How many scientific institutes are there in the world? Ranking of world universities: the best and most prestigious educational institutions

The ratings will be very useful for those students, schoolchildren, Russians and foreigners who are faced with a choice of which country to study in, or for those who want to get a job abroad in the field of research, teaching and business. The first academic ranking was published by Shanghai University in 2003, and a year later the Times newspaper compiled its version of the best universities in the world. Today there are various ratings - from student to specialized, national and international. Forming a rating involves taking into account a large number of parameters, which may vary slightly:

For example, the prestigious QS World University Rankings is compiled on the basis of 6 main characteristics: teaching (the number of Nobel Prize-winning teachers), research (the level of significance of the research for science), graduate prospects and employer ratings, the number of foreign teachers and students. An important condition for a university is the availability of postgraduate programs and undergraduate programs in at least two broad subject areas. Universities in the USA and Great Britain are considered permanent leaders in the QS rankings
Another respected ranking is published by the US news agency U.S.News, which is an authoritative compiler of rankings of world universities
The already mentioned Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), compiled by an Asian agency, will be especially useful for those who want to build a career in the scientific field abroad
The purpose of the Best Global Universities ranking is to collect all the necessary information about the research and academic reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education magazine is known for its annual ranking of universities around the world. The World University Rankings 2018 includes 1000 universities from all over the world.

THE (Times Higher Education)

quality of teaching: the ratio of the number of staff and students, doctors and bachelors is determined
level of research activity: what place does the university occupy in advanced research and what income does it receive from it?
degree of dissemination of knowledge and innovation: the role in the dissemination of knowledge is determined through citation
financial indicators of universities (in order to determine the effectiveness of universities and their material base)
international perspectives: degree of interaction with foreign institutions, number of foreign students and teachers, participation in research programs abroad.

The best universities of 2018 according to The Times Higher Education ranking

15. University of California, Los Angeles

20. Northwestern University

21. University of Michigan

22. National University of Singapore

23. University of Toronto

28. New York University

29. Peking University

Any employer values a good education. Nowadays it is not very difficult to get into a foreign university, you just need to prepare well for admission. It is in order to choose the optimally suitable university that ratings are compiled.

How are ratings compiled?

Criteria for evaluating universities:

Student reviews.
Quality of scientific research.
Admission requirements and average passing score.
Number of students per teacher.
Costs for material and technical base.
Students who have completed the course.
Career prospects.

All data is passed through many filters, and you should not refuse a suitable offer just because of a line in the rating.

100 best universities in the world

In the top 2015, the first 10 places are occupied by Great Britain. The ranking of world universities was compiled by an independent commission; the survey was conducted in 9 languages.

So, Harvard University is opening one hundred of the best universities in the world. This is a very old educational institution, opened in the 17th century. Many US presidents have emerged from its walls.

The second place is taken by the University of Cambridge. This is the oldest university currently existing. It was founded in 1209.

Oxford takes third place. This educational institution, like the previous two, is very old and world famous.

All these educational institutions have been known for a very long time, have an impeccable reputation, and after graduating from one of the universities you can count on 100% employment.

The list includes universities from both Europe and Asia. The last, hundredth place on the list is the University of Massachusetts. Thus, the list is closed and opened by a US university.

Of course, to choose a top university, you need not only a large investment of money, but also basic knowledge and knowledge of the language of the country where the educational institution is located.

Best technical universities

Technical specialties are in demand and are popular along with the humanities. IT specialties are especially valued.

The ranking of technical universities in the world is headed by the USA. Its peculiarity is that students learn by doing, rather than cramming tedious theory. Therefore, the university is a leader in intra-university research. It is worth noting that the competition for admission to this university is unrealistically high, and to get there, you need to try very hard.

The Indian Institute of Technology is also in the top five. This is a real talent forge for the IT sector. There is no clear specialization at the institute, and students study approximately 40 disciplines. Foreign students are paid a scholarship as part of the exchange of cultural experiences.

