schools deliver several thousand graduates every year, but not every one of them becomes a great inventor or even finds a high-paying job.

Types of rankings

In general, all ranking systems can be divided by scope: global and national.

There are about 20 world ranking systems. Usually, they compare 500 to 1500 universities. They use their own methodologies, which is why universities will not have the same positions. In one ranking, a university may have a high position due to reviews, and in another, a low position due to fewer published studies.

National rating systems are suitable for those who have already decided on a country. These include, for instance, CHE University Ranking (Germany), The Complete University Guide (UK), and Niche (USA).

There are more than 60 national ranking systems in total. They offer many more choices than international ones do, but not all of them can be objective or of high quality. Half of the national ranking systems are managed by government organizations, and the other half — by private companies or the media. The latter, due to a lack of resources, can raise the position of universities for money or provide false/outdated information.

Both world and national rankings can have specializations:

How university rankings are formed

We will talk about popular world ranking systems and their methodologies a bit later. Here we propose to consider the key factors that influence the positions of universities.

Science and research

Science and research is perhaps the most important factor in rankings and the most misleading factor in choosing a university. The scientific potential of a university is evaluated according to several criteria:

There is also Webometrics, which ranks universities by the frequency of mentions and the number of publications on the Internet (only open access articles are taken into account). It is more objective than QS and THE, since it does not take into account the prestige of universities — it only looks at figures for specific scientific indicators. And still, the leading positions are occupied by Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, MIT, and other well-known universities — which is logical, because throughout their history they have produced hundreds of Nobel laureates and tens of thousands of revolutionary articles. They have conducted millions of important studies, which attracted more funding, brilliant scientists, and so on.

If you aim to conduct postdoctoral research and study in a MRes (master’s degree in research) or PhD program, then scientific indicators will be one of the main factors when choosing a university. Otherwise, pay more attention to other criteria.

Student-teacher ratio

‎This is the number of students per teacher. In QS Ranking, such a ratio makes up 20% of the total score. The leading positions according to this criterion are occupied by American and British universities, which isn’t surprising. The university systems there are so developed that there are about 10 students per teacher, while European universities have up to 300 students per professor. This factor is more important than it may seem at first glance. After all, a student will absorb better information in a small room at a seminar than in a huge lecture hall. Thus, the student-teacher ratio directly affects the quality of teaching.

International orientation

The number of international students at a university is also taken into account, but to a lesser extent. This indicator makes up only 10% of the grade in QS and 7.5% in THE. However, such a factor affects the chances of a foreign student to enter and take part in scientific projects.

In addition to the above, there are other factors. Some of them relate more to the staff than to students, but in one way or another they have an impact on the educational process. For example:

Henceforth, we invite you to get acquainted with the most famous world ranking systems in order to understand what indicators they consider when evaluating universities, and why this or that university actually takes its place.

World university rankings

QS Rankings

QS Rankings is produced by the British Quacquarelli Symonds company, and takes into account five criteria.

As you can see, the reputation of a university makes up exactly half of the ranking score, based solely on the opinion of the focus group — scholars and employers. For this reason, the rating is often accused of being biased. It is almost impossible for universities from developing countries or universities that have not yet made a name for themselves to make the list.

2020	2021	2022	University	Country
1	1	1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA
4	5	2	University of Oxford	UK
2	2	3	Stanford University	USA
7	7	4	University of Cambridge	UK
3	3	5	Harvard University	USA
5	4	6	California Institute of Technology	USA
9	8	7	Imperial College of London	UK
6	6	8	ETH Zurich	Switzerland
8	10	8	University College London (UCL)	UK
10	9	10	University of Chicago	USA
11	11	11	National University of Singapore (NUS)	Singapore
11	13	12	Nanyang Technological University (NTU)	Singapore
15	16	13	University of Pennsylvania	USA
18	14	14	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne	Switzerland
17	17	14	Yale University	USA
20	20	16	University of Edinburgh	UK
16	15	17	Tsinghua University	China
22	23	18	Peking University	China
18	19	19	Columbia University in the City of New York (CU)	USA
13	12	20	Princeton University	USA

QS is convenient in that it also offers ratings by region and area of study:

You can also view the results for specific specialties (dentistry, archeology, geography, and so on). Of course, at the world level they will be approximately the same: MIT, Stanford, and Cambridge. The only exceptions are «unusual» programs, such as librarianship or agriculture, where completely different universities take on the leading positions. In the same QS system, you can find graduate employability rankings, which reflect how well universities teach in demand professional skills to prepare students for work.

If you decide to use QS Rankings, remember that the main indicator is the reputation of a university, which does not always guarantee the quality of education. However, it is hard to deny that the prestige of a university provides funding and attracts researchers, and this only benefits students.

Times Higher Education (THE)

THE is an independent ranking system. It was first published with Quacquarelli Symonds (QS Ranking), but the companies split in 2009. THE editors have developed their own methodology, which takes into account more indicators than QS does. At the same time, both systems repeat the same universities in their top twenty list (with the exception of Singaporean universities). THE evaluates universities according to various indicators, grouped into five sections:

THE, like QS, allows you to sort universities by subject, country, and region.

2020	2021	2022	University	Country
1	1	1	University of Oxford	UK
2	4	2	California Institute of Technology	USA
7	3	3	Harvard University	USA
4	2	4	Stanford University	USA
3	6	5	University of Cambridge	UK
5	5	6	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA
6	9	7	Princeton University	USA
13	7	8	University of California Berkeley (UCB)	USA
8	8	9	Yale University	USA
9	10	10	University of Chicago	USA
16	17	11	Columbia University in the City of New York (CU)	USA
10	11	12	Imperial College London	UK
12	12	13	Johns Hopkins University	USA
11	13	14	University of Pennsylvania	USA
13	14	15	ETH Zurich	Switzerland
24	23	16	Peking University	China
23	20	17	Tsinghua University	China
18	18	18	University of Toronto	Canada
15	16	19	University College London (UCL)	UK
17	15	20	University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)	USA

The company also compiles regional and field rankings:

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

To determine the research potential of a university, it is better to refer to the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). It evaluates universities according to five criteria:

ARWU was created on the basis of Shanghai University to understand how big a gap there is between Chinese and American/British universities. Interestingly, in 2021, there was not a single Chinese university in the top 20 ARWU. Also, the Shanghai ranking is known to be the most consistent, given that the positions of universities rarely change.

