The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 have been unveiled on 9th Oct 2024, and this much-anticipated ranking will once again generate widespread interest and debate. The Times Higher Education ranking assesses the overall strength of global universities based on several dimensions, including teaching, research, international outlook and societal impact. It provides a clear benchmark for comparison between academic institutions in different regions.
At the same time, the evaluation criteria have evolved to adapt to changes in the global education environment, especially in terms of digitalization, sustainability and social responsibility. Therefore, understanding the trends and changes in the World University Rankings 2025 is extremely important for educators as well as future students.
What is the Times Higher Education World University Ranking for 2025?
The Times Higher Education Ranking 2025 is based on analysing 157 million citations in 18 million research papers and surveying more than 93000 scholars. There are still five indicators of Times Higher Education University Rankings: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook, and Industry.
One of the new indicators in the Times Higher Education Ranking 2025, the outbound exchange students, may not be weighted this year, but its future inclusion in the calculations could significantly impact the rankings.
Times Higher Education Rankings Indicators
One of the new indicators in the Times Higher Education Ranking 2025, the outbound exchange students, may not be weighted this year, but its future inclusion in the calculations could significantly impact the rankings.
The weight of the research environment and quality have become 59%; if you plan for the academic route in the future, it is a good criterion to have a deep look.
| Ranking Indicators | Weight |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 29.5% in Total |
| Teaching reputation | 15% |
| Staff-to-student ratio | 4.50% |
| Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio | 2% |
| Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio | 5.50% |
| Institutional income | 2.50% |
| Research environment | 29% in Total |
| Research reputation | 18% |
| Research income | 5.50% |
| Research productivity | 5.50% |
| Research quality | 30% in Total |
| Citation impact | 15% |
| Research strength | 5% |
| Research excellence | 5% |
| Research influence | 5% |
| International outlook | 7.5% in Total |
| Proportion of international students | 2.50% |
| Proportion of international staff | 2.50% |
| International collaboration | 2.50% |
| Industry | 4% in Total |
| Industry income | 2% |
| Patents | 2% |
Top 100 Times Higher Education World University Rankings
| Times Higher Education University Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States |
| 3 | Harvard University | United States |
| 4 | Princeton University | United States |
| 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 6 | Stanford University | United States |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology | United States |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley | United States |
| 9 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| 10 | Yale University | United States |
| 11 | ETH Zurich | Switzerland |
| 12 | Tsinghua University | China |
| 13 | Peking University | China |
| 14 | University of Chicago | United States |
| 14 | University of Pennsylvania | United States |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins University | United States |
| 17 | National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| 18 | Columbia University | United States |
| 18 | University of California, Los Angeles | United States |
| 20 | Cornell University | United States |
| 21 | University of Toronto | Canada |
| 22 | UCL | United Kingdom |
| 22 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | United States |
| 24 | Carnegie Mellon University | United States |
| 25 | University of Washington | United States |
| 26 | Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| 27 | Duke University | United States |
| 28 | The University of Tokyo | Japan |
| 29 | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
| 30 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore |
| 31 | Northwestern University | United States |
| 32 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 33 | New York University | United States |
| 34 | University of California, San Diego | United States |
| 35 | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 36 | Fudan University | China |
| 36 | King’s College London | United Kingdom |
| 38 | LMU Munich | Germany |
| 39 | University of Melbourne | Australia |
| 40 | Georgia Institute of Technology | United States |
| 41 | University of British Columbia | Canada |
| 42 | Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris | France |
| 43 | KU Leuven | Belgium |
| 44 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 45 | McGill University | Canada |
| 46 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | United States |
| 47 | Universität Heidelberg | Germany |
| 47 | Zhejiang University | China |
| 49 | Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| 50 | London School of Economics and Political Science | United Kingdom |
| 50 | University of Texas at Austin | United States |
| 52 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China |
| 53 | University of Manchester | United Kingdom |
| 53 | University of Science and Technology of China | China |
| 55 | Kyoto University | Japan |
| 56 | Delft University of Technology | Netherlands |
| 56 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | United States |
| 58 | Brown University | United States |
| 58 | Monash University | Australia |
| 58 | University of Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| 61 | The University of Sydney | Australia |
| 62 | Seoul National University | Korea |
| 62 | University of California, Davis | United States |
| 64 | Université Paris-Saclay | France |
| 65 | Nanjing University | China |
| 66 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong, China |
| 67 | University of California, Santa Barbara | United States |
| 67 | Wageningen University & Research | Netherlands |
| 69 | Washington University in St Louis | United States |
| 70 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | United States |
