The University of Oxford is the world's top university for the 11th year running, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, published on 30 September.

A bigger table

This year's edition ranks 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories, more than last year. It assesses research-intensive universities on teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and links with industry, and introduces finer bands for universities below the precisely ranked top tier.

Asia rises

The headline movement is in Asia. Tsinghua University in Beijing rose to 11th place. The National University of Singapore entered the top 15, and for the first time three Asian universities appear in the top 15.

Hong Kong also had a strong year. City University of Hong Kong reached 70th, its best result.

Elsewhere

  • United States: UC Berkeley and Yale share 9th place, with Berkeley the highest-ranked public university in North America.
  • Australia: 37 universities are ranked, six of them in the top 100: Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, Queensland, UNSW Sydney and the Australian National University. Monash is 61st.
  • Egypt: 40 universities are included, four more than in the previous edition.

How to read the rankings

Rankings measure research-heavy institutions on indicators that favour size, citations and international reach. They say little about teaching quality in a particular subject or about how well a university supports students from different backgrounds. For applicants, a programme's content, cost and funding options usually matter more than a few places in a global table.

Sources