U.S. News & World Report Announces 2020 Best Global Universities Rankings
The rankings evaluate universities around the world that prioritize academic research
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today published the 2020 edition of the Best Global Universities rankings. In the most comprehensive assessment of research universities worldwide, the new edition evaluates 1,500 schools – up from 1,250 last year – on academic research and reputation.
The top 10 schools in the overall ranking are all found in either the U.S. or the United Kingdom. Harvard University remains at No. 1, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of California—Berkeley at No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The University of Oxford rounds out the top five.
The new edition evaluates schools in 81 countries – up from 75 last year. The U.S. has the most universities in the overall ranking with 249, followed by the following countries:
- China: 188
- U.K.: 86
- Japan: 82
- Germany: 66
"As the Best Global Universities rankings continue to expand in number of schools and subjects to fulfill the needs of prospective students, we remain consistent in our mission to evaluate schools around the world on their research," said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. "A major emphasis on academic research is what sets this methodology apart from our other university rankings."
New this year are six additional subject rankings, bringing the total to 28: oncology, surgery, cardiac and cardiovascular systems, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering and civil engineering. In both the engineering and computer science rankings, four of the top 10 schools are based in China.
The following countries performed the best in each of these subjects, listed in order of most schools on each list:
- Computer science: China (tie), U.S. (tie), U.K., Australia, Canada
- Economics and business: U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, China
- Engineering: U.S., China, U.K., Italy, Canada
- Neuroscience and behavior: U.S., Germany, Italy, China, U.K.
Based on Web of Science data and InCites metrics provided by the Web of Science Group, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university's global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall rankings, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. Each subject ranking has its own methodology based on academic research performance and reputation in that specific area.
"Many prospective students are looking to other countries for their education," said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. "The Best Global Universities rankings give these students a starting point for their search. In addition to the rankings, students should also consider their fluency in the language of instruction, the fields of study that the school offers and the costs that come from studying in another country."
2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities
Overall Best Global Universities – Top 10
- Harvard University (U.S.)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)
- Stanford University (U.S.)
- University of California—Berkeley (U.S.)
- University of Oxford (U.K.)
- California Institute of Technology (U.S.)
- Columbia University (U.S.)
- Princeton University (U.S.)
- University of Cambridge (U.K.)
- University of Washington (U.S.)
- University of Cape Town (South Africa)
- University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
- Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
- National University of Singapore
- Tsinghua University (China)
- Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
- University of Melbourne (Australia)
- University of Sydney
- University of Queensland (Australia)
- University of Oxford (U.K.)
- University of Cambridge (U.K.)
- Imperial College London
- Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
- Pontificia University Católica de Chile
- State University of Campinas (Brazil)
The Best Global Universities rankings serve the broader U.S. News mission of providing trusted information and rankings – such as Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools and Best Online Programs – to help all students navigate their higher education options. Specifically for Chinese students, U.S. News offers online resource centers published in Chinese to help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in studying abroad.
For more information on the Best Global Universities, visit Facebook and Twitter using #BestGlobal.
Media Contact: Madeline Smanik, [email protected], + 1 (202) 823-4797.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
About the Web of Science Group
The Web of Science Group, a Clarivate Analytics company, organizes the world's research information to enable academia, corporations, publishers and governments to accelerate the pace of research. It is powered by Web of Science – the world's largest publisher-neutral citation index and research intelligence platform. Its many well-known brands also include Converis, EndNote, Kopernio, Publons, ScholarOne and the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). For more information, please visit webofsciencegroup.com.
SOURCE U.S. News & World Report
Share this article