Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has made history, topping the QS World University Rankings for the seventh consecutive year. No other university has managed such a long run at the top.
This is just one of several eye-catching stories and insights in this year’s ranking, which features 1,000 of the world’s finest universities. Watch the video below for more information about this year’s top 10.
US universities continue to dominate
As you can see from the above video, MIT isn’t the only institution from the US to continue to enjoy a position at the top of the table. Stanford University, Harvard University and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) all retain their positions at second, third and fourth in the world respectively.
More US universities have risen than fallen in this year’s ranking, with Yale University, Columbia University and the University of Michigan all climbing at least one place in the world’s top 20.
For more information about the top universities in the US, watch the video below.
Stability for top UK universities
After a couple of rocky years for UK universities, the 2019 ranking is one of stability. As with the US, the UK sees more universities climb than fall, although two of the British universities included in the top 10 have slipped since last year.
One of those is the University of Cambridge, which has been overtaken in the top five by its arch-rival the University of Oxford. Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, was delighted by Oxford’s rise in the rankings this year. She said: “We owe this result to the talent and commitment of our academic staff and to our network of research collaborators across the continent and across the Globe.
“We are particularly proud to have secured the top spot in Europe and very much hope that we will be able to maintain this position as the UK withdraws from the European Union.”
Oxford has recently come under fire after it was revealed that eight of its 29 colleges accepted fewer than three black students in the last three years. Labour MP David Lammy said: “This is social apartheid and it is utterly unrepresentative of life in modern Britain.”
Cambridge has faced similar criticisms, with six of its 29 undergraduate colleges admitting fewer than 10 black British or mixed-race students between 2012 and 2016.
Want to learn more about the top universities in the UK? Here’s a closer look at the top 10.
An empty top 20 for Australia
Last year, the Australian National University broke into the global top 20 to become the only institution from Down Under in the top 20. Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long, with ANU slipping four places this year. It’s not all bad news though, as five of the seven Australian universities to feature within the top 100 have either improved or maintained their position since last year. Learn more in the video below.
Toronto pulls clear in Canada
Canada continues to be an attractive alternative to studying in the US, but there are no big gains made by Canadian universities this year. The University of Toronto continues to be the highest-ranked institution in the country, five places higher than McGill University. The gap between the two has widened since last year by four places. Although there are now three Canadian universities in the global top 50, one more than last year, there aren’t any other institutions from the country in the top 100, as the University of Alberta has dropped from joint 90th to 109th this year.
Want to learn more about the top universities in Canada this year? Check out the video below.
Save some money and study in Germany
German universities may be some way from competing with the best in continental Europe, with none of the country’s institutions cracking the top 50 this year, but the promise of free tuition at nearly all of the country’s top universities means there’ll always be interest from international students. Technische Universität München remains the best university in the country.
Find out more about the top universities in Germany below.
