UK surpassed for first time as second most-represented nation in #THEUniRankings

Oxford and Cambridge retain top spots but UK reputation dips amid intensifying global competition

• Oxford and Cambridge retain top two positions in definitive global listing – but national data picture one of stagnation and modest decline for UK higher education

• Asia’s ascent continues and Japan surpasses UK as second most represented nation; China’s new number one becomes top in Asia – overtakes the LSE and Edinburgh; University of Hong Kong overtakes King’s College London

• US still dominates table – but signs of stagnation cut across Europe, US and Australia as global competition intensifies

• University of Baghdad becomes Iraq’s first entrant in table’s 15-year history, joining the global top 1,000. Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Tanzania also first-time entrants

TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION (THE) this week publishes its 2019 edition of the definitive World University Rankings. 

Oxford University claims prime position for a third consecutive year – also topping the global table for research (volume, income and reputation). Cambridge retains second position for a second year, and is global second for research, but claims global third for teaching (after US-based Caltech and Stanford), while Oxford claims fifth.

But UK is surpassed as the second most-represented nation in the listing for the first time – with Japan claiming 103 positions to the UK’s 98 (up from 93).

The majority of the UK’s entrants – 77 – also remain static or decline this year.

The prestigious annual table – now in its 15^th year – lists more than 1,250 higher education institutions globally, up from just over 1,100 last year, and features 86 countries, up from 81. It is the only global university ranking to be subjected to full, independent audit (details and methodology in notes to editors, below).

The UK retains its status as second most-represented in the top 200 (after the US) but the majority  (21 of 29) also remain static or decline, with two – the University of Dundee and Royal Holloway –slipping from the global top 200 entirely.

Meanwhile, Asia continues its ascent. China’s new number one, Tsinghua University, becomes Asia’s top institution and overtakes the UK’s LSE (which falls from the top 25) and University of Edinburgh, while the University of Hong Kong overtakes King’s College London this year.

There are however several individual successes from the UK: UCL climbs two places into the top 15, at number 14 this year, with improvements across the board but in particular to its teaching score; the University of Warwick scales 12 places to joint 79^th; the University of Birmingham jumps an impressive 25 positions into the top 120, at joint 116; York also rises into the top 120, scaling 18 places to 119, and the University of Aberdeen leaps 27 positions into the top 160 at 158.

The US continues to dominate the ranking and Europe remains a significant power player, but there are signs of stagnation amid intensified global competition and national funding cuts and tightened immigration policies.

Seven European institutions are represented in the 2019 top 30, the same as last year, and occupy almost half the top 200. After the UK, Germany (with 47), Italy (43), Spain (38) and France (34) are the most-represented European countries in the ranking, while the UK (29), Germany (23) and the Netherlands (12) are the most-represented European countries in the top 200.

Moocs – massive open on line courses – may have had an impact on the results as they help huge numbers of students to access elite courses at top institutions, and drive further reputational improvements.

Phil Baty, Editorial Director of Global Rankings for THE, said: “I see the fourth industrial revolution putting real pressure on university teaching – forcing them to re-think not just how they teach, but what they teach. With robots expected to take many future jobs, it’s hard to predict the knowledge and skills graduates will need for the future.

“So universities have to focus more on softer, transferable skills, and on instilling characteristics such as resilience, flexibility, dynamism and problem solving. This isn’t directly measured in our rankings, but will come through in our teaching reputation survey, covering 20,000 accomplished scholars globally.”

Regarding the implications for UK Univerisites Phil Baty, continued:

“We see some individual stars in the UK this year – but the broader national data story is really one of stagnation and modest decline, with the UK taking a minor hit to its research reputation. We can only speculate at this stage as to any connection with Brexit – the risk, however, to the UK’s reputation and research capabilities from its separation with Europe is very real.

“Maintaining world-class excellence amid cuts and creeping isolationism is simply unsustainable – especially amid intensifying global competition, with many emerging nations currently placing their own universities at the heart of national economic growth strategies.

“The ground-breaking work of UK universities mustn’t be undermined by complacency and politicking. To ensure they continue to thrive on the global stage, positive immigration and investment policies are crucial. They must be free to attract and retain the very best international talent and international students post-Brexit, and they must be protected from cuts – the flow of research funding and academic talent mustn’t be impacted.”

Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said:

“What is clear from all the various international rankings is that the UK continues to have one of the strongest university sectors in the world. This is based on our well-deserved international reputation for high quality teaching, learning and research, delivered by talented and dedicated staff.

“But we know that other countries are seeing the benefits of higher education and are investing heavily in developing their universities. If the UK is to maintain its leading position, we must match this investment, and ensure that the UK projects a more open and welcoming message for talented international staff and students. This is more important than ever as Brexit negotiations near their end and the UK looks to enhance its place in the world.”

On the wider European performance, Ellie Bothwell, Rankings Editor for THE, added:

“While there is great success for many European countries and universities in this year’s rankings, a shift in the political climate across the continent could damage many of its higher education systems in future years.

“Universities in the UK, and Europe as a whole, will lose out if pan-European mobility and research collaborations are restricted as a result of Brexit, while the rise in far-right populism is already impacting universities’ academic freedom in countries such as Hungary. These factors combined with stiff competition from Asia will put European universities under a great deal of pressure over the coming 12 months.”