Among the advantages of ARWU are ratings by regions and faculties, a focus on scientific activity, and an account for prestigious university awards. Of the drawbacks — a focus on the Chinese labor market, criteria that are not applicable to most universities, a small database, and the lack of assessment on teaching quality.

Best research universities

2020	2021	University	Country
1	1	Harvard University	USA
2	2	Stanford University	USA
3	3	University of Cambridge	UK
4	4	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA
5	5	University of California Berkeley (UCB)	USA
6	6	Princeton University	USA
9	7	Oxford University	UK
7	8	Columbia University in the City of New York (CU)	USA
8	9	California Institute of Technology	USA
10	10	University of Chicago	USA
11	11	Yale University	USA
12	12	Cornell University	USA
14	13	Université Paris-Saclay	France
13	14	University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)	USA
19	15	University of Pennsylvania	USA
15	16	Johns Hopkins University	USA
16	17	University College London (UCL)	UK
18	18	University of California San Diego (UCSD)	USA
16	19	University of Washington	USA
21	20	University of California San Francisco (UCSF)	USA

Most prestigious universities in the world

THE’s reputation rating

2020	2021	University	Country
1	1	Harvard University	USA
2	2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA
5	3	Oxford University	UK
3	4	Stanford University	USA
4	5	University of Cambridge	UK
6	6	University of California Berkeley (UCB)	USA
7	7	Princeton University	USA
8	8	Yale University	USA
9	9	University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)	USA
13	10	Tsinghua University	China
12	11	University of Chicago	USA
14	12	Columbia University in the City of New York (CU)	USA
10	13	University of Tokyo	Japan
11	14	California Institute of Technology	USA
16	15	Peking University	China
15	16	University of Michigan	USA
18	17	University College London (UCL)	UK
17	18	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich	Switzerland
20	19	University of Pennsylvania	USA
19	20	Johns Hopkins University	USA
20	21	University of Toronto	Canada
25	22	Cornell University	USA
22	23	Imperial College London	UK
24	24	National University of Singapore (NUS)	Singapore
27	25	New York University	USA

Universities with the biggest endowments

University rankings in terms of academic performance are, of course, significant — they reflect the quality of education and student satisfaction. However, they do not take into account details that may also be important for students, an example being the general financial investments in the development of the university. For students, this indicator means the possibility of receiving financial assistance, and for those who plan to study science, means good funding for projects, comfortable conditions for research, and high salaries. The wealthier the university, the more scholars it attracts from around the world.

It is worth taking a closer look at the financial situation of a university if you plan to engage in scientific research or are looking for large scholarships. The Ivy League schools, for example, provide grants that can fully cover the cost of education due to its large budget.

Richest universities

University	Country	Budget
Harvard University	USA	41,9 млрд
Yale University	USA	31,1 млрд
Stanford University	USA	29 млрд
Princeton University	USA	26 млрд
King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST)	Saudi Arabia	20 млрд
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA	18,3 млрд
University of Pennsylvania	USA	14,8 млрд
University of Texas	USA	12,7 млрд
University of Notre Dame (ND)	USA	12,3 млрд
University of Cambridge	UK	10 млрд

Largest universities

Such an indicator is especially interesting to look at right after the list of the richest universities. Please note that these two indicators do not coincide, and often even diverge.

Wealthy universities, as a rule, are also prestigious with a worldwide reputation, and can therefore only afford to accept the best applicants. Highly competitive, Harvard and Stanford only accept 3-5% of applications. Universities where many students study are, for the most part, located in South Asia, and are financed not from private funds, but by the state. They do not have much of a budget, and there are literally millions of students. Because of this, they are unable to provide quality education and high salaries to employees, as well as to purchase good equipment for research.

University	Country	Number of students
Indira Gandhi National Open University	India	4 млн
National University of Bangladesh	Bangladesh	2 млн
Anadolu University	Turkey	1.9 млн
Islamic Azad University	Iran	1.5 млн
Allama Iqbal Open University	Pakistan	1.3 млн
Universitas Terbuka	Indonesia	646 тыс
State University of New York (SUNY)	USA	606 тыс
Tribhuvan University	Nepal	604 тыс
University of Mumbai	India	549 тыс
Ramkhamhaeng University	Thailand	529 тыс

Most multinational universities

More and more universities are oriented towards multiculturalism. This is due to the general trend of globalization and the desire to bring the experience of students and scholars from different countries to science and art. For those who plan to study abroad, this indicator is also important. After all, if a university walks under the slogan of diversity, then it can be easier for a foreign student to study there. Such universities have well-developed student communities and an active international department that helps students from other countries with adaptation. Because of this, they do not feel like strangers. The stress of moving and interacting with a new culture can negatively impact a student’s mood, motivation, and academic performance. Therefore, the presence of special centers that provide support to students is also important.

The Times Higher Education website has published a ranking of the most international universities. It was created on the basis of four factors:

Rank	University	Country
1	University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong
2	Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich	Switzerland
3	Chinese University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong
4	Oxford University	UK
5	Imperial College London	UK
6	National University of Singapore (NUS)	Singapore
7	University of Cambridge	UK
8	Trinity College Dublin	Ireland
9	Nanyang Technological University (NTU)	Singapore
10	University College London (UCL)	UK
11	University of Vienna	Austria
12	Delft University of Technology	The Netherlands
13	Kings College London	UK
14	University of Auckland	New Zealand
15	Australian National University	Australia
16	London School of Economics (LSE)	UK
17	University of British Columbia	Canada
18	University of Edinburgh	UK
19	University of Zurich	Switzerland
20	University of Warwick	UK

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Top Universities in the World 2021

Updated April 21, 2021 Updated April 21, 2021

Launched today, the QS World University Rankings® 2021 features 1,029 of the most prestigious universities in the world, ranked based on a methodology which assesses each institution on six metrics, including its reputation amongst academics and employers.

