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Top Universities in the World in 2025 - Rankings by QS, THE, ARWU
Edited By Prabhjyot Kaur | Updated on Nov 26, 2024 06:30 PM IST | #IELTS
Top 100 Universities int he World 2025: Students worldwide aspire to study at the top universities. A major focal point for choosing the top universities worldwide is the world university rankings released by QS and Times Higher Education (THE). QS World University Rankings 2025 ranked over 1500 institutions from 105 countries worldwide. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, US has been ranked number 1 among the top universities in the world by QS World University Rankings 2025 for 13 years in a row. The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford are ranked 2nd and 3rd in the QS ranking, respectively.
This Story also Contains
- Top Universities in the World 2025
- World University Rankings 2025: Key Insights
- Best Universities in the World 2025
- QS World University Rankings Methodology 2025
- Times Higher Education Ranking Methodology 2025
- Top Universities in the World for Subject-Wise
- Admission Requirements for Top Universities in the World 2025
THE World University Rankings 2025 features 2,092 universities across 108 countries and regions. The University of Oxford secured the first rank in THE World University Rankings 2025 for 9 consecutive years. THE ranked Stanford University 3rd and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2nd among the top universities in the world 2025.
More than 5 million students each year travel abroad to join top universities in the world. With nearly 5 million students jumping on the study abroad bandwagon, top unis worldwide are engaged in a serious competition to attract international students to their classrooms. International students are increasingly basing their decisions on the World University Rankings 2025 to select the good universities in the world for higher education. A few of the top study destinations including USA, United Kingdom, Australia, China, etc. are highly popular and have the highest number of top universities in the world. Read the article to know the top 100 universities in the World 2025.
Top Universities in the World 2025
The top universities abroad or local, i.e., in the world 2025 are ranked based on various parameters by two major ranking bodies; Times Higher Education (THE), and Quacquarelli Symonds(QS). The various parameters on which these ranking engines rank the universities are: academic or research performance, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices, and the per capita academic performance of an institution.
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Download EBookThe USA, UK, and Australia have the maximum number of universities in the top 100 universities for 2025 list drawn by QS or THE. The USA has the maximum number of top higher education institutes in the global universities ranking followed by UK and China. This reflects that these countries focus hugely on maintaining the quality of their higher education institutes. Also, these countries give a lot of weightage to research, so, students attain firsthand knowledge and do not just limit their teaching to rot learning.
Apart from this, Canada, Germany, Ireland, and Australia are some of the popular study-abroad destinations that have been included in the top universities in the world list. Ultimately, the best choice for top universities in the world 2025 depends on the requirements of an individual as well as the visa requirements of a particular country.
Explore top study abroad destinations
World University Rankings 2025: Key Insights
Over 1,500 universities across 105 higher education systems are featured in the QS WUR 2025 whereas exactly 2,092 universities are mentioned in the THE WUR 2025. The majority of universities that are among the top universities worldwide are located in the USA, followed by the UK and China. Here is an overview of what is covered in the world university rankings provided by QS and THE.
- MIT stands at 2nd place in THE Rankings 2025 whereas it maintained its rank at 1st for 13 years.
- Oxford University holds the 1st place for the last 9 years as per THE. On the other hand, it is at 3rd as per QS 2025.
- Rankings of the five top universities in Australia declined due its low performance to the latest updated outlook as per THE.
- Top 5 universities in the world as per QS 2025 include MIT, Imperial College London, Oxford, Harvard, and Cambridge.
- Top 5 universities in the world as per THE 2025 include
Best Universities in the World 2025
Here are the 100 top universities in the world for 2025 based on THE and QS World University Rankings. Among the top 1,500 institutions listed by QS, the top 100 universities in the world for 2025 are provided below. We have also included THE rankings of these top universities.