The top ten includes Imperial College London. Training there is relatively inexpensive - 12 thousand pounds per year. But there will be large expenses for housing, because the college does not have a dormitory. And in London, property prices are high.

The Australian University of South Wales is in the top twenty. The teaching principles are very similar to the University of Massachusetts.

Russia ranks 66th among world technical universities. This is the location of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Top Medical Universities

Oxford is in first place in the top medical universities. As you can see, it is not only included in the ranking of universities in the world, but also the best among teaching medicine.

In second place is Harvard University.

Cambridge takes third place.

Fourth place was given to Imperial College London.

Stanford University, located in the USA, closes the top five.

But Russian universities are not included in the ranking of medical universities in the world.

Top global business schools

Business schools are usually part of large universities and very rarely exist separately. After graduation, graduates become managers at various levels.

Harvard is in first place among business schools.

Second place was given to the University of London and its business school.

The University of Pennsylvania ranks third.

Ranking of prestigious universities in the world, according to the U.S. agency. News

In first place, as in almost all rankings, is Harvard University.

Second place belongs to the Massachusetts Technical University.

Third place went to the University of California at Berkeley.

A British university appears only in fifth place - the University of Oxford.

In general, almost only US universities are represented in the first twenty positions. Then you can find universities in Japan, Canada, China, Australia, Singapore and European countries. But the most common are American universities. Therefore, there are concerns that agency experts, out of patriotic feelings, may slightly overestimate educational institutions in their country.

Ranking of world universities by specialty

In addition to the general rating, ratings of specialties are compiled. This is done so that the applicant can choose the most suitable university. Because not all universities have every department or department equally strong. A university may be in the top ten of the overall ranking, but after admission it turns out that at a lesser-known institute, the knowledge in a particular specialty is deeper, more interesting than internships, and so on.

The lists are compiled in six areas:

humanitarian;
engineering and technical;
biosciences;
physics and chemistry;
medicine;
social direction.

MSU took several positions in different areas at once: 35th place in the field of “Linguistics”, 36th place in “Physics and Astronomy”, and in the specialty “Computer Science and Information Technology” it was among the top 100. In addition to Moscow State University, the hundred includes St. Petersburg University.

Russian universities in international rankings

In Soviet times, education in our country was considered the best in the world. During the years of perestroika and during the 90s, the level decreased slightly, but currently it has begun to rise in the world.

According to the QS agency, which analyzes all higher education institutions in the world and compiles a rating, Russian universities are in the following places:

In 114th place is Moscow State University. Lomonosov.
On the 233rd - St. Petersburg State University.
On the 322nd - MSTU named after. Bauman.
In 328th place is the Novosibirsk National Research Institute.
From 400th to 500th place are the Peoples' Friendship University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, St. Petersburg Technical University, Tomsk State University.
From 500th to 600th places - Tomsk Polytechnic University, Higher School of Economics, Kazan University, Ural University. Yeltsin, Saratov State University.
800th place is occupied by the Southern Federal University, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, FEFU and Voronezh State University.

Results

When choosing a suitable educational institution, you need to focus not only on the ranking of the most prestigious universities in the world. This is a very conditional indicator; various ratings are marketing tools, and their compilation may be unknown to the average person. Of course, there is no reason not to trust popular agencies, but when choosing a university, it is better to focus on your interests.

Those who love the academic lifestyle certainly have one thing in common: they would all love the opportunity to study at one of the famous universities. However, only the elite have access to them, for whom renowned publications constantly rank educational institutions to identify the best of the best. You may also be interested in our list of the 10 most prestigious universities in the world.

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Columbia University

The famous Columbia University, which is located in New York, is one of eight American universities that are members of the Ivy League. This is a very old and prestigious educational institution, founded in 1754 by the English King George II with the name King's College. The university is one of 14 founding members of the Association of American Universities and is the first university in the United States to offer an MD degree. Columbia University's students have included 20 modern billionaires, 29 foreign heads of state, and 100 Nobel Prize winners.

