Top 10 Best Universities in the World according to Us News and World Report
On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its eighth annual ranking of the best global universities around the world.
The top 10 best universities in the according to world 2022 ranking by US Report assesses 1,750 institutions from more than 90 countries across 13 different metrics, including research reputation, faculty publications and international collaboration.
“These rankings stand out from our other education rankings due to their emphasis on academic research,” says Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News in a statement.
“The Best Global Universities feature an overall ranking of more than 1,700 universities, as well as subject rankings of additional 255 universities, for a total of 2,005 schools, providing even more information for prospective students interested in schools where research is a top priority.”
1. Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts — United States.
Highlight: Top-ranked university in many categories including biology & biochemistry and economics & business.
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard.
It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world.
Harvard is a large, highly residential research university offering 50 undergraduate majors, 134 graduate degrees, and 32 professional degrees. For the 2018–2019 academic year, Harvard granted 1,665 baccalaureate degrees, 1,013 graduate degrees, and 5,695 professional degrees.
The four-year, full-time undergraduate program has a liberal arts and sciences focus.
To graduate in the usual four years, undergraduates normally take four courses per semester.
In most majors, an honors degree requires advanced coursework and a senior thesis. Though some introductory courses have large enrollments, the median class size is 12 students.
Notable Mentions
Over more than three and a half centuries, Harvard alumni have contributed creatively and significantly to society, the arts and sciences, business, and national and international affairs.
Harvard’s alumni include eight U.S. presidents, 188 living billionaires, 79 Nobel laureates, 7 Fields Medal winners, 9 Turing Award laureates, 369 Rhodes Scholars, 252 Marshall Scholars, and 13 Mitchell Scholars.
Harvard students and alumni have won 10 Academy Awards, 48 Pulitzer Prizes, and 108 Olympic medals (including 46 gold medals), and they have founded many notable companies worldwide.
They are First amongst our top 10 best universities
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts — United States
Highlight: MIT was ranked the best university for mathematics in the world.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
It was established in 1861, MIT has since played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, ranking it among the top academic institutions in the world.
Notable Mentions
As of December 2021, 98 Nobel laureates, 26 Turing Award winners, and 8 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with MIT as alumni, faculty members, or researchers.
In addition, 58 National Medal of Science recipients, 29 National Medals of Technology and Innovation recipients, 50 MacArthur Fellows, 80 Marshall Scholars, 41 astronauts, 16 Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force, and numerous heads of states have been affiliated with MIT.
The institute also has a strong entrepreneurial culture and MIT alumni have founded or co-founded many notable companies.
MIT is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and has received more Sloan Research Fellowships than any other university in North America.
They are Second amongst our top 10 best universities
3. Stanford University
Location: Stanford, California — United States
Highlight: U.S. News identified Stanford as having the best chemistry program in the world.
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university located in the census-designated place of Stanford, California, near the city of Palo Alto. The campus occupies 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares), among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students.
Notable Mentions
Stanford’s current community of scholars includes:
- 20 Nobel Prize laureates (as of October 2020, 85 affiliates in total);
- 174 members of the National Academy of Sciences;
- 113 members of National Academy of Engineering;
- 90 members of National Academy of Medicine;
- 303 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
- 10 recipients of the National Medal of Science;
- 3 recipients of the National Medal of Technology;
- 6 recipients of the National Humanities Medal;
- 47 members of American Philosophical Society;
- 56 fellows of the American Physics Society (since 1995);
- 4 Pulitzer Prize winners;
- 33 MacArthur Fellows;
- 6 Wolf Foundation Prize winners;
- 2 ACL Lifetime Achievement Award winners;
- 14 AAAI fellows;
- 2 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners.
Stanford’s faculty and former faculty includes 48 Nobel laureates, 5 Fields Medalists, as well as 17 winners of the Turing Award, the so-called “Nobel Prize in computer science,” comprising one third of the awards given in its 44-year history.
The university has 27 ACM fellows. It is also affiliated with 4 Gödel Prize winners, 4 Knuth Prize recipients, 10 IJCAI Computers and Thought Award winners, and about 15 Grace Murray Hopper Award winners for their work in the foundations of computer science.
Stanford alumni have started many companies and, according to Forbes, have produced the second-highest number of billionaires of all universities.