Top 100 Universities in the World: QS & THE Rankings 2025
University | QS WUR 2025 | THE WUR 2025 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | 2 |
Imperial College London | 2 | 9 |
3 | 1 | |
4 | 3 | |
5 | 5 | |
6 | 6 | |
ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | 7 | 11 |
National University of Singapore (NUS) | 8 | 17 |
9 | 22 | |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 10 | 7 |
University of Pennsylvania | 11 | 14 |
University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 12 | 8 |
13 | 39 | |
14 | 13 | |
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) | 15 | 30 |
Cornell University | 16 | 20 |
University of Hong Kong | 17 | 35 |
University of Sydney | 18 | 61 |
University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | 19 | 83 |
Tsinghua University | 20 | 12 |
University of Chicago | 21 | 14 |
22 | 4 | |
23 | 10 | |
Université PSL | 24 | 42 |
25 | 21 | |
EPFL | 26 | 32 |
27 | 29 | |
28 | 26 | |
29 | 45 | |
The Australian National University | 30 | 73 |
Seoul National University | 31 | 62 |
Johns Hopkins University | 32 | 16 |
The University of Tokyo | 32 | 28 |
34 | 18 | |
34 | 53 | |
Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) | 36 | 44 |
Monash University | 37 | 58 |
38 | 41 | |
Fudan University | 39 | 36 |
40 | 36 | |
40 | 77 | |
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | 42 | 18 |
New York University (NYU) | 43 | 33 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 44 | 22 |
Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 45 | 52 |
Institut Polytechnique de Paris | 46 | 71 |
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | 47 | 66 |
Zhejiang University | 47 | 47 |
Delft University of Technology | 49 | 56 |
Kyoto University | 50 | 55 |
Northwestern University | 50 | 31 |
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 50 | 50 |
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology | 53 | 82 |
University of Bristol | 54 | 78 |
55 | 58 | |
Yonsei University | 56 | 102 |
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 57 | 84 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 58 | 24 |
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München | 59 | 38 |
Universiti Malaya (UM) | 60 | 251-300 |
Duke University | 61 | 27 |
City University of Hong Kong | 62 | 80 |
KU Leuven | 63 | 43 |
Sorbonne University | 63 | 76 |
65 | 152 | |
University of Texas at Austin | 66 | 50 |
Korea University | 67 | 189 |
National Taiwan University (NTU) | 68 | 172 |
University of Warwick | 69 | 106 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 69 | 46 |
Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) | 71 | – |
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | 72 | 34 |
Université Paris-Saclay | 73 | 64 |
KTH Royal Institute of Technology | 74 | 95 |
Lund University | 75 | 95 |
University of Washington | 76 | 25 |
University of Western Australia | 77 | 149 |
University of Glasgow | 78 | 87 |
Brown University | 79 | 58 |
80 | 93 | |
University of Southampton | 80 | 115 |
University of Adelaide | 82 | 128 |
University of Leeds | 82 | 123 |
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg | 84 | 47 |
Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) | 84 | 195 |
Osaka University | 86 | 162 |
Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin | 87 | 139 |
University of Technology Sydney | 88 | 154 |
Durham University | 89 | 172 |
Pennsylvania State University | 89 | 100 |
Purdue University | 89 | 79 |
Universidade de São Paulo | 92 | 199 |
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) | 93 | 501-600 |
Lomonosov Moscow State University | 94 | 107 |
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | 94 | 801–1000 |
96 | 116 | |
Freie Universitaet Berlin | 97 | 104 |
Pohang University of Science And Technology (POSTECH) | 98 | 151 |
RWTH Aachen University | 99 | 92 |
University of Copenhagen | 100 | 97 |
Why is QS World University ranking reliable?
QS Rankings are considered by many aspirants when selecting among the top universities in the world 2025 for their studies abroad. QS rankings provide an overall picture of a university. The most significant factors like student/faculty ratio, international students, employment outcomes, and sustainability. Sustainability refers to the potential of a university to stand well in the years to come. This is decided based on the research quality, presence of faculty, and curriculum adopted among others.
What is Times Higher Education ranking? Is it reliable?
Times Higher Education rankings have the highest number of factors in their ranking process. If students are looking for both research quality and reputation among employers, Times Higher Education rankings are the best to consider. Teaching reputation carries the highest weightage in THE followed by research quality. Teaching in universities is ranked based on surveys regarding the quality of teaching. THE rankings give an overall view of a university.