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The California Institute of Technology is a private educational institution located in Pasadena, California, USA. With a strong emphasis on scientific activity, the university attracts famous scientists to teach, such as George Ellery Hale, Arthur Amos Noyes and Robert Andrews Millikan. Caltech University, one of the few in the United States, primarily focuses on teaching engineering and science. Although this is a small educational institution, its 33 graduates and teachers have deservedly received 34 Nobel Prizes, 5 Fields Awards and 6 Turing Awards.

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Yale University is a member of the American Ivy League. Located in Connecticut, USA. The famous Yale was founded in 1701, it is the third oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Its original purpose was to teach theology and ancient languages, but from 1777 the school began to include the humanities and natural sciences in the curriculum. Five US Presidents and other famous politicians such as Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. studied at Yale University. 52 of its graduates are Nobel laureates.

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Princeton University

Princeton University is also part of the Ivy League. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Princeton was founded in 1746, moved to Newark in 1747, and then moved to its current location in 1896, where it took on its modern name, Princeton University. It is the alma mater of two US presidents, as well as numerous billionaires and foreign heads of state. Princeton is rightly considered one of the best universities in the world.

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University of California at Berkeley

It is one of the few public educational institutions in the United States with such a prestigious reputation. It was named one of the top six college brands for 2015. The World Academic Ranking of World Universities places the University of California at Berkeley 4th in the world among all universities and first among public universities. Berkeley faculty, alumni, and researchers have received 72 Nobel Prizes, 13 Fields Medals, 22 Turing Awards, 45 MacArthur Fellowships, 20 Oscars, 14 Pulitzer Prizes, and 105 Olympic gold medals.

Many rating agencies are involved in determining the best universities in the world, and the results of their assessments sometimes differ significantly.

To determine the best universities in the world as objectively as possible, we collected data from three world university rankings - QS, Shanghai and U.S. News.

Rankings based on which the best universities in the world are determined

The best universities in the world 2016-2017

Harvard University

- a university that has established itself as a world leader in the field of exact sciences and technologies. This is where cutting-edge research in the natural sciences and engineering takes place. MIT has produced 80 Nobel laureates and many outstanding scientists, engineers, and public figures who have changed our lives forever.

– a truly legendary educational institution, one of the oldest in Europe. The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and has established itself as a brilliant institution from the very beginning. No university in the world can boast as many Nobel laureates who studied within its walls as Cambridge - 88 winners of this prestigious award.

- the first educational institution opened in London. Since its creation, the university has always been at the forefront of research work. UCL alumni include the prime ministers of China and Japan, as well as Alexander Bel (inventor of the telephone), John Fleming (inventor of the vacuum tube) and Francis Crick (discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule).

10. University of California at Berkeley

Our ranking opens with the University of California at Berkeley, which can easily be called the best public institution of higher education. It was founded in 1868 and since then has been one of the best universities for teaching science. But this does not prevent Berkeley from annually producing IT specialists, many of whom are considered the best in their field.

The University of California is famous for its graduates. The most famous among them are: Steve Wozniak (one of the founders of Apple) and Gregory Pack (actor). About 30 Nobel laureates studied at this university. The name Berkeley is also associated with Jack London. True, the famous writer was never able to complete his studies there.

9. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

This institution, which is located in the most densely populated part of Switzerland, can be called the best technical university not only in this country, but in the whole world. At first, students studied in six faculties: chemistry, mathematics, civil engineering, architecture, literature, sociology, political and natural sciences. Today this university has two campuses and an entire science city. The name of this relatively young institute is associated with the names of many Nobel laureates. The most famous of them is Albert Einstein. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology stands out among others with its relatively low tuition fees.

