Top Universities in the World 2023 - QS, THE, ARWU Ranking
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Download PDFTop Universities in the World 2023 – Students from the world over aspire to study at the top universities. International universities have also made provisions to cater students from around the world. More than 5 million students each year vie to join them.
With nearly 5 million students jumping on the study abroad bandwagon, universities across the world are engaged in a serious competition to attract international students to their classrooms. World university rankings, in this case, are a major focal point around which international students are increasingly basing their decisions.
The top universities in the world 2023 are ranked based on various parameters by three major ranking agencies; Times Higher Education (THE), Quacquarelli Symonds(QS) and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). 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.
The USA, UK and Germany are the countries with most universities in the top 200. USA tops the top universities in the world 2023 list with 45, 57 and 62 universities in the QS 2022, THE 2022 and ARWU 2022 ranking tables. The United Kingdom being the close second with 26, 28 universities in QS and THE ranking tables and 20 in the ARWU chart. While Germany has the third highest number of universities according to the QS (11) and THE (22) rankings. New Zealand, Singapore, Russia, Hong Kong maintain their last year's number in all the three rankings.
Countries and their number of universities within top 2023, 2022, 2021
Country | QS | THE | ARWU | ||||
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | |
45 | 45 | 46 | 57 | 59 | 60 | 62 | |
8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | |
Top Universities in UK | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 20 |
Top Universities in France | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
Top Universities in Switzerland | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Top Universities in Germany | 11 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 10 |
Top Universities in Netherlands | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Top Universities in Denmark | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Top Universities in Italy | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Top Universities in Spain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Top Universities in Ireland | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Top Universities in Russia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Top Universities in Japan | 8 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Top Universities in South Korea | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Top Universities in China | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Top Universities in India | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - |
Top Universities in Malaysia | 5 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - |
Top Universities in Singapore | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Topic Universities in New Zealand | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
13 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | |
Top Universities in Hong Kong | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - |
Top Universities in UAE | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
QS Ranking Methodology
The ranking methodology for the top universities in the world 2022 is different for different ranking engines. The most well-known ranking methodology, the QS 2022 ranking uses six metrics. The metrics are:
Metric | Weightage |
Academic Reputation | 40 % |
Employer Reputation | 10 % |
Faculty/Student Ratio | 20 % |
Citation per faculty | 20 % |
International Faculty Ratio | 5 % |
International Student Ratio | 5 % |
Top Universities in the World 2023 by QS
S.NO | University | Country | QS Rank | |
2022 | 2021 | |||
1. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | United States | 1 | 1 |
2. | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 2 | 5 |
3. | Stanford University | United States | 3 | 2 |
4. | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 3 | 7 |
5. | Harvard University | United States | 5 | 3 |
6. | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | United States | 6 | 4 |
7. | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 7 | 8 |
8. | ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | Switzerland | 8 | 6 |
9. | UCL (University College London) | United Kingdom | 8 | 10 |
10. | University of Chicago | United States | 10 | 9 |
11. | National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore | 11 | 11 |
12. | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) | Singapore | 12 | 13 |
13. | University of Pennsylvania | United States | 13 | 16 |
14. | Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) | Switzerland | 14 | 14 |
15. | Yale University | United States | 14 | 17 |
16. | The University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 16 | 20 |
17. | Tsinghua University | China (Mainland) | 17 | 15 |
18. | Peking University | China (Mainland) | 18 | 23 |
19. | Columbia University | United States | 19 | 19 |
20. | Princeton University | United States | 20 | 12 |
21. | Cornell University | United States | 21 | 18 |
22. | The University of Hongkong | Hong Kong | 22 | 22 |
23. | The University of Tokyo | Japan | 23 | 24 |
