Every year, a ranking of the top Universities in the world is released. This current edition is released by The Times Higher Education, and includes the annual global ranking of the world’s top universities. Schools in the US and the UK take all top 10 spots and over half of the top 100. In case you are wondering, no Nigerian Universty made top 400 and only three African Univerisities made the list.
World rankings – Africa
| Rank | Institution | Location | Overall scorechange criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126 | University of Cape Town | South Africa | 50.5 |
| 226-250 | University of Witwatersrand | South Africa | Data withheld by THE |
| 301-350 | Stellenbosch University | South Africa | Data withheld by THE |
Here are the top 10 schools bottom up:
No. 10: Imperial College London
Imperial College London became independent in 2007 after a century as part of the University of London. The university is known for its schools of medicine, natural science, education, and business, but it fell two spots from last year’s ranking of No. 8 to No. 10 this year. It is located in London’s museum quarter and three of its academics have recently had asteroids named after them.
No. 9: University of Chicago
The University of Chicago rose one spot to No. 9 this year. Although better known for its 87 Nobel Prizewinners, the Chicago school of economics, and construction of the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear reactor under its football field, the institution also enjoys the distinction of having had its 215-acre main campus designated a botanic garden in 1997.
No. 8: University of California, Berkeley
The University of California Berkeley, envisioned as a “City of Learning” when it was chartered in 1868, rose a spot from last year to clock in at No. 8. The university is home to about 36,000 students, more than 10,000 of them pursuing graduate studies. In 2008, the Association of Research Librariesranked UC Berkeley’s University Library as the No. 1 public research university library in North America.
No. 7: University of Cambridge
This storied university, which celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2009, held steady from last year in the No. 7 spot. The long list of notable alumni includes Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and John Maynard Keynes, and at least 15 British Prime Ministers and 23 heads of state. The university is home to about 8,500 faculty and 18,300 students.
No. 6: Princeton University
The fourth-oldest college in the United States, Princeton University retained its No. 6 ranking from last year. Established in 1746 as the “College of New Jersey,” the university now enrolls about 5,000 undergraduates and 2,500 graduate students. The institution counts more than 30 Nobel laureates among its past faculty and alumni, and its Nassau Hall hosted meetings of the Continental Congress in the spring and fall of 1783.
No. 5: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks No. 5 this year, holding steady from last year and improving upon its No. 7 finish in 2011. Incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1861, the university’s motto is Mens et manus (“Mind and Hand”). It claims 78 Nobel Laureates, 53 National Medal of Science winners, and 27 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners among its alumni and faculty. More than 200 life science and technology-related companies have offices in MIT’s hometown, Cambridge, Mass.
No. 4: Stanford University
Students at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., can wear “Harvard: The Stanford of the East,” T-shirts with good reason: Long known as the “Ivy of the West,” Stanford often battles with Harvard for top place on US rankings. Stanford placed first in this year’s Forbes ranking of American colleges, but it places No. 4 on this global list. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford has a $17 billion endowment and can boast that the founders of Google and Hewlett-Packard are alumni.
No. 2: University of Oxford and Harvard University
The University of Oxford is the top UK institution on the list and is tied for No. 2 for the second year in a row. Last year, it shared the honor with Stanford University. It’s no surprise that an institution founded nine centuries ago as the first university in the English-speaking world is highly competitive: According to the university, Oxford receives, on average, more than five applications for each available place. The university’s main library holds the papers of seven British Prime Ministers; a Gutenberg Bible; the earliest surviving book written wholly in English; and a quarter of the world’s original copies of the Magna Carta.
Harvard University, the oldest university in the United States, is on the rebound in the Times Higher Education ranking. It jumped from No. 4 last year to No. 2 this year. Harvard isn’t lacking in accolades: Its $32 billion endowment is the largest of any university in the world, (and is bigger than the GDP of nearly half the world’s countries), eight US presidents graduated from the university, and nearly 100 faculty or alumni are Nobel or Pulitzer Prize winners.
No. 1: California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is the top university in the world for the third time in a row. The science and engineering powerhouse based in Pasadena, Calif., was founded in 1891 as Throop University and renamed in 1921. The 124-acre campus is known for close student and faculty relationships, with a 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The school has also managed NASA‘s Jet Propulsion laboratory since 1958.
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