THE World University Rankings 2026: Asia gains at Europe’s expense

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, released today, list a record 2,191 higher education institutions in 115 countries.

Top ten: The University of Oxford in the UK has retained its position at the top of the rankings, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA, which remains in second place.

The top five is completed by Princeton University and the University of Cambridge in joint third, and Harvard University, which drops to fifth place, joint with Stanford University.

The USA dominates the top ten with seven institutions, while the UK takes the remaining three places.

The University of Oxford was in first place for the 10th consecutive year.

Asia rising: The highest-placed institution from outside of the UK and the USA is Switzerland’s ETH Zurich, which remains in 11th place, followed by the two highest-ranked Asian schools – Tsinghua University and Peking University, both in China.

China has seven institutions in the top 100, all of which remained in the same place or increased their ranking, and a record five in the top 50 this year. A total of 18 Chinese universities achieved a best-ever rank, more than any other country.

The five universities from Hong Kong and the four South Korean universities in the top 100 also all improved their ranking, with the University of Hong Kong (33rd) and Seoul National University (joint 58th) the highest-placed respectively.

Europe declining: The authors highlighted that Germany experienced ranking drops with only 18 universities in the top 200, compared with 23 in 2020, and 11 had their worst-ever ranking, while eight of the 12 ranked Netherlands universities also slipped down the rankings.

For France, 22 institutions dropped, with 15 posting worst-ever performances, and the country had its lowest-ever representation in the top 500 at 11 institutions, compared with 14 in the previous year and 24 in 2017.

However, the University of Vienna entered the top 100 for the first time, and there were increases for institutions from Denmark, Finland and Norway.

The UK has 11 universities in the top 100, and 49 in the top 500 – the first time since 2016 that it has had less than 50 universities at that level. Thirteen UK universities improved their ranking, while 28 dropped down the table and 64 retained positions.

The USA, meanwhile, had 35 spots in the top 100, down from 38 in the previous year, and 102 ranked in the top 500 – the lowest total on record.

However, Australia bucked the trend of declines for the major destinations, with improved scores for its top-ranked schools (the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney), while several of its lower-ranked institutions have jumped up a band, THE said.

Chinese institutions increased their rankings in the top 100.

“This year’s rankings highlight a dramatic and accelerating trend – the shift in the balance of power in research and higher education excellence from the long-established, dominant institutions of the West to rising stars of the East,” said Phil Baty, THE Chief Global Affairs Officer.

“The US and much of Western Europe have suffered significant lost ground in the world rankings, while East Asian nations, led by China, continue to thrive and surge up the table. This clear trend is set to persist as research funding and international talent attraction continue to be stymied in the West,” he said.

Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Oxford, welcomed her institution’s continued presence at the top of the rankings, but called for more support for the sector.

“This achievement reflects the dedication of our academics, professional services staff and students, but it comes at a time of real strain for UK higher education. Sustaining a dynamic and globally competitive sector requires renewed investment and support, so that universities can continue to drive discovery, opportunity and economic growth for future generations.”

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are based on 18 performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching; research environment (volume, income and reputation); research quality (citation impact, strength, excellence and influence); international outlook (staff, students and research); and industry (income and patents).