Read on as we count down and find out the top university in each location below and reveal which universities ranked within the top 10 in the world this year.

QS World University Rankings 2021 – Top 10

2021 Rank

2020 Rank

University

Location

10. UCL (University College London)

Down two places this year but remaining in the top 10, is the UK’s University College London, earning a perfect score in the international students indicator.

9. University of Chicago

The US’ University of Chicago is up one place this year and earns a very impressive score for the academic reputation indicator.

8. Imperial College London

Up one place this year, Imperial College London is now the highest-ranked institution in UK capital London. It earns perfect scores in the international faculty and international students indicators and scores well throughout all of the indicators.

7. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge remains in seventh place in the 2021 world university rankings. It earns perfect scores in academic reputation, employer reputation, the faculty student ratio and international faculty indicators.

6. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

Staying in sixth place, Switzerland’s ETH Zurich is once again the highest-ranked institution in continental Europe, with a perfect score in the citations per faculty indicator (a measure of research impact).

5. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford falls one place this year to rank 5 th in the 2021 world university rankings. Scoring consistently well across all the indicators, the University of Oxford earns perfect scores in the academic reputation, employer reputation and faculty student ratio indicators.

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Climbing one place this year in the world university rankings, California Institute of Technology steals fourth place in 2021, with a perfect score in the international faculty indicator.

3. Harvard University

Harvard retains its position of third in the world for another year running, as well as being first in the world for the academic and employer reputation indicators.

2. Stanford University

Stanford University, located near Silicon Valley, continues to rank second among the top universities in the world and earns its best scores for its academic reputation (fourth) and employer reputation (fifth).

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Once again, MIT is the world leader in the world university rankings for the ninth year running. MIT earns perfect scores across most of the indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty student ratio and international faculty.

Best universities in the world by location

Outside of the US, the UK and Switzerland, 82 other locations were featured in the world university rankings – discover the highest-ranked institution in each of these below.

Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires – ranked joint 66 th in the world

Australia: Australian National University (ANU) – ranked joint 31 st

Austria: Universität Wien (University of Vienna) – ranked joint 150 th

Bahrain: Applied Science University of Bahrain– ranked 651-700

Bangladesh: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and the University of Dhaka – both ranked 801-1000

Belarus: Belarus State University – ranked joint 317 th

Belgium: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – ranked 84 th

Brazil: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – ranked joint 115 th

Brunei Darussalam: University of Brunei Darussalam – ranked joint 254 th

Bulgaria: Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – ranked 601-650 th

Canada: University of Toronto – ranked joint 25 th

Chile: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – ranked 121 st

China: Tsinghua University – ranked 15 th

Colombia: Universidad de Los Andes Colombia – ranked joint 227 th

Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica – ranked 571-580

Croatia: University of Rijeka and University of Zagreb – both ranked 800-1000

Cuba: Universidad de la Habana – ranked 498 th

Cyprus: University of Cyprus – ranked joint 477 th

Czech Republic: Charles University – ranked joint 260 th

Denmark: University of Copenhagen – ranked joint 76 th

Ecuador: Universidad de San Francisco de Quito – ranked 751-800

Egypt: American University in Cairo – ranked joint 411 th

Estonia: University of Tartu – ranked 285 th

Finland: University of Helsinki – ranked 104 th

France: Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University (PSL) – ranked 52 nd

Germany: Technische Universität München – ranked 50 th

Georgia: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University – ranked 601-650

Greece: National Technical University of Athens – ranked joint 477 th

Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong (HKU) – ranked 22 nd

Hungary: University of Szeged – ranked 501-510

India: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) – ranked 172 nd

Indonesia: Universitas Gadjah Mada– ranked joint 254 th

Iran: Sharif University of Technology – ranked joint 409 th

Iraq: University of Baghdad and University of Kufa– both ranked 801-1000

Israel: Hebrew University of Jerusalem – ranked joint 177 th

Italy: Politecnico di Milano – ranked 137 th

Japan: University of Tokyo – ranked 24 th

Jordan: University of Jordan – ranked 601-650

Kazakhstan: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University – ranked 165 th

Kuwait: Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) and Kuwait University – both ranked 801-1000

Latvia: Riga Technical University – ranked 701-750

Lebanon: American University of Beirut (AUB) – ranked joint 220 th

Lithuania: Vilnius University – ranked joint 423 rd

Macao, S.A.R., China: University of Macau – ranked joint 367 th

Malaysia: Universiti Malaya (UM) – ranked 59 th

Malta: University of Malta (L-Università ta’ Malta) – ranked 801-1000

Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) – ranked 100 th

Netherlands: Delft University of Technology – ranked 57 th

New Zealand: University of Auckland – ranked 81 st

Norway: University of Oslo – ranked 113 th

Oman: Sultan Qaboos University – ranked joint 375 th

Pakistan: National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) – ranked 355 th

Panama: Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) – ranked 801-1000

Peru: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – ranked joint 432 nd

Philippines: University of the Philippines – ranked joint 396 th

Poland: University of Warsaw – ranked joint 321 st

Portugal: University of Lisbon and University of Porto –ranked joint 357 th

Qatar: Qatar University – ranked 245 th

Republic of Ireland: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) – ranked 101 st

Romania: Babes-Bolyai University and the University of Bucharest – both ranked 801-1000

Russia: Lomonosov Moscow State University – ranked 74 th

Saudi Arabia: King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) – ranked 143 rd