QS World University Rankings Methodology 2025
Top universities in the world 2025 rankings are different for different ranking engines. The most well-known ranking methodology, the QS ranking 2025 uses six metrics.
QS uni rankings methodology
Metric | Weightage |
Academic Reputation | 40 % |
Employer Reputation | 10 % |
Faculty/Student Ratio | 20 % |
Citation per faculty | 20 % |
International Faculty Ratio | 5 % |
International Student Ratio | 5 % |
Times Higher Education Ranking Methodology 2025
The Times Higher Education Ranking methodology for the top universities in the world 2025 considers five indicators teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.
Ranking Parameters for Universities by THE
Indicator | Weight |
Teaching (the learning environment) | 30% |
Research (volume, income, and reputation) | 30% |
Citations (research influence) | 30% |
International outlook (staff, students, research) | 7.5% |
Industry income (knowledge transfer) | 2.5% |
Top Universities in the World for Subject-Wise
Candidates who have decided on their stream and looking for the best universities in that domain can check the best universities for subject-wise categories. The subject-wise top universities in the world for masters are listed below.
Top Universities in the World for Business
Name of the University | QS 2024 Ranking for MBA |
Stanford Graduate School of Business | 1 |
Penn (Wharton) | 2 |
Harvard Business School | 3 |
London Business School | 4 |
HEC Paris | 5 |
MIT (Sloan) | 6 |
Columbia Business School | 7 |
IE Business School | 8 |
| Cambridge (Judge) | 9 |
IESE Business School | 9 |
| 11 |
Top Universities in the World for MBA
Name of the University | THE 2024 Ranking for MBA |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 |
Stanford University | 2 |
Harvard University | 3 |
| University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
| University of Cambridge | 5 |
University of Oxford | 5 |
University of Chicago | 7 |
Tsinghua University | 8 |
Yale University | 9 |
Peking University | 10 |
Top Universities in the World for Masters
Name of the University | QS 2024 Ranking |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA | 1 |
University of Cambridge, UK | 2 |
University of Oxford, UK | 3 |
Harvard University, USA | 4 |
Stanford University, USA | 5 |
Imperial College London, UK | 6 |
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland | 7 |
National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore | 8 |
University College London (UCL), UK | 9 |
University of California, Berkeley (UCB), USA | 10 |
Top Universities in the World for Engineering
Name of the University | QS 2024 Ranking for Engineering |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA | 1 |
Stanford University, USA | 2 |
Oxford University, UK | 3 |
University of Cambridge, UK | 4 |
University of California, Berkeley (UCB), USA | 5 |
ETH Zurich, Switzerland | 6 |
Imperial College London, UK | 7 |
Harvard University, USA | 8 |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA | 9 |
| EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne | 10 |
Top Universities in the World for Computer Science
Name of the University | QS 2024 Ranking for Computer Science |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA | 1 |
Carnegie Mellon University, USA | 2 |
Stanford University, USA | 3 |
University of Oxford, UK | 4 |
University of California, Berkeley (UCB), USA | 5 |
National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore | 6 |
Harvard University, USA | 7 |
Cambridge University, UK | 8 |
ETH Zurich, Switzerland | 9 |
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) | 10 |
Note: Candidates can apply for the admission exams of these respective universities to get enrolled in the courses. Depending on the course the entrance exams like GRE, GMAT, and SAT and get varies. Each university has its own cut-off marks and selection criteria for admission purposes. Candidate can check them individually and proceed with their study abroad goals.
Admission Requirements for Top Universities in the World 2025
Admission requirements for the world’s top 100 universities vary based on the course chosen by a student and the entry requirements of a university. However, each university has a few general admission requirements which include academic scores, entrance exams, and documents to make a strong application. A few of these entry requirements to study at the best universities in the world 2025 are listed below:
Academic Performance: All applicants are required to have a high academic score in their high school and their bachelor’s (if applying for a master’s degree). Admissions to the top 100 universities are highly competitive, hence students are expected to maintain a high GPA throughout their studies.