24. | University of Michigan- Ann Arbor | United States | 23 | 21 |
25. | Johns Hopkins University | United States | 25 | 25 |
26. | University of Toronto | Canada | 26 | 25 |
27. | McGill University | Canada | 27 | 31 |
28. | The Australian National University | Australia | 27 | 31 |
29. | The University of Manchester | United Kingdom | 27 | 27 |
30 | Northwestern University | United States | 30 | 29 |
31. | Fudan University | China (Mainland) | 31 | 34 |
32. | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | United States | 32 | 30 |
33. | Kyoto University | Japan | 33 | 38 |
34. | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong | 34 | 27 |
35. | King’s College London | United Kingdom | 35 | 31 |
36. | Seoul National University | South Korea | 36 | 37 |
37. | The University of Melbourne | Australia | 37 | 41 |
38. | The University of Sydney | Australia | 38 | 40 |
39. | The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) | Hong Kong | 39 | 43 |
40. | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | United States | 40 | 36 |
41. | KAIST- Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology | South Korea | 41 | 39 |
42. | New York University (NYU) | United States | 42 | 35 |
43. | The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) | Australia | 43 | 44 |
44. | Université PSL | France | 44 | 52 |
45. | Zhejiang University | China (Mainland) | 45 | 53 |
46. | University of British Columbia | Canada | 46 | 45 |
47. | The University of Queensland | Australia | 47 | 46 |
48. | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | United States | 48 | 54 |
49. | Institut Polytechnique de Paris | France | 49 | - |
50. | The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | United Kingdom | 49 | 49 |
Source: topuniversities.com
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Times Higher Education Ranking methodology (THE)
The Times Higher Education Ranking methodology for the top universities in the world 2023 considers five indicators teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
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 2023 by Times Higher Education (THE)
S. No | Universities | Country | THE Rank | |
2022 | 2021 | |||
1. | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 1 | 1 |
2. | California Institute of Technology | United States | 2 | 4 |
3. | Harvard University | United States | 2 | 3 |
4. | Stanford University | United States | 4 | 2 |
5. | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 5 | 6 |
6. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States | 5 | 5 |
7. | Princeton University | United States | 7 | 9 |
8. | University of California, Berkeley | United States | 8 | 7 |
9. | Yale University | United States | 9 | 8 |
10. | The University of Chicago | United States | 10 | 10 |
11. | Columbia University | United States | 11 | 17 |
12. | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 12 | 11 |
13. | Johns Hopkins University | United States | 13 | 12 |
14. | University of Pennsylvania | United States | 13 | 13 |
15. | ETH Zurich | Switzerland | 15 | 14 |
16. | Peking University | China (Mainland) | 16 | 23 |
17. | Tsinghua University | China (Mainland) | 16 | 20 |
18. | University of Toronto | Canada | 18 | 18 |
19. | UCL | United Kingdom | 18 | 16 |
20. | University of California, Los Angeles | United States | 20 | 15 |
21. | National University of Singapore | Singapore | 21 | 25 |
22. | Cornell University | United States | 22 | 19 |
23. | Duke University | United States | 23 | 20 |
24. | University of Michigan- Ann Arbor | United States | 24 | 22 |
25. | Northwestern University | United States | 24 | 24 |
26. | New York University | United States | 26 | 26 |
27. | London School of Economics and Political Science | United Kingdom | 27 | 27 |
28. | Carnegie Mellon University | United States | 28 | 28 |
29. | University of Washington | United States | 29 | 29 |
30. | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 30 | 30 |
31. | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 30 | 39 |
32. | LMU Munich | Germany | 32 | 32 |
33. | University of Melbourne | Australia | 33 | 31 |
34. | University of California, San Diego | United States | 34 | 33 |
35. | King’s College London | United Kingdom | 35 | 35 |
36. | The University of Tokyo | Japan | 35 | 36 |
37. | University of British Columbia | Canada | 37 | 34 |
38. | Technical University of Munich | Germany | 38 | 41 |
39. | Karolinska Institute | Sweden | 39 | 36 |
40. | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland | 40 | 43 |
41. | Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris | France | 40 | 46 |
42. | Heidelberg University | Germany | 42 | 42 |
43. | KU Leuven | Belgium | 42 | 45 |
44. | McGill University | Canada | 44 | 40 |
45. | Georgia Institute of Technology | United States | 45 | 38 |
46. | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore | 46 | 47 |
47. | University of Texas at Austin | United States | 47 | 44 |
48. | University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign | United States | 48 | 48 |
49. | Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 49 | 56 |
50. | University of Manchester | United Kingdom | 50 | 51 |
Source: timeshighereducation.com
ARWU Ranking Parameters
Top universities in the world 2023 as ranked by the Shanghai Ranking takes a similar metric as the above two but the percentage of weight allotted to each is different.
