World University Index

World University Index 2026

163 institutions across 303 ranking tables

Every institution listed at its strongest verified placement in the international rankings, with the table that supplies it.

Region
Ranking scope

Universities ranked by their strongest world placement
Rank Institution Headline source
=1 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, United States RUR 2026 teaching
=1 City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=1 Deakin University Melbourne, Australia ARWU GRSSSD 2024 Sport Science
=1 Edith Cowan University Perth, Australia Leiden 2025 physical sciences and engineering (top 10% most-cited papers)
=1 ETH Zurich Zurich, Switzerland QS by Subject 2026 Earth & Marine Sciences
=1 Griffith University Brisbane, Australia THE Impact 2026 life below water (SDG 14)
=1 Harvard University Cambridge, United States ARWU 2025
=1 Karolinska Institute Stockholm, Sweden QS by Subject 2026 Dentistry
=1 King's College London London, United Kingdom RUR 2026 international diversity
=1 Korea University Seoul, South Korea THE Impact 2025 decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
=1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, United States QS 2026
=1 McGill University Montreal, Canada Maclean's 2026
=1 National University of Singapore Singapore, Singapore ARWU GRAS 2025 Geography
=1 New York University New York, United States QS by Subject 2026 Philosophy
=1 Princeton University Princeton, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Mathematics
=1 RMIT University Melbourne, Australia THE Impact 2024 reduced inequalities (SDG 10)
=1 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China ARWU GRAS 2025 Biomedical Engineering
=1 Slop University Australia GIRT 2026 research throughput
=1 Stanford University Stanford, United States QS by Subject 2026 Statistics & Operational Research
=1 Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne, Australia Leiden 2025 mathematics and computer science (top 10% most-cited papers)
=1 Tohoku University Sendai, Japan THE-JP 2025
=1 Tsinghua University Beijing, China ARWU GRAS 2025 Mechanical Engineering
=1 University College London London, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Education & Training
=1 University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=1 University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands QS by Subject 2026 Communication & Media Studies
=1 University of California, San Diego San Diego, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Oceanography
=1 University of Cambridge Cambridge, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Archaeology
=1 University of Chicago Chicago, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Economics
=1 University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, United Kingdom THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=1 University of Manchester Manchester, United Kingdom THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=1 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Dentistry & Oral Sciences
=1 University of Oxford Oxford, United Kingdom THE 2026
=1 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, United States QS by Subject 2026 Nursing
=1 University of Sao Paulo Sao Paulo, Brazil SCImago 2026 Dentistry
=1 University of Science and Technology of China Hefei, China Nature 2025 physical sciences
=1 University of Sheffield Sheffield, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Library & Information Management
=1 University of Technology Sydney Sydney, Australia THE Impact 2024 partnerships for the goals (SDG 17)
=1 University of Texas at Austin Austin, United States QS by Subject 2026 Petroleum Engineering
=1 University of Washington Seattle, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Atmospheric Science
=1 Western Sydney University Sydney, Australia THE Impact 2025 advancing the Sustainable Development Goals
=1 Yonsei University Seoul, South Korea THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=1 Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China Leiden 2025
=2 Columbia University New York, United States QS by Subject 2026 Geology
=2 Flinders University Adelaide, Australia THE Impact 2026 good health and well-being (SDG 3)
=2 Imperial College London London, United Kingdom QS 2026
=2 James Cook University Townsville, Australia THE Impact 2024 partnerships for the goals (SDG 17)
=2 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Nursing
=2 London School of Economics and Political Science London, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Geography
=2 Monash University Melbourne, Australia QS by Subject 2026 Pharmacy & Pharmacology
=2 Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore QS by Subject 2026 Communication & Media Studies
=2 Northwestern University Evanston, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Materials Science & Engineering
=2 Peking University Beijing, China ARWU GRAS 2025 Environmental Science & Engineering
=2 Sorbonne University Paris, France NTU 2025 Space Science
=2 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Chemistry
=2 University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong QS by Subject 2026 Dentistry