| 71 | Institut Polytechnique de Paris | France |
| 72 | University of Southern California | United States |
| 73 | Australian National University | Australia |
| 73 | Leiden University | Netherlands |
| 75 | Boston University | United States |
| 76 | Sorbonne University | France |
| 77 | The University of Queensland | Australia |
| 78 | University of Bristol | United Kingdom |
| 79 | Purdue University West Lafayette | United States |
| 80 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 80 | University of Groningen | Netherlands |
| 82 | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | South Korea |
| 83 | UNSW Sydney | Australia |
| 84 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Germany |
| 84 | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong, China |
| 84 | University of Massachusetts | United States |
| 87 | University of Glasgow | United Kingdom |
| 87 | University of Minnesota | United States |
| 89 | University of Bonn | Germany |
| 90 | University of California, Irvine | United States |
| 90 | Vanderbilt University | United States |
| 92 | RWTH Aachen University | Germany |
| 93 | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Germany |
| 93 | University of Birmingham | United Kingdom |
| 95 | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Sweden |
| 95 | Lund University | Sweden |
| 97 | University of Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 98 | Emory University | United States |
| 98 | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom |
| 100 | Penn State (Main campus) | United States |
Top 10 Times Higher Education University Rankings
| Times Higher Education University Ranking | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States |
| 3 | Harvard University | United States |
| 4 | Princeton University | United States |
| 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 6 | Stanford University | United States |
| 7 | California Institute of Technology | United States |
| 8 | University of California, Berkeley | United States |
| 9 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| 10 | Yale University | United States |
For Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 is basically the same as last year, with 7 USA universities and 3 UK Universities.
The University of Oxford has been ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive years, the longest consecutive streak of No. 1 Universities in history.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has performed outstandingly this year; it passed Stanford University and became the highest-ranked US University in the Times Higher Education University Rankings. Harvard University‘s rank has increased, and it stays at No. 3.
Princeton University has overtaken the University of Cambridge, staying at No.4 and No.5 this year. While Stanford University dropped to No.6.
The California Institute of Technology has been followed by the Times Higher Education Rankings, which have placed it at No. 7, the same as last year.
The rank of UC Berkeley has increased and became No. 8, Imperial College London stayed at No.9, and Yale University is still a top 10 goalie.
Times Higher Education Rankings-USA TOP 10
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-US 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-US 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge |
| 3 | 4 | Harvard University | Cambridge |
| 4 | 6 | Princeton University | Princeton |
| 6 | 2 | Stanford University | Stanford |
| 7 | 7 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena |
| 8 | 9 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley |
| 10 | 10 | Yale University | New Haven |
| 14 | 13 | University of Chicago | Chicago |
| 14 | 16 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
| 16 | 15 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore |
The United States still has the most universities in the Times Higher Education World Rankings, with 174 on the list. Among them are 23 USA universities in the Top 50 and 38 USA universities in the Top 100.
There are 55 USA universities in the top 200 rankings, and the numbers have decreased, indicating that other universities in different countries have made significant progress in their core strengths.
For the USA University, MIT performed excellently this year and became No.2 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Yale University are still in the top 10.
Times Higher Education Ranking-UK
| Times Higher Education World Rankings-UK 2025 | Times Higher Education World Rankings-UK 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | Oxford |
| 5 | 5 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge |
| 9 | 8 | Imperial College London | London |
| 22 | 22 | UCL | London |
| 29 | 30 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
| 36 | 38 | King’s College London | London |
| 50 | 46 | London School of Economics and Political Science | London |
| 53 | 51 | University of Manchester | Manchester |
| 78 | 81 | University of Bristol | Bristol |
| 87 | 87 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow |
UK Universities also performed well this year, and the University of Oxford has continued to stand out as No. 1 in the next nine years. The University of Cambridge and Imperial College London are in the same top 10.
Of the top 50 universities, UCL stays at No. 22, while the London School of Economics and Political Science drop to No.55.
Besides, the University of Edinburgh also performed well, and its rank increased to No. 29. King’s College London also rose to No. 36.
Times Higher Education Ranking-Australia
| Times Higher Education World University Rankings-AU 2025 | Times Higher Education World University Rankings-AU 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 37 | University of Melbourne | Melbourne |
| 58 | 54 | Monash University | monash |
| 61 | 60 | The University of Sydney | Sydney |
| 73 | 67 | Australian National University | Canberra |
| 77 | 70 | The University of Queensland | Brisbane |
| 83 | 84 | UNSW Sydney | Kensington |
| 128 | 111 | University of Adelaide | Adelaide |
| 149 | 143 | The University of Western Australia | Perth |
| 154 | 148 | University of Technology Sydney | Sydney |
| 178 | 180 | Macquarie University | Sydney |
Only The University of Melbourne entered the Top 50 in the Times Higher Education Ranking for Australian universities. However, it dropped two places and stayed at No. 39.
