To view the latest version of this article based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019, click here, or, read on for last year's results.
If you’re looking to study physics or astronomy but don’t know which countries offer the strongest schools, then read on to discover an overview of the top universities for physics and astronomy around the world, split up into regions.
These findings are based on the 2014 QS World University Rankings by Subject, which ranks the top 200 universities in each individual subject, based on international reputation and level of research impact. If you want to know more about how the rankings are compiled, take a look at the methodology.
Top universities for physics in the US and Canada
Of the top 200 universities for physics and astronomy, 51 can be found in the US, by far the most of any country. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) takes first place in this year’s results, while Harvard University follows in second place. Also in the top 10 universities for physics and astronomy are Stanford University (4th), the University of California, Berkeley (5th), Princeton University (7th) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech, 8th).
They’re joined with the top 20 by the University of Chicago (12th), Columbia University (14th), Cornell University (15=), Yale University (17th), the University of California, Santa Barbara (18th) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, 20th).
No country can come close to rivalling the US, but Canada claims a respectable seven entries among the top 200 universities for physics and astronomy. The highest ranked of these is the University of British Columbia (45th), followed by McGill University and the University of Toronto (both ranked in the top 100).
Top universities for physics in Europe
The UK offers 20 universities within the top 200 for physics and astronomy this year. The University of Cambridge, consistently among the top five universities in the world according to the annual QS World University Rankings®, is in third place for physics. The neighboring University of Oxford follows shortly after in 6th position.
Other top UK universities at which to study physics are Imperial College London (10th), the University of Manchester (28th), UCL (University College London, 35th), the University of Edinburgh (37th), Durham University (42nd), the University of Bristol (51-100) and the University of Southampton (51-100).
Don’t let the UK distract you from other leading European institutions, however. The rest of Europe brings 72 top universities for physics to the table (21 of which hail from Germany alone). Of these, Switzerland’s ETH Zurich is the highest ranked, in 11th place, followed by Germany’s Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (13th), Italy’s Sapienza University of Rome (23rd) and France’s Université Paris-Sud 11 (44th).
In numbers, beyond of the dominance of the UK and Germany, Italy claims 11 of the top 200 universities at which to study physics and astronomy; the Netherlands has seven; Sweden and France both have five; Belgium, Spain and Switzerland offer four; Denmark and Austria three; Ireland two; and Finland, the Czech Republic and Poland all offer one.
Top universities for physics in Australia and New Zealand
Australia has six universities within the top 200 for physics and astronomy; the highest ranking of these is the University of Melbourne in 33rd place. Also featured are the Australian National University (51-100), the University of New South Wales (101-150), the University of Queensland (101-150), the University of Sydney (101-150) and Monash University (151-200).
New Zealand offers prospective physics students just one institution within the global top 200; this is the University of Auckland (151-200).
Top universities for physics in Asia
Collectively, countries in Asia claim 34 institutions ranked among the world’s top 100 for physics and astronomy. Japan claims the largest number (nine), as well as the region’s highest entrant, the University of Tokyo (9th). Other Japanese institutions within the top 50 are Kyoto University (21st), Osaka University (30=), Tohuku University (30=) and the Tokyo Institute of technology (34th).
China’s Peking University is ranked in 32nd place, with a further six Chinese institutions within the top 200. South Korea also has a total of six universities featured, led by Seoul National University (37th). Singapore’s highest entry goes to National University of Singapore (NUS, 42nd), which is also the current leader of the QS University Rankings: Asia.
Also in the picture are Hong Kong and Taiwan, each offering two institutions in the top 200 for physics degrees; of these, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST, 51-100) and National Taiwan University (51-100) are the highest ranked.
More top universities for physics
The top 200 universities for physics and astronomy in the QS University Rankings by Subject are spread across 32 different countries. Other countries not listed above include Israel (with one institution ranked 151-200), Russia (also one representative, Lomonosov Moscow State University, ranked 49th), Argentina (one, 51-100), Brazil (four, 51-100), Chile (one, 151-200) and Mexico (two, 101-150).
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