=2 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Automation & Control
=2 University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia QS by Subject 2025 Mineral & Mining Engineering
=2 University of Newcastle Newcastle, Australia THE Impact 2025 climate action (SDG 13)
=2 University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia QS by Subject 2025 Sports-related Subjects
=2 University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba, Australia Leiden 2025 physical sciences and engineering (top 10% most-cited papers)
=2 University of St Andrews St Andrews, United Kingdom Guardian 2026
=2 University of Sydney Sydney, Australia URAP 2024-2025 Human Movement & Sports Sciences
=2 University of Toronto Toronto, Canada ARWU GRAS 2024 Sociology
=2 Yale University New Haven, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Law
=3 Australian National University Canberra, Australia THE Impact 2023 peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)
=3 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, United States QS by Subject 2026 Computer Science & Information Systems
=3 Cornell University Ithaca, United States QS by Subject 2026 Veterinary Science
=3 CQUniversity Rockhampton, Australia THE Impact 2025 reduced inequalities (SDG 10)
=3 Delft University of Technology Delft, Netherlands QS by Subject 2026 Architecture & Built Environment
=3 La Trobe University Melbourne, Australia THE Impact 2026 good health and well-being (SDG 3)
=3 University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada RUR 2026 international diversity
=3 University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Clinical Medicine
=3 University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark ARWU GRSSSD 2024 Sport Science
=3 University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan THE-JP 2025
=4 An-Najah National University Nablus, Palestine THE Impact 2026 affordable and clean energy (SDG 7)
=4 Curtin University Perth, Australia QS by Subject 2026 Mineral & Mining Engineering
=4 Durham University Durham, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
=4 Fudan University Shanghai, China ARWU GRAS 2025 Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
=4 KAIST Daejeon, South Korea RUR 2026 financial sustainability
=4 Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan THE-JP 2025
=4 Pennsylvania State University University Park, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Communication
=4 University of Adelaide Adelaide, Australia QS by Subject 2025 Petroleum Engineering
=4 University of Canberra Canberra, Australia THE Impact 2023 reduced inequalities (SDG 10)
=4 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, United States QS by Subject 2026 Library & Information Management
=5 Duke University Durham, United States QS by Subject 2026 Nursing
=5 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Materials Science & Engineering
=5 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Atmospheric Science
=5 University of Melbourne Melbourne, Australia URAP 2024-2025 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
=5 University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, United States QS by Subject 2026 Philosophy
=6 Australian Catholic University Melbourne, Australia THE Impact 2025 good health and well-being (SDG 3)
=6 Brown University Providence, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Sociology
=6 Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong QS by Subject 2026 Nursing
=6 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong, Hong Kong ARWU GRAS 2025 Computer Science & Engineering
=6 Osaka University Osaka, Japan THE-JP 2025
=6 Politecnico di Milano Milan, Italy QS by Subject 2026 Architecture & Built Environment
=6 Purdue University West Lafayette, United States QS by Subject 2026 Agriculture & Forestry
=6 Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta, Indonesia THE Impact 2025 no poverty (SDG 1)
=6 University of Glasgow Glasgow, United Kingdom THE Impact 2023 peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)
=6 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Communication
=6 University of Wollongong Wollongong, Australia QS by Subject 2026 Philosophy
=6 Victoria University Melbourne, Australia ARWU GRSSSD 2025 Sport Science
=7 Ohio State University Columbus, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Communication
=7 Seoul National University Seoul, South Korea ARWU GRAS 2025 Biomedical Engineering
=7 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Oceanography
=7 University of Montpellier Montpellier, France ARWU GRAS 2024 Ecology
=7 University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs, Australia THE Impact 2025 life on land (SDG 15)
=7 University of Warwick Coventry, United Kingdom CUG 2027
=7 University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland QS by Subject 2026 Dentistry
=8 Charles Darwin University Darwin, Australia THE Impact 2026 gender equality (SDG 5)
=8 Heidelberg University Heidelberg, Germany QS by Subject 2026 Classics & Ancient History
=8 KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium QS by Subject 2026 Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