Times Higher Education Rankings-Canada
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-CA 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-CA 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 21 | University of Toronto | Toronto |
| 41 | 41 | University of British Columbia | Vancouver |
| 45 | 49 | McGill University | Montreal |
| 116 | 103 | McMaster University | Hamilton |
| 116 | 109 | University of Alberta | Edmonton |
| 125 | 111 | Université de Montréal | Montreal |
| 163 | 158 | University of Waterloo | Waterloo |
| 191 | 177 | University of Ottawa | Ottwa |
| 201–250 | 201–250 | University of Calgary | Calgary |
| 201–250 | 201–250 | Western University | London |
In Canada, three universities have entered the top 50 in the Times Higher Education Ranking: the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University. Their ranks are similar to last year’s.
Times Higher Education World Rankings-Singapore
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-Singapore 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-Singapore 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 19 | National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| 30 | 32 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore |
The good performances of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings attract more students to apply to schools. The ranks of two Singapore Schools have increased, and Nanyang Technological University has entered the Top 30.
Times Higher Education University Rankings-China
| Times Higher Education Ranking-China 2025 | Times Higher Education Ranking-China 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 12 | Tsinghua University | Beijing |
| 13 | 14 | Peking University | Beijing |
| 36 | 44 | Fudan University | Shanghai |
| 47 | 55 | Zhejiang University | Hangzhou |
| 52 | 43 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | Shanghai |
| 53 | 57 | University of Science and Technology of China | Hefei |
| 65 | 73 | Nanjing University | Nanjing |
| 134 | 164 | Wuhan University | Wuhan |
| 146 | 177 | Beijing Normal University | Beijing |
| 152 | 168 | Harbin Institute of Technology | Harbin |
For Times Higher Education University Rankings 2025, Tsinghua University still ranks highest among Top Chinese universities and stays at No.12 among the global universities. No.2 is Peking University, and the rank has risen to No. 13.
Tsinghua and Peking University have surpassed Penn, Columbia University, and Cornell University, three American Ivy League schools this year. Next time, there is a big chance of getting into the top 10 Times Higher Education ranking.
China Mainland University has an upward trend in Times Higher Education University Rankings. A total of 94 universities are on the list, and the ranks of 26 universities have increased. Four universities entered the top 50 of the Times Higher Education rankings, and seven universities entered the top 100.
Times Higher Education Rankings-HK, China
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-HK, China 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-HK, China 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 35 | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 44 | 53 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 66 | 64 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong, China |
| 80 | 82 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China |
| 84 | 87 | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong, China |
Times Higher Education Rankings-Macau, China
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-Macau, China 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-Macau, China 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180 | 193 | University of Macau | Macau, China |
| 251-300 | 251-300 | Macau University of Science and Technology | Macau, China |
Times Higher Education Rankings-Taiwan
| Times Higher Education University Ranking-Taiwan 2025 | Times Higher Education University Ranking-Taiwan 2024 | University | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | 152 | National Taiwan University (NTU) | Taipei |
| 301-350 | 301–350 | China Medical University, Taiwan | Taichung |
| 401–500 | 401–500 | Asia University, Taiwan | Taichung |
| 401–500 | 401–500 | National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) | Taipei |
| 401–500 | 401–500 | National Tsing Hua University | Hsinchu |
| 401–500 | 401–500 | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University | Taipei |
| 401–500 | 401–500 | Taipei Medical University | Taipei |
| 501-600 | 501-600 | National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) | Tainan |
| 501-600 | 501-600 | National Taiwan Normal University | Taipei |
| 501-600 | 501-600 | National Yunlin University of Science and Technology | Yunlin |
FAQ
The most accurate world university ranking is often debated among various lists. Still, the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings are widely regarded as two of the most reliable. QS emphasizes academic reputation and employer surveys, while THE focuses on teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. Both methodologies offer different insights, so their rankings can vary.
Yes, Times Higher Education (THE) is highly reputable in university rankings. It uses a comprehensive methodology that assesses universities based on teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry. This rigorous approach is informed by a global panel of experts and extensive data collection. THE rankings are widely cited by academic institutions, policymakers, and students, making it a trusted resource for evaluating performance.
As of Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2025, the University of Oxford holds the No.1 position. Renowned for its exceptional academic reputation, research output, and teaching quality, Oxford consistently ranks highly across various criteria. Its diverse range of programs and global collaborations contribute to its status as a leading institution.
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