THE rankings also reward international campuses (students and staff) and international research collaboration in the methodology – in the belief that universities with multi-cultural campuses are more likely to be able to bring positive learning experiences to students – with multiple perspectives in the classroom, different views,  intercultural skills, etc. 

The THE World University Ranking 2019 will be launched at THE’s World Academic Summit at the National University of Singapore.

THE World University Rankings 2019 global roundup

The Top 10

Oxford University claims first position for a third consecutive year, also topping the list for its the research pillar (volume, income and reputation). Cambridge retains second, while Stanford in the US holds steady in third.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rises one place to number four but the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) drops from last year’s joint third position, to number five – however the university tops the list for the teaching pillar (learning environment).

Yale is the highest riser in the top 20, scaling four places to join the top 10, in eighth.

The United States and Canada

The United States remains the most-represented nation in the table, with 172 institutions, up from 157. Though the majority of its universities – 130 of them – decline or remain static. While nation also continues to dominate the top 200, with 60 universities included, this is down from 62 last year, and more than half (32) decline, while 10 retain their previous position and 18 improve.

The nation is led by Stanford University in third, but the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) – last year’s joint third, and which led the ranking between 2012 and 2016 – loses further ground this year, dropping two places to fifth. Caltech does however come first in the table’s teaching pillar (the learning environment), followed by Stanford. 

And Yale University climbs four places to eighth – its highest rank under the current methodology (since 2011) and the largest rise in the top 20.

It’s a mixed picture for Canada. The country has 27 institutions represented in the 2019 table, up from 26, led again by the University of Toronto, which rises one place to 21. Almost seventy-seven per cent – over three out of four – of the country’s universities ranked in both 2018 and 2019 decline or stay stable compared with last year.

East Asia

Mainland China gets a new number one.   Up eight places at number 22, Tsinghua University is the nation’s new number one, surpassing Peking University (down four places to 31) to claim China’s highest position since 2011.

Tsinghua supplants the National University of Singapore as Asia’s top institution – the first time a Chinese university has held the title under the current methodology (since 2011). The institution also overtakes the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and New York University this year, and claims global sixth position for research (volume, income and reputation) – above Princeton, Yale and MIT. China’s highest-ranked new entrant, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) – only established in 2011 – makes an impressive debut in the listing’s global top 350. China is the fourth most-represented globally in the table, with 72 universities (up from 63) – and retains seven in the elite top 200.

Four of Hong Kong’s six representatives rise up the table, with five making the top 200 for the third consecutive year, despite increased global competition. Its lead, the University of Hong Kong, rises four places to 36th thanks to significant improvements in its teaching environment scores – and overtakes Canada’s University of British Columbia, and King’s College London.

Taiwan has 32 institutions included in this year’s global listing, up from 31, but sees the majority stay static or decline.

It’s a relatively strong year for Japan. Following several years of decline, the nation sees some consolidation, with 103 universities represented, up from 89 – more than ever before. The country surpasses the UK as the table’s second most-represented nation.

2019 entries and exits

The University of Baghdad becomes Iraq’s first entrant in the table’s 15-year history, joining the global top 801-1,000 band, with its strongest performances in citation impact (research influence) and international research collaboration.

The University of the West Indies becomes Jamaica’s first entrant – joining the table in the 501-600 banding, with a strong international outlook. Kazakhstan, Nepal and Tanzania also join the table for the first time this year, while Serbia re-enters following a one-year absence.

Bangladesh is the only country to drop from the 2019 table, as the University of Dhaka did not submit data.

Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings Global and national tables 2019

2019 global top 200

2019 UK table 

Copyright Times Higher Education (THE) 2018 The world’s most authoritative source of data, analysis and information on higher education, with five decades’ experience dedicated to the field.

Link to the full results and analysis at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/world-ranking

The THE World University Rankings 2019 includes a total 1,258 institutions across 86 countries. The top 1,000 is published in print, but the full listing made available online.

About the THE World University Rankings, the definitive list of the top universities globally:

The only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across each one of their core missions: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation), international outlook (staff, students and research); citations (research influence); industry income (knowledge transfer)

13 carefully calibrated performance indicators used to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons – trusted globally by students and their families, academics, university leaders, industry and governments

Independently audited by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the only global university rankings to be subjected to full, independent scrutiny of this nature.

Methodology based on more than a decade of experience, following more than a year of open consultation across the global higher education community and with the detailed expert input of more than 50 leading HE and data advisers globally

The THE World University Rankings are drawn from THE’s database of university performance metrics, with over 150 separate data points on each of the world’s leading research universities and two global surveys of senior, published scholars from our annual reputation survey: with more than 20,000 responses adding 250,000 items of data. Care is taken to ensure balance across all disciplines, with a proportionate number of responses from the arts, humanities and social sciences

Research excellence is assessed through the examination of more than 14 million publications (journal articles, article reviews, conference proceedings, books and book chapters) 67.9 million citations, taking full account of the major variations in publication volumes and citation counts across disciplines, with over 330 global subject-level benchmarks