=8 University of Maryland, College Park College Park, United States NTU 2025 Environmental Science & Engineering
=8 University of Nottingham Nottingham, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Pharmacy & Pharmacology
=8 University of Southern California Los Angeles, United States QS by Subject 2026 Communication & Media Studies
=8 Vanderbilt University Nashville, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Education
=9 Institut Polytechnique de Paris Palaiseau, France THE Impact 2026 industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9)
=9 Institute of Science Tokyo Tokyo, Japan QS by Subject 2026 Dentistry
=9 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Saudi Arabia Leiden 2025 scientific impact (top 10% most-cited papers)
=9 PSL University Paris, France NTU 2025 Space Science
=9 University of Birmingham Birmingham, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Sports-related Subjects
=9 University of Southampton Southampton, United Kingdom ARWU GRAS 2024 Oceanography
=9 University of Western Australia Perth, Australia ARWU GRAS 2024 Agricultural Sciences
=9 Utrecht University Utrecht, Netherlands QS by Subject 2026 Veterinary Science
10 Trinity College Dublin Dublin, Ireland QS by Subject 2026 Nursing
=11 EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland QS by Subject 2026 Architecture & Built Environment
=11 Hacettepe University Ankara, Turkey THE Impact 2026 gender equality (SDG 5)
=11 Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Munich, Germany QS by Subject 2026 Philosophy
=11 Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia ARWU GRSSSD 2025 Sport Science
=11 University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand THE Impact 2025 affordable and clean energy (SDG 7)
=11 University of Leeds Leeds, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Geology
=11 University of Montreal Montreal, Canada Maclean's 2026
=11 University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Communication
=12 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, United States ARWU GRAS 2024 Nursing
=12 Charles Sturt University Bathurst, Australia THE Impact 2025 climate action (SDG 13)
=12 Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem, Israel QS by Subject 2026 Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
=12 Queen Mary University of London London, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Dentistry
=12 Rice University Houston, United States Forbes 2025-2026
=13 Brunel University of London Uxbridge, United Kingdom THE Impact 2023 reduced inequalities (SDG 10)
=13 Macquarie University Sydney, Australia THE Impact 2025 clean water and sanitation (SDG 6)
=13 University of Vienna Vienna, Austria QS by Subject 2026 Communication & Media Studies
=15 University of Bristol Bristol, United Kingdom QS by Subject 2026 Geography
=15 University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany ARWU GRAS 2025 Political Sciences
=16 Boston University Boston, United States ARWU GRAS 2025 Public Health
=16 Technical University of Munich Munich, Germany ARWU GRSSSD 2024 Sport Science
17 National Autonomous University of Mexico Mexico City, Mexico QS by Subject 2026 Anthropology
19 Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Barcelona, Spain QS by Subject 2026 Architecture & Built Environment
20 KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden QS by Subject 2026 Electrical & Electronic Engineering
=21 Federation University Australia Ballarat, Australia THE Impact 2026 quality education (SDG 4)
=21 Torrens University Australia Adelaide, Australia QS by Subject 2026 Hospitality & Leisure Management
=21 University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand ARWU GRAS 2025 Dentistry & Oral Sciences
22 University of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina QS by Subject 2026 Modern Languages
24 Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel QS by Subject 2026 Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
25 RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany QS by Subject 2026 Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering
26 Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile Santiago, Chile QS by Subject 2026 Arts & Humanities
28 Lund University Lund, Sweden QS by Subject 2025 Geography
34 Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia QS by Subject 2026 Petroleum Engineering
36 Universitat Politecnica de Valencia Valencia, Spain QS by Subject 2026 Agriculture & Forestry
39 Murdoch University Perth, Australia QS by Subject 2025 Veterinary Science
42 University of Wurzburg Wurzburg, Germany ARWU GRAS 2025 Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
51 University of New England Armidale, Australia ARWU GRAS 2025 Veterinary Sciences
71 Southern Cross University Lismore, Australia THE Impact 2026 peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)
75 Bond University Gold Coast, Australia THE Impact 2024 good health and well-being (SDG 3)
201 University of Notre Dame Australia Fremantle, Australia ARWU GRAS 2025 Nursing

An equals sign marks a shared position. The headline source is the ranking table that supplies the placement; the scope toggle restricts it to whole-of-institution tables.