Test Scores: Depending on the university and the course chosen, students must have a valid score in SAT, ACT, GMAT, or GRE exams. All international students are required to meet the English language requirement and hence must submit a valid IELTS or TOEFL score.
Extracurricular Activities: Candidates are required to have an involvement in extracurricular activities, and show that they are all-rounder. In addition to having excellent academic results, students must be involved in extracurricular activities by applying for internships, and leadership positions, and participating in artistic or athletic competitions.
Strong Application Documents: All applicants planning to seek admission to the top 100 universities in the world are required to have a strong application along with a well-written statement of purpose and letters of recommendation at the time of admission.
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6 min ⋆ Oct 09, 2024 11:10 AM ISTQuestions related to IELTS
Have a question related to IELTS ?
Hello,
One the most general tips for the preparation of both tests would be to go for a structured approach and understand the format of the tests respectively and work on improving grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation along with it take regular tests and reviews them. Both have 4 section, Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, so all four must be kept in focus, and thus you must plan your time according to your needs and areas of improvement.
Now, for TOEFL, it's recommended to use resources from ETS, that is, official materials and tests.
For IELTS, it's recommended to use resources from IDP, British Council and Cambridge, that give you sample tests and questions.
Wishing an all the very best for the test.
Vanshika Agarwal 07 December,2024
Hello Student,
For the AMC (Australian Medical Council) exam , which assesses international medical graduates for practice in Australia, the IELTS requirement is generally a minimum overall score of 7.0 , with no individual band score below 7.0 (in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking).
Alternatively, the AMC also accepts equivalent scores from OET, TOEFL iBT, and PTE Academic :
- OET : A grade of B in all four components.
- TOEFL iBT : A minimum overall score of 94, with minimum scores of 24 in Listening, 24 in Reading, 27 in Writing, and 23 in Speaking.
- PTE Academic : A minimum overall score of 65, with a minimum score of 65 in each communicative skill.
Meeting these requirements is essential to proceed with the AMC’s application and registration processes.
I hope this answer helps you. If you have more queries then feel free to share your questions with us we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you and wishing you all the best for your bright future.
kumardurgesh1802 31 October,2024
Hello
To be eligible for the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exams , candidates must demonstrate English .
AMC assessment process :
1. Accepted English Language Tests and Scores
IELTS ( International English Language Testing System ) :
Overall band score : 7.0 in each band ( listening , reading , writing and speaking ) .
PTE Academic ( Pearson Test of English Academic ) :
Overall score of 65 in each band ( listening , reading , writing and speaking ) .
2. Validity of Test Scores
The test results must be no older than two years at the time of submitting your AMC application .
3. Preparation Tips for IELTS
Practice regularly : Build your language skills across all four components .
Take practice exams : practice can help improve speed and accuracy .
professional coaching if needed , specially for writing and speaking , which are often the most challenging part .
Use official IELTS resources : Cambridge IELTS books , online mock tests and other reliable materials can give you an accurate rating .
4. Application Tips
Ensure that your English test scores are valid and meet the minimum requirements before applying .
Keep a copy of your scores as they may need to be provided to both the AMC and registration authority in Australia .
Hope this helps you .
All the best
Mitali Sharma 31 October,2024
If you have completed a master's degree in the UK, you might still need to take the IELTS test to qualify for a Permanent Residency (PR) or Work Visa in Australia. While your degree from an English-speaking country like the UK may demonstrate your proficiency in English, Australian immigration authorities typically require a standardized English language test score, such as IELTS, to assess your language skills formally.
For better guidance, Invicta Institute can provide you with detailed information and assistance regarding the specific English language requirements for Australian PR or Work Visa applications. Invicta's experienced counselors can help you navigate the process and determine if your UK degree suffices or if you need to take the IELTS test.
Amrita Koner 18 July,2024
Since you're currently in the first year of your Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com), planning ahead for your MBA abroad is a wise decision. The ideal time to take your IELTS exam is during your third year of B.Com. This timing ensures that your IELTS score, which is valid for two years, will still be valid when you apply for MBA programs.
chandresh iyer 03 June,2024
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