Singapore: National University of Singapore (NUS) – ranked 11 th

Slovakia: Pavol Josef Safarik University – ranked 651-700

Slovenia: University of Ljubljana – ranked 601-650

South Africa: University of Cape Town – ranked joint 220 th

South Korea: Seoul National University (SNU) – ranked 37 th

Spain: Universitat de Barcelona (UB) – ranked 183 rd

Sri Lanka: University of Peradeniya – ranked 801-1000

Sweden: Lund University – ranked 97 th

Taiwan: National Taiwan University (NTU) – ranked joint 66 th

Thailand: Chulalongkorn University – ranked joint 208 th

Turkey: Koç University – ranked joint 465 th

Ukraine: V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University – ranked joint 477 th

United Arab Emirates: Khalifa University– ranked joint 211 th

Uruguay: Universidad ORT Uruguay – ranked joint 462 nd

Venezuela: Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) – ranked 751-800

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Top Universities in the World 2020

Updated August 4, 2021 Updated August 4, 2021

Launched today, the QS World University Rankings® 2020 features 1,000 of the most prestigious universities in the world, ranked based on a methodology which assesses each institution on six metrics, including its reputation amongst academics and employers.

But which 10 institutions stood out amongst the rest to be ranked the top 10 in the world? Read on as we count down, and find out the top university in each location below.

QS World University Rankings 2020 – Top 10

10. University of Chicago

Down one place this year but remaining in the top 10, the US’ University of Chicago earns its best score for the academic reputation indicator.

9. Imperial College London

The UK’s Imperial College London is also down one place this year, but continues to earn a very impressive score for the employer reputation indicator.

8. UCL (University College London)

Up two places this year, UCL (University College London) is now the highest-ranked institution in UK capital London, earning its highest score for academic reputation.

7. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge goes down a spot in the 2020 world university rankings, but remains one of the 10 best universities in the world, with perfect scores for its academic and employer reputations.

6. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

Switzerland’s ETH Zurich is up one place this year and continues to be the highest-ranked institution in continental Europe, with its best score in the citations per faculty indicator (a measure of research impact).

5. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Caltech is down one place in 2020, but has the distinction of earning the best scores in the top 10 for the faculty/student ratio and citations per faculty member indicators.

4. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford climbs one place in the world university rankings this year, and continues to be the highest-ranked in the UK, with perfect scores for its reputations among academics and graduate employers.

3. Harvard University

Harvard retains its position of third in the world, as well as being first for the academic and employer reputation indicators.

2. Stanford University

Stanford University, located near Silicon Valley, continues to rank second among the top universities in the world and earns its best score for its academic reputation (fourth).

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

And finally, MIT is once again the leader in the world university rankings, taking the spot for the eighth year running, with top-10 scores for its academic reputation, employer reputation, and citations per faculty member.

Best universities in the world by location

Outside of the US, the UK and Switzerland, 82 other locations were featured in the world university rankings – discover the highest-ranked institution in each of these below.

Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires – ranked 74 th in the world

Australia: Australian National University (ANU) – ranked joint 29 th

Austria: Universität Wien (University of Vienna) – ranked joint 154 th

Azerbaijan: Baku State University – ranked 801-1000

Bahrain: University of Bahrain – ranked 801-1000

Bangladesh: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and the University of Dhaka – both ranked 801-1000

Belarus: Belarus State University – ranked 351 st

Belgium: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – ranked 80 th

Brazil: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – ranked joint 116 th

Brunei Darussalam: University of Brunei Darussalam – ranked joint 298 th

Bulgaria: Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – ranked 751-800

Canada: University of Toronto – ranked joint 29 th

Chile: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – ranked 127 th

China: Tsinghua University – ranked 16 th

Colombia: Universidad de Los Andes Colombia – ranked joint 234 th

Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica – ranked 511-520

Croatia: University of Zagreb – ranked 751-800

Cuba: Universidad de la Habana – ranked 501-510

Czech Republic: Charles University – ranked joint 291 st

Denmark: University of Copenhagen – ranked joint 72 nd

Ecuador: Universidad de San Francisco de Quito – ranked 751-800

Egypt: American University in Cairo – ranked joint 395 th

Estonia: University of Tartu – ranked 301 st

Finland: University of Helsinki – ranked 107 th

France: Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University (PSL) – ranked 53 rd

Germany: Technische Universität München – ranked 55 th

Greece: National Technical University of Athens – ranked joint 454 th

Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong (HKU) – ranked joint 25 th

Hungary: University of Szeged – ranked 501-510

India: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) – ranked 152 nd

Indonesia: University of Indonesia – ranked joint 296 th

Iran: Sharif University of Technology – ranked joint 407 th

Iraq: University of Baghdad – ranked 701-750

Israel: Hebrew University of Jerusalem – ranked 162 nd

Italy: Politecnico di Milano – ranked joint 149 th

Japan: University of Tokyo – ranked joint 22 nd

Jordan: University of Jordan – ranked 601-650

Kazakhstan: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University – ranked joint 207 th

Kuwait: Kuwait University – ranked 801-1000

Latvia: Riga Technical University – ranked 701-750

Lebanon: American University of Beirut (AUB) – ranked 244 th

Lithuania: Vilnius University – ranked joint 458 th

Macao, S.A.R., China: University of Macau – ranked joint 387 th

Malaysia: Universiti Malaya (UM) – ranked 70 th

Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) – ranked 103 rd

Netherlands: Delft University of Technology – ranked 50 th

New Zealand: University of Auckland – ranked 88 th

Norway: University of Oslo – ranked 119 th

Oman: Sultan Qaboos University – ranked joint 379 th

Pakistan: Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) – ranked 375 th

Panama: Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) – ranked 801-1000

Peru: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – ranked joint 474 th

Philippines: University of the Philippines – ranked joint 356 th

Poland: Jagiellonian University – ranked joint 338 th

Portugal: University of Lisbon – ranked joint 338 th

Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico – ranked 801-1000

Qatar: Qatar University – ranked 276 th

Republic of Ireland: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) – ranked joint 108 th

Romania: Babes-Bolyai University and the University of Bucharest – both ranked 801-1000

Russia: Lomonosov Moscow State University – ranked 84 th

Saudi Arabia: King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) – ranked 186 th

