Asia rises, MIT holds Top spot as QS reveals 2026 World University Rankings

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18 Jun, 2025, 23:00 GMT

US and China gain ground, Italy and Saudi Arabia debut in top 100
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LONDON, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds have released the 22nd edition of the QS World University Rankings.

MIT retains the global #1 position for the 14th consecutive year. Imperial College London holds second place, while Stanford University surges to third.

Top 10 Universities (2026 / 2025)

1 / 1 MIT – US
2 / 2 Imperial College London – UK
3 / 6 Stanford University – US
4 / 3 University of Oxford – UK
5 / 4 Harvard University – US
6 / 5 University of Cambridge – UK
7 / 7 ETH Zurich – Switzerland
8 / 8 National University of Singapore – Singapore
9 / 9 UCL – UK
10 / 10 California Institute of Technology – US

This edition features 1,500+ institutions across 106 locations. The US leads with 192 ranked universities, followed by the UK (90) and Mainland China (72). India (54) and Germany (48) round out the top five.

Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said:
"We are witnessing a rebalancing of global academic influence. The Ranking highlights a shifting center of gravity in higher education—towards Asia, which now claims the highest number of ranked universities worldwide. While traditional powerhouses maintain strong positions, the data shows clear momentum in regions investing heavily in research capacity, internationalization, and long-term strategy. The QS World University Rankings illuminate not only institutional excellence, but also the evolving contours of global knowledge production. These shifts underscore an increasingly multipolar academic world—more competitive, more connected, and more ambitious than ever."

Highlights

Asia now leads with 565 ranked universities—more than Europe (487), the Americas (358), Africa (47), and Oceania (44). It also adds the most newcomers: 84, compared to 10 in the Americas, 9 in Europe, 8 in Africa, and 1 in Oceania.
US: Records more institutions improving than declining for the first time in seven years. Stanford rises due to Sustainability and International Faculty metrics. University of Chicago re-enters the top 20.
UK: Matches US with four top-10 entries. Remains a leader in International Student Ratio.
Canada: McGill overtakes Toronto as national leader (27th). Canada excels in Sustainability.
Australia: Two top-20 entries. University of Sydney drops to 25th; 71% of institutions fall.
China: 45% of institutions rise. Tsinghua climbs to 17th; Fudan jumps nine places to 30th.
India: IIT Delhi becomes top-ranked nationally (123rd), overtaking IIT Bombay.
Italy & Saudi Arabia: Enter the top 100 for the first time—Politecnico di Milano (98th), KFUPM (67th).
Africa: South Africa holds top four spots; Cape Town climbs 21 places to 150th.