Criteria | Indicator | Code | Weight |
Quality of Education | Alumni of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals | Alumni | 10% |
Quality of Faculty | Staff of an institution winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals | Award HiCi | 20% |
Highly cited researchers | |||
Research Output | Paper published in Nature and Science* | N&S PUB | 20% |
Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Science Citation Index | |||
Per Capita Performance | Per capita academic performance of an institution | PCP | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Top Universities in the World- ARWU Ranking 2022
S.No | University | 2021 | 2020 |
1. | Harvard University | 1 | 1 |
2. | Stanford University | 2 | 2 |
3. | University of Cambridge | 3 | 3 |
4. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 4 | 4 |
5. | University of California, Berkeley | 5 | 5 |
6. | Princeton University | 6 | 6 |
7. | University of Oxford | 7 | 7 |
8. | Columbia University | 8 | 8 |
9. | California Institute of Technology | 9 | 9 |
10. | University of Chicago | 10 | 10 |
11. | Yale University | 11 | 11 |
12. | Cornell University | 12 | 12 |
13. | Paris Saclay university | 13 | 14 |
14. | University of California, Los Angeles | 14 | 13 |
15. | University of Pennsylvania | 15 | 19 |
16. | John Hopkins University | 16 | 15 |
17. | University College London | 17 | 16 |
18. | University of California, San Diego | 18 | 18 |
19. | University of Washington | 19 | 16 |
20. | University of California, San Francisco | 20 | 21 |
21. | ETH Zurich | 21 | 20 |
22. | University of Toronto | 22 | 23 |
23. | Washington University in St. Louis | 23 | 23 |
24. | The University of Tokyo | 24 | 26 |
25. | Imperial College London | 25 | 25 |
26. | University of Michigan- Ann Arbor | 26 | 22 |
27. | New York University | 27 | 27 |
28. | Tsinghua University | 28 | 29 |
29. | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 29 | 30 |
30. | University of Copenhagen | 30 | 33 |
31. | University of Wisconsin Madison | 31 | 32 |
32. | Duke University | 32 | |
33. | The University of Melbourne | 33 | 35 |
34. | Northwestern University | 34 | 30 |
35. | Sorbonne University | 35 | 39 |
36. | The University of Manchester | 35 | 35 |
37. | Kyoto University | 37 | 37 |
38. | PSL University | 38 | 36 |
39. | The University of Edinburgh | 38 | 42 |
40. | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | 40 | 40 |
41. | The University of Texas at Austin | 41 | 41 |
42. | Karolinska Institute | 42 | 45 |
43. | Rockefeller University | 42 | 43 |
44. | University of British Columbia | 42 | 38 |
45. | Peking University | 45 | 49 |
46. | University of Colorado at Boulder | 46 | 44 |
47. | King’s College London | 47 | 47 |
48. | The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas | 48 | 48 |
49. | University of Munich | 48 | 51 |
50. | Utrecht University | 50 | 52 |
Source: shanghairanking.com
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Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - Top Universities in the World 2023 - QS, THE, ARWU Ranking
Question: Why are university rankings important?
Answer:
University rankings help students to differentiate between colleges and find the best college suited to their needs.
Question: How can students use university rankings to their advantage?
Answer:
Students can use the rankings to differentiate between universities and choose the most suitable one. If they have shortlisted say, seven universities, they can use the rankings to narrow it down to three and proceed with their application.
Question: How does the ranking of international universities help a student to study abroad?
Answer:
The ranking of universities in the world by different reputed agencies such as QS, THE or ARWU will help a student shortlist the best universities to make the application process easier.
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