Serbia: University of Belgrade – ranked 801-1000

Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) – ranked joint 11 th

Slovakia: Comenius University in Bratislava and Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava – both ranked 751-800

Slovenia: University of Ljubljana – ranked 591-600

South Africa: University of Cape Town – ranked joint 198 th

South Korea: Seoul National University (SNU) – ranked 37 th

Spain: Universitat de Barcelona (UB) – ranked joint 165 th

Sri Lanka: University of Peradeniya – ranked 801-1000

Sweden: Lund University – ranked 92 nd

Taiwan: National Taiwan University (NTU) – ranked 69 th

Thailand: Chulalongkorn University – ranked joint 247 th

Turkey: Koç University – ranked joint 451 st

Ukraine: V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University – ranked joint 491 st

United Arab Emirates: Khalifa University– ranked joint 268 th

Uruguay: Universidad de Montevideo – ranked joint 491 st

Venezuela: Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) – ranked 701-750

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Top Universities in the World 2019

Updated January 25, 2021 Updated January 25, 2021

Click here to discover the top universities in the world in 2020.

The QS World University Rankings® 2019 is out now, showcasing 1,000 of the world’s best universities in 85 countries, based on a methodology which assesses each university on six metrics, including its reputation among academics and employers.

Read on as we count down to discover this year’s top 10 or watch the video below.

10. UCL (University College London)

Down three spots but nonetheless included among the 10 best universities in the world, the UK’s UCL earns its best score in the academic reputation indicator, and also achieves a strong score for its proportion of international students, making it a diverse place to study.

9. University of Chicago

The US’ University of Chicago retains its position of ninth in the world in 2019, with a particularly high score for its reputation among academics.

8. Imperial College London

Imperial is ranked eighth in the world this year and is now London’s highest-ranked university. Like UCL, it boasts an excellent score for the international students indicator, meaning you’ll be in good company if you study at either university as an international student.

7. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

Switzerland’s ETH Zurich is the highest-ranked university in continental Europe and climbed three places in this year’s ranking, with its best score for citations per faculty member, a measure of research impact.

6. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge slips one place in this year’s ranking but does achieve higher scores than rival Oxford for its reputations among academics and employers, ranked second in the world for both after Harvard.

5. University of Oxford

The 2019 results see Oxford overtake Cambridge in our list of the world’s best universities, climbing one place to rank fifth in the world and first out of the UK’s 76 entries, with top-10 scores for its academic and employer reputations as well as its faculty/student ratio.

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

The smallest university in the top 10, Caltech retains its position of fourth in the world this year. Students benefit from an excellent student/faculty ratio, and Caltech also beats rival MIT in the citations per faculty member indicator, for which it’s ranked fifth in the world.

3. Harvard University

Harvard continues to rank third in the world as of the 2019 results but remains first in the world for both employer and academic reputation.

2. Stanford University

Also retaining its position from last year is Stanford, which achieves its best scores for its reputation among academics and employers (fifth for both).

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

And finally, MIT appears to be unbeatable as the world’s highest-ranked university, holding on to the top spot for a record seventh year in a row this year. MIT also gets its highest scores for its reputations with academics and employers, at third and fourth respectively.

Best universities in the world by location

Looking beyond the UK, US and Switzerland, see below to find out the top university in each of the other 82 countries included in the ranking.

Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires – ranked 73 rd in the world

Australia: Australian National University (ANU) – ranked 24 th

Austria: Universität Wien (University of Vienna) – ranked joint 175 th

Azerbaijan: Baku State University – ranked 801-1000

Bahrain: University of Bahrain – ranked 801-1000

Bangladesh: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and the University of Dhaka – both ranked 801-1000

Belarus: Belarus State University – ranked 354 th

Belgium: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – ranked 81 st

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo School of Science and Technology – ranked 571-580

Brazil: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – ranked 118 th

Brunei Darussalam: University of Brunei Darussalam – ranked joint 323 rd

Bulgaria: Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – ranked 801-1000

Canada: University of Toronto – ranked 28 th

Chile: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – ranked joint 132 nd

China: Tsinghua University – ranked 17 th

Colombia: Universidad de Los Andes Colombia – ranked joint 272 nd

Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica – ranked 501-510

Croatia: University of Zagreb – ranked 801-1000

Cuba: Universidad de la Habana – ranked 511-520

Czech Republic: Charles University – ranked joint 317 th

Denmark: University of Copenhagen – ranked joint 79 th

Ecuador: Universidad de San Francisco de Quito – ranked 701-750

Egypt: American University in Cairo – ranked joint 420 th

Estonia: University of Tartu – ranked joint 321 st

Finland: University of Helsinki – ranked 110 th

France: Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University (PSL) – ranked 50 th

Germany: Technische Universität München – ranked 61 st

Greece: National Technical University of Athens – ranked joint 446 th

Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong (HKU) – ranked 25 th

Hungary: University of Szeged – ranked joint 470 th

India: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) – ranked 162 nd

Indonesia: University of Indonesia – ranked joint 292 nd

Iran: Sharif University of Technology – ranked 432 nd

Iraq: University of Baghdad – ranked 651-700

Israel: Hebrew University of Jerusalem – ranked 154 th

Italy: Politecnico di Milano – ranked joint 156 th

Japan: University of Tokyo – ranked 23 rd

Jordan: University of Jordan – ranked 601-650

Kazakhstan: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University – ranked 220 th

Kenya: University of Nairobi – ranked 801-1000

Kuwait: Kuwait University – ranked 801-1000

Latvia: Riga Technical University – ranked 751-800

Lebanon: American University of Beirut (AUB) – ranked joint 237 th

Lithuania: Vilnius University – ranked 488 th

Macao, S.A.R., China: University of Macau – ranked joint 443 rd

Malaysia: Universiti Malaya (UM) – ranked joint 87 th

Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) – ranked 113 th

Morocco: Al Akhawayn University Ifrane – ranked 801-1000

Netherlands: Delft University of Technology – ranked 52 nd

New Zealand: University of Auckland – ranked 85 th

Norway: University of Oslo – ranked 135 th

Oman: Sultan Qaboos University – ranked joint 450 th

Pakistan: Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) – ranked joint 397 th

