International Education News
2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings (Top 1000)
Here it is! The 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings have been freshly released!
This year's ranking features a record number of participating institutions, with 2,191 universities from around the world making the list, an increase of approximately 5% compared to the 2025 ranking. This marks the second time in the ranking's history that the number of featured institutions has surpassed two thousand, covering a total of 115 countries and regions.
It is noteworthy that the United States, with 171 ranked institutions, continues to hold the top spot globally, while the United Kingdom (109 institutions) ties with Turkey for fourth place worldwide.
Ranking Methodology
The 2026 THE World University Rankings maintain a comprehensive evaluation of global universities' teaching and research capabilities. The performance indicators encompass five core areas: Teaching (the learning environment), Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook, and Industry Influence, which include 18 specific metrics.
Source | Times Higher Education
Unlike the QS Rankings, the THE Rankings place a greater emphasis on research influence and teaching quality. Research-related indicators account for a substantial 30% of the total score, while teaching accounts for 29.5%.
This methodological design establishes the THE Rankings as one of the world's three most recognized university rankings, providing an important reference for evaluating global higher education institutions.
Key Highlights
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University of Oxford secured the top position for the tenth consecutive year, becoming the institution with the longest streak at number one in the history of this ranking.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), consistent with last year, remains the leading U.S. university, holding onto the second position.
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Princeton University rose to third place (tie), becoming the only U.S. university to achieve its best-ever historical rank this year.
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Harvard University dropped from last year's third place to fifth (tie), sharing the spot with Stanford University.
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The number of Mainland Chinese universities in the top 40 increased to five (up from three last year).
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Six universities from Hong Kong, China entered the top 200.
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India saw its number of ranked institutions jump to second globally, trailing only the United States.
Top 1000 List
To help students conveniently and accurately grasp this key information, Prepare Education has meticulously compiled the complete list of the top 1000 universities to assist you in pinpointing your ideal institution!
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