The latest Times Higher Education (THE) ranking assessed 2,297 universities in 118 countries, with the number of ranking participants growing by 4%. The overall trend mirrors last year: Asian universities are confidently climbing up the ranking.
Leaders: top 10
For the 11th consecutive time, Oxford University has become the leader of the Times Higher Education ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) trailed behind it by just 0.1 points (!). For Oxford University, the ranking noted the highest research productivity, international co-authorship, and a strong ratio of doctoral students to staff (a very developed PhD sector). MIT stood out for research citation impact and research quality, as well as the student-to-staff ratio.
The THE-2027 top 10 looks like this:
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
3. Princeton University and Stanford University (tied for the place),
7. California Institute of Technology (CalTech),
9. University of California, Berkeley and Yale University (tied for the place).
Asia overtakes continental Europe for the first time
The biggest news is the rise of Asian universities.
- Tsinghua University (China) took 11th place, overtaking ETH Zurich (Switzerland). This is the first time in history that an Asian university has ranked above a continental European one. The gain was driven by a significant increase in international faculty and students, although the level of international research collaboration remains somewhat low,
- Peking University — 13th place,
- National University of Singapore (NUS) — 15th place,
- Nanyang Technological University (NTU) — 28th place.
In THE-2027, China is represented by as many as 17 universities (compared to only 13 in previous years), and 71% of the institutions represented improved their positions.
Malaysia entered the top 200 for the first time: the country's state education strategy is aimed at turning it into a major international education hub, so local universities are actively improving their internationalization metrics and attracting students, faculty, and staff from abroad.
Japanese universities were slightly less dynamic: University of Tokyo dropped one position to 27th place, while Kyoto University shares 62nd place. Institute of Science Tokyo lost almost 20 positions, though it retained its place in the top 200.
How are Western universities faring in the ranking?
The top 10 is still represented by universities from the US and the UK, though experts note a weakening across a number of criteria.
- The UK is represented in the top 200 by 25 universities: 12 institutions improved their positions, three held steady, and ten dropped in the ranking.
- The US broke into the top 200 with 53 universities, with 33% of American institutions in this group improving their positions and 46% dropping.