Palestine: Birzeit University – ranked 801-1000

Peru: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – ranked 551-560

Philippines: University of the Philippines – ranked joint 384 th

Poland: University of Warsaw – ranked joint 394 th

Portugal: University of Porto – ranked 328 th

Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico – ranked 801-1000

Qatar: Qatar University – ranked joint 332 nd

Republic of Ireland: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) – ranked joint 104 th

Romania: Has five universities all ranked 801-1000, including Alexandru Ioan Cuza University

Russia: Lomonosov Moscow State University – ranked 90 th

Saudi Arabia: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) – ranked 189 th

Serbia: University of Belgrade – ranked 801-1000

Singapore: National University of Singapore (NUS) – ranked 11 th

Slovakia: Comenius University in Bratislava and Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava – both ranked 751-800

Slovenia: University of Ljubljana – ranked 651-700

South Africa: University of Cape Town – ranked joint 200 th

South Korea: Seoul National University (SNU) – ranked 36 th

Spain: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid – ranked 159 th

Sri Lanka: University of Colombo – ranked 801-1000

Sweden: Lund University – ranked 92 nd

Taiwan: National Taiwan University (NTU) – ranked 72 nd

Thailand: Culalongkorn University – ranked 271 st

Turkey: Koç University – ranked joint 448 th

Ukraine: V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University – ranked joint 481 st

United Arab Emirates: Khalifa University– ranked 315 th

Uruguay: Universidad de Montevideo – ranked 531-540

Venezuela: Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) – ranked 751-800

Top Universities in the World 2018

Updated June 24, 2019 Updated June 24, 2019

Click here to discover the top universities in the world in 2020.

It’s here. Nearly 1,000 universities from 84 destinations around the world are included in the QS World University Rankings® 2018, providing you with the only resource you need to refer to when deciding which universities to apply to. If you really want to be among the best of the best, these are the ten universities you should attend.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

It’s six years in a row at the top for MIT, with the US university continuing to show everyone else how its done. At the heart of its incredible record in our rankings is an extremely strong reputation among both fellow academics and employers, as well as the fact MIT is responsible for an impressive number of academic citations per faculty.

2. Stanford University

There’s no change at number two either, with the Silicon Valley-based Stanford University continuing to hold off the challenge from Harvard. Stanford goes toe-to-toe with MIT in multiple of the indicators used to compile the rankings, but loses ground because of the university’s low international student ratio.

3. Harvard University

Having been second two years ago, Harvard is now cemented in third place in the rankings. The US university can at least take comfort from the fact it’s ranked best in the world for its reputation among academics surveyed for this ranking, a title it retains from previous years.

4. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Our first mover and shaker in the top 10 is Caltech, which rises one place from last year. At the heart of this improvement is a particularly good student to faculty ratio and an impressive number of citations produced per faculty.

5. University of Cambridge

Finally! After a clean sweep for the US in the top four, we eventually reach a university from another country. Cambridge was fourth last year so won’t be entirely happy with their slip down the ladder. It’s not all bad news though: the UK university is ranked best in the world for employer reputation and can at least enjoy bragging rights over a certain rival. Speaking of which…

6. University of Oxford

Still in sixth and still behind their arch-rivals Cambridge, the University of Oxford still has some ground to make up if they want to be the best in Britain. It does out-perform Cambridge in its ratio of international students and international faculty though, so maybe they can brag about that for the next year?

7. UCL (University College London)

Three UK universities in a row and it’s another non-mover from last year, suggesting fears British universities would suffer because of Brexit may have been overblown (for now). UCL has one of the most internationally diverse student bodies in the world.

8. Imperial College London

Climbing up the rankings one place is another London university, Imperial. The university is particularly well-regarded for its scientific and technical teaching, as well as its business school.

9. University of Chicago

It’s back to the US for ninth-placed University of Chicago, an improvement of one place from last year’s ranking. The university enjoys a particularly strong score for its reputation among academics.

10. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

Top universities in the world by location

Obviously, the above top ten isn’t much use if studying in the UK, US or Switzerland either doesn’t interest you or isn’t practical. Fortunately for you, we’ve also rounded up the best university from each of the other 81 locations included in this year’s ranking. Find a top university near to you in the list below.

Argentina: Universidad de Buenos Aires – ranked 75 th

Australia: Australian National University (ANU) – ranked 20 th

Austria: Universität Wien – ranked 154 th

Azerbaijan: Khazar University – ranked 701-750

Bahrain: Arabian Gulf University – ranked 411-420

Bangladesh: University of Dhaka – ranked 701-750

Belarus: Belarus State University – ranked joint 334 th

Belgium: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven – ranked joint 71 st

Brazil: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) – ranked 121 st

Brunei Darussalam: University of Brunei Darussalam – ranked joint 349 th

Bulgaria: Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – ranked 701-750

Canada: University of Toronto – ranked 31 st

Chile: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – ranked joint 137 th

China: Tsinghua University – ranked 25 th

Colombia: Universidad Nacional de Colombia – ranked joint 254 th

Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica – ranked 411-420

Croatia: University of Zagreb – ranked 601-650

Cuba: Universidad de la Habana – ranked 601-650

Czech Republic: Charles University – ranked joint 314 th

Denmark: University of Copenhagen – ranked joint 73 rd

Ecuador: Universidad de San Francisco de Quito – ranked 701-750

Egypt: American University in Cairo – ranked joint 395 th

Estonia: University of Tartu – ranked joint 314 th

Finland: University of Helsinki – ranked joint 102 nd

France: Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris (ENS Paris) – ranked 43 rd

