QS World University Rankings 2025 (2024)

FAQs

What is the best university in the world in 2025? ›

The rankings are regarded as one of the most-widely read university rankings in the world, along with Academic Ranking of World Universities and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. According to Alexa Internet, it is the most widely viewed university ranking worldwide.

The three longest established and most influential global rankings are those produced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE) and Shanghai Ranking Consultancy (the Academic Ranking of World Universities; ARWU).

Imperial College London jumps four places to take second and the University of Oxford and Harvard University are in third and fourth place respectively. The University of Cambridge rounds out the top five.

Based in San Francisco, Minerva is the most difficult school to get into, with a 0.99% admission rate for the class of 2026. The college is far more difficult to enter than the Ivy League colleges on this list. Of 20,816 first-year applicants for the class of 2026, Minerva admitted just 208 students.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is one of the top public universities in Los Angeles, United States. It is ranked #42 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

University of Connecticut is one of the top public universities in Storrs, United States. It is ranked #=565 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

The choice between Times Higher Education (THE) and QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) for ranking universities depends on what specific criteria and aspects of rankings you value most. Both THE and QS use different methodologies and criteria to evaluate universities, which can lead to variations in rankings.

What is the hardest university to get into ranking? ›

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 include 1,907 universities across 108 countries and regions.

1. Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Academic Culture: - Both schools are renowned for their education and research, but with slight variations in academic strengths. Harvard is well-regarded for its business, law, and government programs, while Princeton is reputable for engineering, mathematics, and the humanities.

Rankings: Based on global rankings, Oxford beats Harvard, however in national rankings, Harvard holds a better position. Thus, Oxford wins based on the global rankings here. Acceptance Rate: Harvard is more selective than Oxford, hence Oxford wins here by 16.8% against 3.59%.

The University of Oxford tops the ranking for the eighth year in a row, but others in the top five have seen shifts in their ranks. Stanford University moves up to second place, pushing Harvard University down to fourth. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) climbs up two places to third this year.