As of 2020, 15 Stanford alumni have won the Nobel Prize. As of 2022, 128 Stanford students or alumni have been named Rhodes Scholars.
They are Third amongst our top 10 best universities
4. University of California, Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, California — United States
Highlight: This year, UC Berkeley was recognized for having the second-best chemistry program.
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California.
They were established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state’s first land-grant university and the first campus of the University of California system.
They have fourteen colleges and schools that offers over 350 degree programs and enroll some 31,000 undergraduate and 12,000 graduate students.
Notable Mentions
Berkeley alumni, faculty and staff have distinguished themselves in a wide range of endeavors and include 114 Nobel laureates (35 alumni), 25 Turing Award winners (11 alumni), 14 Fields Medalists, 30 Wolf Prize winners, 108 MacArthur Fellows (65 alumni) , 30 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 19 Academy Award winners, five foreign heads of state, chief justices of the United States and California, 22 cabinet members, ten state governors, numerous members of Congress, 36 general and flag officers of the United States Armed Forces, 40 billionaires, and the founders or co-founders of many world-renowned companies.
They are fourth amogst our top 10 best universities
5. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England.
There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second-oldest university in continuous operation.
It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge.
The two English ancient universities share many common features and are jointly referred to as Oxbridge.
Throughout its history, a sizeable number of Oxford alumni, known as Oxonians, have become notable in many varied fields, both academic and otherwise.
A total of 69 Nobel prize-winners have studied or taught at Oxford, with prizes won in all six categories. More information on notable members of the university can be found in the individual college articles.
An individual may be associated with two or more colleges, as an undergraduate, postgraduate and/or member of staff.
Notable Mentions
Twenty-eight British prime ministers have attended Oxford, including William Gladstone, H. H. Asquith, Clement Attlee, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Of all the post-war prime ministers, only Gordon Brown was educated at a university other than Oxford (the University of Edinburgh), while Winston Churchill, James Callaghan and John Major never attended a university.
Over 100 Oxford alumni were elected to the House of Commons in 2010. This includes former Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, and numerous members of the cabinet and shadow cabinet. Additionally, over 140 Oxonians sit in the House of Lords.
They are fifth amongst our top 10 best universities
6. Columbia University
Location: New York City, New York — United States
Highlight: Columbia University was recognized by U.S. News for being among the best places to study cardiovascular systems.
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King’s College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, Columbia is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
It is one of nine colonial colleges founded prior to the Declaration of Independence, seven of which belong to the Ivy League.
Notable Mentions
The university has graduated many notable alumni, including five Founding Fathers of the United States, an author of the United States Constitution and a member of the Committee of Five.
Three United States presidents have attended Columbia, as well as ten Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, including three Chief Justices. As of 2011, 125 Pulitzer Prize winners and 39 Oscar winners have attended Columbia. As of 2006, there were 101 National Academy members who were alumni.
In a 2016 ranking of universities worldwide with respect to living graduates who are billionaires, Columbia ranked second, after Harvard.
They are Sixth amongst our top 10 best universities
7. University of Washington, Seattle
Location: Seattle, Washington — United States
Highlight: The University of Washington, Seattle was found to have one of the world’s best clinical medicine programs.
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle approximately a decade after the city’s founding.
The university has a 703 acre main campus located in the city’s University District, as well as campuses in Tacoma and Bothell.
Overall, UW encompasses over 500 buildings and over 20 million gross square footage of space, including one of the largest library systems in the world with more than 26 university libraries, art centers, museums, laboratories, lecture halls, and stadiums.
The university offers degrees through 140 departments, and functions on a quarter system.
Notable Mentions
Notable alumni of the University of Washington include U.S. Olympic rower Joe Rantz (1936); architect Minoru Yamasaki (1934);
News anchor and Big Sky resort founder Chet Huntley (1934);
US Senator Henry M. Jackson (JD 1935);
Baskin Robbins co-founder Irv Robbins (1939);
Former actor, The Hollywood Reporter columnist and TCMhost Robert Osborne (1954);
Glass artist Dale Chihuly (BA 1965);
Serial killer Ted Bundy; Nobel Prize-winning biologist Linda B. Buck;
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson (PhD 1977), martial artist Bruce Lee;
Saxophonist Kenny G(1978); MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe (1988);
Mudhoney lead vocalist Mark Arm (1985, English);
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil(Philosophy);
Music manager Susan Silver(Chinese);
Actor Rainn Wilson (BA, Drama 1986);
Radio and TV personality Andrew Harms (2001, Business and Drama);
Actor and comedian Joel McHale (1995, MFA 2000),
Actor and Christian personality Jim Caviezel.