Germany: Technische Universität München – ranked 64 th

Ghana: University of Ghana – ranked 801-1000

Greece: National Technical University of Athens – ranked 401-410

Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong (HKU) – ranked 26 th

Hungary: University of Szeged – ranked 501-550

India: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) – ranked 172 nd

Indonesia: University of Indonesia – ranked joint 277 th

Iran: Sharif University of Technology – ranked 471-480

Iraq: University of Baghdad – ranked 501-550

Israel: Hebrew University of Jerusalem – ranked 145 th

Italy: Politecnico di Milano – ranked 170 th

Japan: University of Tokyo – ranked joint 28 th

Jordan: University of Jordan – ranked 551-600

Kazakhstan: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University – ranked joint 236 th

Kenya: University of Nairobi – ranked 801-1000

Kuwait: Kuwait University – ranked 651-700

Latvia: Riga Technical University – ranked 651-700

Lebanon: American University of Beirut (AUB) – ranked 235 th

Lithuania: Vilnius University – ranked 401-410

Macao, S.A.R., China: University of Macau – ranked 501-550

Malaysia: Universiti Malaya (UM) – ranked joint 114 th

Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) – ranked joint 122 nd

Morocco: Université Mohammed V de Rabat – ranked 801-1000

Netherlands: Delft University of Technology – ranked 54 th

New Zealand: University of Auckland – ranked joint 82 nd

Norway: University of Oslo – ranked joint 142 nd

Oman: Sultan Qaboos University – ranked 451-460

Pakistan: National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Islamabad – ranked 431-440

Palestine: Birzeit University – ranked 801-1000

Peru: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú – ranked 431-440

Philippines: University of the Philippines – ranked joint 367 th

Poland: University of Warsaw – ranked 411-420

Portugal: University of Porto – ranked joint 301 st

Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico – ranked 801-1000

Qatar: Qatar University – ranked joint 349 th

Republic of Ireland: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) – ranked 88 th

Romania: University of Bucharest – ranked 701-750

Russia: Lomonosov Moscow State University – ranked joint 95 th

Saudi Arabia: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) – ranked joint 173 rd

Serbia: University of Belgrade – ranked 801-1000

Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – ranked 11 th

Slovakia: Comenius University in Bratislava – ranked 701-750

Slovenia: University of Ljubljana – ranked 651-700

South Africa: University of Cape Town – ranked 191 st

South Korea: Seoul National University (SNU) – ranked joint 36 th

Spain: Universitat de Barcelona (UB) – ranked 156 th

Sri Lanka: University of Colombo – ranked 751-800

Sweden: Lund University – ranked joint 78th

Taiwan: National Taiwan University (NTU) – ranked joint 76 th

Thailand: Culalongkorn University – ranked joint 245 th

Turkey: Bilkent University – ranked 421-430

Uganda: Makerere University – ranked 801-1000

Ukraine: V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University – ranked 401-410

United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates University – ranked 390 th

Uruguay: Universidad de Montevideo – ranked 501-550

Venezuela: Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) and Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) – both ranked 651-700

Business & Management Studies

Discover where to study with the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020: Business & Management Studies.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology).

Use the interactive table below to filter the rankings by location, and click on individual universities for more information. Registered users will also be able to use the site’s Compare function to see facts and statistics about multiple universities side-by-side.

You can also use our Course Matching Tool to identify the right degree for you. Simply answer a few simple questions about your academic record and what matters most to you when choosing a university and we’ll recommend the specific degree programs which suit you best.
Interested in other courses besides business & management studies? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 cover 48 different subjects. Click here to see the full list.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology).

Discover where to study with the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020: Business & Management Studies.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology).

The 10 Best Universities in the World

Career and Entrepreneurship Expert

Choosing a university is a difficult process. Aside from the short-term factors that you need to take into account, such as the reputation of the faculty, the quality of the course and the location of the campus, there’s also the long game to consider. After all, where you decide to study after leaving school can end up having a significant impact on your career prospects.

Therefore, it’s important to do your research. Uni and college tables can often give you a clear indication of which institutions are the best (although, of course, it’s worth remembering that this isn’t the only indication of suitability). To help you out, we’ve compiled a list from the latest QS World University Rankings in order to give you a definitive idea of the top 10.

So, if you’re looking to kick off your education – and your career – in the best possible way, why not think big and aim high? These are the 10 best universities in the world.

10. University College London (UCL)

Location: London, England

UCL was founded in 1826 and is marked as the first university in England to welcome women to university education. It was also the only university to accept students of all religions and social backgrounds before all other institutions in the country. UCL currently has over 18,000 students from around the world and it boasts 29 Nobel Prize winners in every decade since the Prize was launched.

UCL is highly reputable for its excellence in research – it was rated the top UK university for research strength in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) and it is there where a professor by the name of Sir William Ramsay won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1904 for his discovery of noble gases. UCL has 11 academic divisions with several of them positioned in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, including the UCL Institute of Education (1st) and archaeology (3rd).

9. University of Chicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois, US

A private research university founded in 1890, the University of Chicago has long maintained a reputation for academic excellence across a variety of disciplines, with 100 Nobel laureates, 27 Pulitzer Prize winners and countless domestic and international state officials among its alumni.

The Booth School of Business – one of the top business schools in the world – is part of the University of Chicago, while the University’s internal publishing house is the largest university press in the US. The Barack Obama Presidential Center, which will house several libraries, will also become a part of the college upon its completion in 2021.

8. Imperial College London

Location: London, UK

With a sole focus on science, engineering, medicine and business, Imperial College London is one of the most unique institutions in the country. Students at this university are dubbed ‘world-class researcher’” who focus on addressing global challenges through practical research. Hundreds of students receive hands-on research opportunities at the university’s many research centres as well as in different countries during the summer break at global universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US and Seoul National University in South Korea.

Since its establishment in 1907, Imperial College London has bragged more than 12 Nobel Prize winners, including Scottish scientist Sir Alexander Fleming, who famously discovered penicillin. The university also has numerous prestigious fellowships with the likes of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

7. University of Cambridge

Location: Cambridge, England

Although it doesn’t boast as much influence politically as its great rival, the University of Oxford (just the 15 Prime Ministers, in comparison), Cambridge graduates have been responsible for an incredible 120 Nobel Prizes, while its scientific alumni include such important figures as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking.