8. Imperial College London

Imperial College London can also safely challenge the title of the best higher education institution with a technical focus. It was founded by Prince Albert in 1907 following the merger of the mining academy, the city's trade and polytechnic colleges. Later other educational institutions were added to them. 1,300 teachers teach on a permanent basis at Imperial College London, and 10,000 students study at the same time.

This university, along with Oxford and Cambridge, is part of the Golden Triangle. Among the famous graduates of this institution, we should note Alexander Fleming and Ernst Chain (inventors of penicillin), as well as Dennis Gabor (discovered the holographic method).

7. Princeton University

This American university belongs to the so-called Ivy League. That is, to such educational institutions that not only provide the best education, but also selectively treat their applicants. Princeton University was founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey. Initially, only 10 people studied within its walls. The university was located in the Dickinson priest's house, which was located in the town of Elizabeth. The college moved to Priston only 10 years after its founding.

Today, Princeton University is one of the main educational institutions in the United States. The children of influential politicians, businessmen and scientists dream of getting into it. James Madison (US President) and Haruki Murakami (Japanese essayist) graduated from this university. He studied, but could not get to the diploma, the author of The Great Gatsby is Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

6. Harvard University

Of course, the well-known Harvard University could not fail to be included in the list of the best universities in the world. It was founded by the English missionary John Harvard in 1636. This is one of the oldest universities in the USA. Today its structure includes 12 schools and the Radcliffe Research Institute. He, like Priston, is part of the Ivy League.

Among the most famous graduates of this university are Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Matt Damon.

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

TOP 5 universities in the world are opened by the famous MIT. The research base of this institute is famous for its developments in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, thanks to which it ranks first among all US universities in terms of the volume of grants from the military.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded in 1861 by philosophy professor William Rogers. Unlike other American universities, MIT faculty place more emphasis on the practical application of science, which distinguishes graduates of this institution from other graduates.

At one time or another, MIT has included 80 faculty members who have won the most prestigious award in science, the Nobel Prize.

4. Cambridge University

Cambridge is one of the oldest universities on our planet. According to official documented data, it was founded in 1209 by immigrants from Oxford. Today this prestigious educational institution is a confederation of 31 colleges. Each of them has its own building, libraries and other real estate objects. Thanks to the Career Center program, every graduate of this university can easily find a job in their specialty.

The most famous graduates of the University of Cambridge are Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Vladimir Nabokov. This university is a leader in the number of Nobel laureates.

3. Stanford University

In third place in the list of the best universities in the world is Stanford University, which annually admits about 700 thousand students. Many graduates subsequently easily find a continuation of their career. Thus, former Stanford students were behind the founding of companies such as Google, Hewlett-Packard, Nvidia, Yahoo and Cisco Systems. The famous Apple company, whose headquarters is located next to this university, has many people from Stanford University on its staff.

As you might guess, this university pays more attention to high technologies. The university itself was founded in 1884, and its education was not divided into men and women, which was very innovative at that time. Stanford graduates: Sergey Brin (founder of Google), Kofi Annan and Philip Knight (founder of Nike).

2. Caltech

This institute, within the walls of which the series “The Big Bang Theory” takes place, is truly the most advanced university in the United States. This is surprising, since the California Institute of Technology is a small educational institution by the standards of other institutions on this list. Only 1,000 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students study there annually.

California Institute of Technology was established in 1891. It is considered to be very difficult to study in because students are given a very large amount of information in a short time. And although the list of Caltech graduates is not replete with names familiar to ordinary people, among the graduates of this university there are real celebrities in the world of science.

1. Oxford University

Of course, the most popular and famous educational institution is Oxford University, which tops our ranking of the best universities in the world. It is the oldest university. Education there began in 1096. The structure of the university consists of 38 colleges. More than 20 thousand students study there at a time, and the staff of regular teachers includes more than 4 thousand people.

At one time, Lewis Carol, Margaret Thatcher, John Tolkien and others studied at Oxford. Most of humanity's discoveries in the field of cosmology were made in Oxford.