Former soccer player Megan Kufeld, and basketball player Matisse Thybulle.
They are Seventh amongst our top 10 best universities
8. University of Cambridge
Location: Cambridge, England — United Kingdom
Highlight: Cambridge’s faculty has included some of history’s most famous mathematicians. This year, the university earned fifth place for its mathematics program.
The University of Cambridge is a collegiate research university in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s third-oldest surviving university.
The university grew out of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople.
The two English ancient universities share many common features and are often jointly referred to as Oxbridge. Cambridge is ranked among the most prestigious universities in the world.
Notable Mentions
Over the course of its history, a number of Cambridge University academics and alumni have become notable in their fields, both academic and in the wider world.
As of October 2020, 121 affiliates of the University of Cambridge have won 122 Nobel prizes (Frederick Sanger won twice), with 70 former students of the university has won the prize.
In addition, as of 2019, Cambridge alumni, faculty members, and researchers have won 11 Fields Medals and 7 Turing Awards.
They are Eighth among our top 10 best universities
9. California Institute of Technology
Location: Pasadena, California — United States
Highlight: Home to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CalTech was identified as the top-ranked university in space science.
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California.
The university is known for its strength in science and engineering and is among a small group of institutes of technology in the United States which is primarily devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences.
Caltech is ranked among the best academic institutions in the world and is among the most selective in the U.S.
Notable Mentions
As of October 2020, Caltech has 40 Nobel laureates to its name awarded to 24 alumni, which includes 5 Caltech professors who are also alumni (Carl D. Anderson, Linus Pauling, William A. Fowler, Edward B. Lewis, and Kip Thorne), and 16 non-alumni professors. The total number of Nobel Prizes is 41 because Pauling received prizes in both Chemistry and Peace. Eight faculty and alumni have received a Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, while 58 have been awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science, and 11 have received the National Medal of Technology. One alumnus, Stanislav Smirnov, won the Fields Medal in 2010. Other distinguished researchers have been affiliated with Caltech as postdoctoral scholars (for example, Barbara McClintock, James D. Watson, Sheldon Glashow and John Gurdon) or visiting professors (for example, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Edward Witten).
There are 22,930 total living alumni in the U.S. and around the world. As of October 2020, 24 alumni and 16 non-alumni faculty have won the Nobel Prize. The Turing Award, the “Nobel Prize of Computer Science”, has been awarded to six alumni, and one has won the Fields Medal.
They are Ninth among our top 10 best universities
10. Johns Hopkins University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland — United States
Highlight: Known for its medical research, Johns Hopkins was found to have the second-best infectious disease program, as well as the second-best surgical program, in the world.
The Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland.
Founded in 1876, the university was named for its first benefactor, the American entrepreneur and philanthropist Johns Hopkins.
Notable Mentions
As of October 2019, there have been 39 Nobel Laureates who either attended the university as undergraduate or graduate students or were faculty members.
Woodrow Wilson, who received his PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1886, was Hopkins’ first affiliated laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919.
Twenty-three laureates were faculty members, five earned PhDs, eight earned M.D.s, and Francis Peyton Rous and Martin Rodbell earned undergraduate degrees.
As of October 2019, eighteen Johns Hopkins laureates have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Four Nobel Prizes were shared by Johns Hopkins laureates: George Minot and George Whipple won the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Joseph Erlanger and Herbert Spencer Gasser won the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Daniel Nathans and Hamilton O. Smithwon the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and David H. Hubel and Torsten N. Wiesel won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Four Johns Hopkins laureates won Nobel Prizes in Physics, including Riccardo Giacconiin 2002 and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Adam Riess in 2011.
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Peter Agre was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (which he shared with Roderick MacKinnon) for his discovery of aquaporins.
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Carol Greiderwas awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak, for their discovery that telomeres are protected from progressive shortening by the enzyme telomerase.
They are Tenth among our top 10 best universities
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