The university was founded by Oxford academics in the early 13th Century. It hosts a number of separate colleges (31 in all), while the university’s Footlights group is well known, too, having launched the careers of many British comedy actors such as Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and John Cleese.

6. ETH Zurich

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

The only top 10 entry outside of Britain or the US, the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich – otherwise known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich or, more simply, ETH Zurich – is a STEM-focused institution noted particularly for its contributions to physics and chemistry. Indeed, since its founding in 1855, 21 Nobel laureates – including none other than Albert Einstein himself – have spent time at ETH.

Undergraduate courses are taught in German (although English-taught postgraduate opportunities are available), while a second more rural campus – Science City – was constructed to celebrate the university’s 150th anniversary in 2005. The school is also known for the prestigious Polyball event, a traditional ball dating back to the 1880s in which over 10,000 people annually take part.

5. University of Oxford

Location: Oxford, England

As the oldest university in the English-speaking world (there is evidence of teaching as far back as the 11th Century), the University of Oxford boasts a history and influence in the UK that is quite remarkable. This includes 71 Nobel Prizes, 160 Olympic medals and 6 Turing Awards, while 27 British Prime Ministers (as well as numerous international heads of state) have received their education there.

Split into 38 member-colleges, each of which maintains its own unique traditions and culture, Oxford is known for its small teaching groups and tutorial-style of learning. It also features several prominent clubs and societies, including the Oxford Union (which regularly features world-famous speakers) and the notorious Bullingdon Club, a society similar in structure and influence to the Skull and Bones at the US’s Yale University. In addition, the university also boasts the world’s largest university press, as well as the world’s oldest university museum.

4. California Institute of Technology

Location: Pasadena, California, US

Founded in 1891, the California Institute of Technology – or Caltech, as it is often known – is a small but hugely influential research university, particularly within the fields of engineering and natural science. Indeed, the school currently boasts 74 Nobel laureates, while alumni have also contributed heavily to NASA missions and defence research projects. An unusually large amount of Caltech graduates also go on to earn PhDs.

The school shares a famous rivalry with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while, in recent years, has enjoyed a boost in profile through the television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, where many of the show’s main characters are fictionally employed.

3. Harvard University

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

The oldest educational institution in the US (the college was founded in 1636), Harvard is a byword for academic excellence and remains one of the most influential universities in the world. Alongside 8 former US Presidents, Harvard has also graduated a world-record 160 Nobel laureates, 14 Turing Award winners and 50 Pulitzer Prize recipients, as well as collectively amassing 10 Academy Awards and 108 Olympic medals. It’s also helped make a lot of people rich, too, with 188 living billionaires among its alumni.

It’s not just its students that set Harvard apart, either. While the school has pioneered numerous educational methods and processes that have been adopted or imitated by thousands of universities across the globe, its wider cultural influence has also been felt elsewhere. Many of the fundamental rule changes in American Football were made at Harvard, for example, while Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg – two former attendees – have revolutionised the technological world.

2. Stanford University

Location: Palo Alto, California, US

Established in 1891, Leland Stanford Junior University – or simply Stanford, as it is much more commonly known – is one of the wealthiest research universities in the world and, given its close proximity to and links with Silicon Valley, one of the most influential. To date, its alumni has amassed 83 Nobel Prizes, 28 Turing Awards (a record) and 270 Olympic medals, as well as produced 17 astronauts and 30 living billionaires.

Companies that have close links with Stanford include Google (which started life as a research project for PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin), Cisco (whose founders Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner were employed by Stanford while developing the company’s hardware), and Hewlett-Packard (whose founders, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, met while at the university). The school has also been responsible for some of the most ground-breaking discoveries in computer science history, as well as produced important research in the natural sciences.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Founded in 1861 and located just across town from Harvard, MIT is a hugely important research university that has contributed heavily to some of the most important scientific achievements of the last 100 years. Its alumni contain 97 Nobel laureates, 26 Turing Award winners and 41 astronauts, while the university’s strong entrepreneurial culture has also resulted in the formation of some of the world’s best companies.

Unlike many other institutions, MIT does not award honorary degrees or athletic scholarships, while students are renowned for their elaborate pranks and ‘hacks’, many of which are the result of the aforementioned rivalry with Caltech. There are also numerous clubs, societies and traditions within the university, some of which host high-profile programming and robotics competitions.

Of course, as mentioned previously, just because a particular school has a good reputation, it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the best option; there are countless things to consider when applying to university, after all.

But it’s also undeniable that attaining a degree from the universities on this list can be absolutely life-changing for your student life, career prospects and your potential network. If you can get the grades – and afford the tuition – then you should certainly consider them as potential study destinations.

Are you surprised to see some of the entries on the list of the best universities in the world or shocked others didn’t make the cut? Let us know in the comments section below!

This article is an updated version of an earlier article originally published on 13 September 2017 and was written in collaboration with Angela Stephanou.

Computer Science and Information Systems

Discover where to study with the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020: Computer Science and Information Systems.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact (click here to read the full methodology).
Use the interactive table below to filter the rankings by location, and click on individual universities for more information. Registered users will also be able to use the site’s Compare function to see facts and statistics about multiple universities side-by-side.
You can also use our Course Matching Tool to identify the right degree for you. Simply answer a few simple questions about your academic record and what matters most to you when choosing a university and we’ll recommend the specific degree programs which suit you best.
Interested in other courses besides Computer Science? The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 cover 48 different subjects. Click here to see the full list.

Discover where to study with the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020: Computer Science and Information Systems.

Engineering & Technology

Discover where to study with the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020: Engineering and Technology

As well as this broad subject area ranking, rankings are also available which show the top universities in the world for the following individual Engineering & Technology subjects:

Interested in another subject area? Compare the world’s top universities for Arts & Humanities, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences & Management.

Want to learn how these rankings are compiled? Click here to read more about our methodology.